Latest news with #Reynolds
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Near-capacity crowd expected at Sydney's Allianz Stadium as Wrexham's fairytale rise continues and Hollywood backing draw huge interest
Welsh football club Wrexham is set to play in front of a near-capacity crowd in Sydney on Tuesday night as the team continues its Australian tour, with the highly anticipated friendly against Sydney FC expected to attract around 38,000 fans. The attendance at Allianz Stadium is shaping up to rival that of the British and Irish Lions' recent clash with the NSW Waratahs, which drew approximately 40,000 spectators earlier this month. Wrexham, still riding a wave of global interest thanks to its dramatic rise through the English football leagues and the high-profile ownership of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has seen its popularity soar beyond the pitch. Wrexham club's manager, Phil Parkinson, said the squad was still coming to terms with the scale of their journey. 'Where the club's come from, there've been tough periods over the last 20 years. To imagine that we'd be touring Australia and having all these great experiences, sometimes you've got to pinch yourself,' he said during a media appearance on Monday. The team held a training session at Sydney Olympic Park before visiting Taronga Zoo. Wrexham has enjoyed three successive promotions and now sits within striking distance of the English Premier League, a remarkable turnaround for a club that was once struggling in non-league football. New signing Ryan Hardie has joined the squad after spells at Rangers and Plymouth Argyle. His arrival in North Wales came with a touch of Hollywood sparkle. 'They're involved in this club as much as anyone,' Hardie said, referring to the messages of support he received from Deadpool star Reynolds and fellow Hollywood A-lister McElhenney after his signing was announced. Wrexham's revival, chronicled in the Disney+ docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, has turned the team into an unlikely global phenomenon and drawn new audiences to lower-tier English football. The club's most recent appearance in Australia saw them cruise to a 3-0 victory over Melbourne Victory on Friday night, with Reynolds and McElhenney watching the match remotely. 'I'm sure they'll be watching this one in Sydney as well,' Parkinson added. In a cross-sport exchange, Bulldogs NRL coach Cameron Ciraldo also paid a visit to Wrexham's training session in Homebush, exchanging ideas with Parkinson on coaching and team culture. 'It was interesting to speak to Cam about how he's created his team and is coaching his team,' Parkinson said. 'There's a lot of similarities in terms of mentality and team building, getting your squad right, the culture right. So, much of that is transferable between the two sports.'
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hate charges possible after Winkler man taunted, had turban pulled off
Winkler police say hate-related charges may be laid in a case in which a newcomer was taunted with racial epithets by three suspects who tore off his turban. Chief Ryan Hunt said while the three accused are known to police, the hate-related nature of the incident came as a shock. 'Anybody should be able to freely walk anywhere at any time, without the fear of being assaulted, regardless of religion or beliefs. And then in our community here in Winkler, an assault like this is essentially non-existent, we very rarely get random assaults,' he said Monday. 'The fact that it happened at all is is out of the ordinary, and the fact that there was racial motivation to it, or a hate crime connected to it, possibly, makes it concerning. It's despicable. It's not acceptable.' Hunt said hate crime charges are being considered. The 24-year-old victim was injured, but didn't need to be hospitalized after the incident on June 15, around 1:26 a.m. When police officers arrived, the victim were flagged them down; he said he had been walking home from work when he was attacked. Turbans are worn by some who practise the Sikh religion, along with a number of other cultures and faiths. The victim had received support from Regional Connections, the central immigrant resource network in Pembina Valley, when he moved to the city. The organization provides settlement support, including literacy and language classes; help seeking employment; and cultural diversity training to employers. 'We have reached out directly to him and his family, and we're just waiting to see how we can help them,' said Steve Reynolds, the executive director of the Winkler branch of Regional Connections. The organization will hold a drop-in counselling session Tuesday and offering counselling to anyone who wants help dealing with the attack. They're figuring out how employees of Regional Connections, many of whom are newcomers, can 'unpack' the incident, he said. 'There's been lots of great experiences and success stories, and people immigrating here and staying here because they're having really good experience in the community,' he said. 'But when something like this happens, it's a pretty shocking wake-up call that there's a lot of work to do as well.' Winkler, which had 13,745 residents as of the 2021 census, has had a large influx of newcomers in recent years. Starting in 2022, 700-plus people have arrived in the small community yearly, partly owing to the arrival of Ukrainians following Russia's invasion of that country. Reynolds said that number has dropped to 500 over the past year. Andrew Froese, the city's deputy mayor, said their integration into the community has been smooth. 