Mail Sport Extreme: Meet the man behind Haverfordwest County's transformation from part-timers to Conference League and how he's targeting success in Ohio Valley Wrestling next...

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Five years ago, Wrexham made headlines when Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club, investing and taking the side from non-league to the Championship as of next season.
Around the same time, Rob Edwards was considering the future of his wine business when he received an e-mail offering another semi-professional Welsh side for sale; Haverfordwest County AFC.
Within weeks, Edwards had completed his takeover and set the goal of reaching Europe within three years. Two years ago, Haverfordwest County made their Conference League debut, reaching the second qualifying round - after defeating Macedonians Shkendija over two legs in the first round - before exiting at the hands of Torshavn.
Next month, they return to Europe for just the third time in their 126-year history.
'Wrexham is a brilliant story, and they've done a fantastic job, but we're not trying to recreate that,' says Edwards. 'We're not Hollywood and I'm not famous. We're just a bunch of people who care deeply about sport, who believe in people, and who are willing to try things others won't.'
While most would be content to look to change the fortunes of one sporting organization, Edwards, through his sports management firm MSM, wasn't content to rest on his laurels.
Towards the end of last year, Edwards found himself flying to Kentucky to watch an Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) show, the promotion that helped launch the careers of John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar among others.
While Cena and Rhodes go toe-to-toe this weekend at WWE's Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, Edwards will continue to plan for the weeks, months and years ahead with both Haverfordwest and OVW.
'It's completely surreal, but honestly, it all comes from the same place,' says Edwards. 'I'm obsessed with sport and the impact it can have on communities. I'm doing things I never imagined doing, but I'm enjoying every second and looking to create a legacy as I go.
'Walking into that arena, I could feel the energy and togetherness amongst the staff and talent. There's something visceral about live wrestling. The energy, the commitment from the fans, the storytelling... it was all there. But behind the scenes, they didn't know how to talk about it. There was no identity. No real plan for the future.
'Everyone still thinks we're a feeder system. But we're not. We're building something that can stand on its own. A company where people want to stay, not just pass through. We want OVW to be the best indie promotion in the world - and we want it to feel like home. It's a fresh start. A chance to build on what's something special. It may be a totally different sport, but the approach is not dissimilar to what we achieved at Haverfordwest.
'Fans are vital. Fan-centric is vital to every opportunity. We want to leave a legacy with every business we work in. You can't do it with just one person or one idea. It has to be at the core of everything we stand for. We want to build a business that has real, tangible value both financially, and in terms of the value it adds to the areas in which we operate.
'I haven't thought about what the "ending" looks like - is there an ending? Or can we keep driving both to new heights? We're here to create the best businesses we can, and that will create opportunities. We have to prove both businesses can be successful.
'There are so many ideas to make them sustainable, successful businesses-with the right impact. From there, it's about delivering the best we can. The end goal? Take it as far as we can. Win the league that puts it on a different level internationally and financially, and that means we can continue to grow and invest.
'For OVW, there's no reason we can't be a national brand with international exposure. That opens doors to larger sponsorships and partnerships. It doesn't have to be WWE to be highly successful and to be an asset for Louisville and Kentucky.
When Edwards first took over at Haverfordwest County, the team were playing in front of less than 100 fans each week.
Fast-forward to now and the side have not only qualified for European campaigns in successive seasons for the first time in their history, they have achieved their highest league finish in over 20 years (third place), with their Development side winning the FAW Youth Cup for the first time and claimed the league title for the second year in a row.
Clearly, the strategies put in place by Edwards and his associates have been working.
'At Haverfordwest we're so isolated, in a peninsula in the southwest of Wales, with a low population, it's a very retirement-based demographic,' says Edwards. 'Having fans and local people on side is important. Over 1,700 came to the play-off (to secure European football last season) - 15 per cent. For a population like ours, that's huge.
'It shows that if we can share our vision locally and create that direct impact, people will give that back and more. We're doing 30 hours a week of community initiatives. We want to add value to the town beyond football.
'In return, people are supporting the team to impact more and create more opportunities. We've got a full-time community manager driving that impact, which aligns with our bigger agenda to create a charitable trust - it's now been sent into the Charity Commission. That'll allow us to generate the funding we need to create even more of an impact.
'OVW has a loyal fanbase, but it's at a level where we need to impact more directly. We need to bring new people back into the business. There are 1.6 million people within commutable distance, which is a massive catchment area. If we can even tap into a tiny percentage of that, it's a huge opportunity to put OVW on the map in the local area and make OVW a Louisville institution alongside the likes of Churchill Downs, Slugger Museum and of course, Bourbon!
'To be a national and international brand, we have to be local first - get attendances up, increase visibility in the town. It's scary but exciting. There's real fresh snow here, Just by creating small impacts, we can have a significant impact within the company - and that builds the foundations for a successful future.'
The future looks bright for Haverfordwest and OVW. With attendances climbing, fans are backing both ventures week in, week out.
Having finished third in the league last season, beating champions The New Saints along the way, Edwards sees no reason why Haverford can't be challenging for the title and the rewards that come with it.
It's a lesson he's keen to put into practise with OVW too.
'We want to win the league,' he says. 'You don't get involved in a competitive environment unless you want to be the best team you can be. That's more achievable in Wales than elsewhere - it doesn't have a huge amount of awareness, but there's investment coming into the league that will drive it forward. To finish third and qualify for Europe just shows what we've achieved off our own back. It's significant progress, but it's just the beginning.
'The champions are benefitting from European success and everything that comes with it, and they're full-time, but the gap isn't huge. We're two or three years behind that. We've shown how far we've come that with the Under-19s winning the Treble this season and qualifying for the youth equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, and if we can transfer that momentum when these lads come through, there's no reason we can't have a real, competitive, homegrown side. That's important, especially where we are geographically.
'The aim with MSM is to build a portfolio - five to seven clubs across different sports - where each one tells a story, gives back to its community, and is commercially strong. OVW is a huge part of that.
'These two worlds can actually learn from each other. The chaos is the point - but it's controlled chaos. We've got a strategy, we've got brilliant people, and we've got something fans are already connecting with. If we do this right, OVW won't just be relevant again - it'll be the blueprint for how wrestling can evolve.
'And if it all goes wrong? At least I'll have one hell of a book.'