McElhenney praises match for children's hospitals

The game was intended to "give something back" to club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Rob McElhenney has thanked a Welsh police football team for organising a match to raise hundreds for children's hospitals in the US and Canada.

Wrexham AFC's celebrity co-owner praised officers after proceeds from the charity kick-about on Sunday went to help poorly children in Philadelphia and Vancouver.

The fundraiser in Broughton, Flintshire, saw Wrexham Police FC, which is made up of off-duty players from North Wales Police, take on Happy Somedays, an inclusive for-all group based in Manchester.

It was staged to "give something back" to McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds for all the actors have done for Wrexham AFC since buying the club in February 2021.

So far about £334 ($425 dollars) has been raised and split between British Columbia (BC) Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - areas from which Reynolds and McElhenney respectively hail.

"Ryan and Rob have done a great deal for Wrexham and made a significant impact on the area and people's lives," said Sgt Dave Smith from Wrexham Police FC, which has raised just over £43,000 for various charitable causes over the past 14 months.

"We just wanted to do something to give something back."

Over the past year Wrexham AFC's celebrity owners have donated close to £20,000 to fundraisers set up or publicised by Sgt Smith's team.

In February, they donated £10,000 in aid of the family of four-year-old Louis Perrin, who was born with a rare genetic variant of the TUBA1A gene.

The condition causes him to have painful leg spasms, limited mobility, epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

90Ahead of Wrexham Police FC's weekend match, McElhenney posted on social media: "Love this. Thank you."

Sgt Smith, whose team won on the day, said he was surprised by the acknowledgement.

"I didn't expect to get the message from Rob," he said.

"It shows that, despite he and Ryan's celebrity status, they've got a human side and care about the Wrexham area and really want to help the community."