Why the Allyn family chose Dragons and not Liverpool

An American family who sold their business for a whopping £1.5bn have shared the reason behind their decision to invest in Wrexham rather than Premier League titans Liverpool.

- By LIAM RANDALL

The Allyn family, from Skaneateles in upstate New York, owned the medical device company, Welch Allyn, for over a century before selling it in 2015.

In October, it was announced that the family had secured a minority stake in Wrexham, which is co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Kaleen Allyn, who man-ages the family’s private investment portfolio, assumed the role of executive director at the club in January, following her stint on Wall Street.

She has revealed how they initially contemplated investing in several Premier League clubs, but ultimately chose Wrexham.

As Liverpool celebrated their 20th league title at Anfield at the weekend, Kaleen and her father Eric were on the pitch at the Racecourse Ground with Reynolds and McElhenney, enjoying Phil Parkinson’s team’s promotion to the Championship from League One.

Allyn told The Athletic that Wrexham’s community-centric approach swayed their investment decision towards the club.

Back home, her family participates in numerous philanthropic endeavours aimed at combating poverty and enhancing people’s lives.