Truro City's rise can be 'bigger than Wrexham's'

Eric Perez celebrated in the changing rooms with his team after Truro City won National League South last season

Truro City owner Eric Perez says his club's rise could be "even more special" than that of Wrexham.

The Canadian and his Ontario Inc consortium took over the club in November 2023 and oversaw them winning National League South in their first full season in control.

They are the first club to have significant Canadian ownership in the fifth tier since Wrexham, who are co-owned by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.

Under his and fellow Hollywood star Rob McElhenney's ownership, Wrexham have won promotions from the National League to the Championship - helped by their television series Welcome to Wrexham and the commercial appeal their star status has brought the club.

"I think what we're doing is even more special than what they've done," Perez told BBC Radio Cornwall when asked about the two clubs.

"There are at the end of the day five league clubs from Wales, there's only one club in Cornwall that's even close to the Football League, and if we could get there, it would be something that would change Cornwall forever.

"It would weave a patch into the cultural tapestry of a place that has been alive and vibrant for 3,000 years.

"To be able to do something like that is, to me, what life is all about, so I actually feel like this is bigger than Wrexham could ever be."

Having seen the club win National League South, Perez and his backers have helped Truro become Cornwall's first-ever fully professional football team.

They have also had to speed up work to expand their new stadium on the outskirts of the city, which was only built a year ago, extending stands on two sides of the ground and improving other facilities.

The work will culminate on Saturday when the club host the first ever fifth-tier game to be played in Cornwall when the Tinners host York City.

"It's just been such a journey," said Perez, who previously owned the Cornwall rugby league side and had ties with Toronto Wolfpack.

"I remember when we first took over the club and we set out some goals, no-one really paid attention.

"I think everyone's paying attention now, because we are really on the cusp of something huge here playing our first home National League match.

"It's been a super hectic off-season. First of all, we've had a stadium renovation that we've done, building a new main stand to accommodate what is now the requirements for this league.

"Then obviously transitioning the club from hybrid to full-time professional, that's been massive.

"So it's been a hectic off-season to say the least, but I think we're prepared and we're ready to put our best foot forward for the Duchy."

Truro's start to the season has been keenly awaited by many in football as the first-ever Cornish side to play in a nationwide league.

Among the many well-wishers was the Prince of Wales, who in his capacity as Duke of Cornwall wrote to the club to send them his best wishes for the new season.

The Tinners lost their first game 2-0 away at Wealdstone last week, and while Perez is excited, he is also realistic about his side's title chances, although he still has ambitions for the seasons to come.

He said: "When we took over the club, our goal was to stick in National League South and then see what we could do the following season, and what we did was we won the league.

"So I think it's similar this way as our goal is to try and stay in the National League, cement our place in it and then who knows what could happen the year after that."