'Hopefully (newcomers to Winkler) understand and recognize that, hopefully, this is an isolated incident and and they continue to feel part of our community every day in their everyday life,' he said. Reynolds agreed, but said some staff and clients had reported feeling targeted by anti-immigrant sentiment. In recent months, part of their work has been combating misinformation about immigration that clients or staff hear, be it online or through other channels. 'Our concern has definitely been in the last year, as immigration is politicized and the way it's reported and talked about, that manifesting at the local level,' he said. Police have charged Trevayne Thomas, 18, Landon Disbrowe, 19, and a 16-year-old boy with assault. Thomas also faces charges of resisting arrest and failing to comply with a probation order. The youngest accused was charged with resisting arrest and possession of a deadly weapon. He and Disbrowe were released on an undertaking and Thomas remains in custody in Winnipeg. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds could be in for a breakout season in 2025
Many talented tight ends have passed through Penn State in recent seasons, with the last five starters at the position being drafted to the NFL. Continuing that line of star power is Luke Reynolds, who was the third-highest ranked tight end to ever commit to Penn State, per the 247Sports composite. Reynolds made a few splash plays last fall as a true freshman and seems poised to leap into a significant role in 2025. Here's a look at Reynolds as the season rapidly approaches. 2024 in review Reynolds' path to playing time was blocked by John Mackey Award winner and first-round talent Tyler Warren and veteran Khalil Dinkins. Despite his role as TE3, Reynolds showed his elite skillset with a clutch fourth-down conversion against Minnesota and a highlight reel touchdown against Purdue, showing fans why he was ranked a 5-star by 247Sports. He finished the year with nine receptions for 111 yards and one carry for 32 yards. Biggest question in 2025 With Warren, Penn State's leading pass-catcher off the the NFL, the Nittany Lions have big shoes to fill at the position. While it's highly unlikely Reynolds can match Warren's historic numbers from 2024, the question becomes how closely he can recreate the lost production in 2025. With three transfer wide receivers likely to lock down starting roles, quarterback Drew Allar may look to his tight ends for a dependable target. Can Reynolds prove to be a reliable pass-catcher to fill the void left by Warren, or will Allar have to rely more heavily on the wide receiver corps? 2025 will be a success if… Reynolds, a converted high school quarterback, is still relatively new to the position - but his upside is evident. If Reynolds can continue to grow into the role and develop as a blocker, he'll likely lock down the starting role over Dinkins, who specializes in pass-blocking. If Reynolds can take the reigns and continue to develop in the blocking game, his ceiling is extremely high and he could find himself in All-Big Ten territory. 2025 will be a disappointment if… If Reynolds' is unable to take a step forward and shows inconsistencies, he'll likely play second fiddle to Dinkins in 2025. With limited playing time, he'll burn another year of eligibility without a significant impact and the Nittany Lions' tight end production will falter in 2025. Realistic outlook for 2025 Reynolds will battle for the starting job, and if he wins out, will be in for a breakout season. He won't come close to Tyler Warren's 1,233 yards from a season ago, but could realistically accumulate half of that, still a very strong season for a tight end. His inexperience at the position may lead to some inconsistencies, like dropped passes or missed blocks, but his play-making ability will also provide some fireworks throughout the year.
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
Snoop Dogg unveils Swansea kit in playful dig at Wrexham's Reynolds
LondoncTypeface:> American rapper Snoop Dogg has unveiled Swansea's new kit with the Welsh club taking a playful dig at Wrexham's Hollywood owner Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool actor Reynolds responded to Wrexham's own kit launch this week by posting a picture of himself on Instagram wearing the latest shirt while holding a dog. Reynolds wrote: 'Been waiting a year for this kit to make its debut - and it did not disappoint.(DPA)
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Snoop Dogg unveils Swansea kit in playful dig at Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds
Deadpool actor Reynolds responded to Wrexham's own kit launch this week by posting a picture of himself on Instagram wearing the latest shirt while holding a dog. Reynolds wrote: 'Been waiting a year for this kit to make its debut – and it did not disappoint. Coming to a hood near you 👀🦢 #YJB — Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) July 12, 2025 'Available NOW in the Wrexham online store. Link in stories. Dog not included.' Swansea reacted to their Welsh rivals by turning to another famous face for their kit unveiling ahead of the 2025-26 season, posting on X: 'Dogg included @SnoopDogg. 'Nuthin' But A Wales Thang, the Jacks are ready. We're the Pride of Wales.' In a video posted later, Snoop said: 'Hail to Wales and to Swansea City. It's your boy big Snoop Dogg. A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) 'Coming to a hood near you. Oh yeah, these are the new jerseys.' West Coast rapper and record producer Snoop Dogg is a keen sports fan and worked as a correspondent for NBC at the Paris Olympics last year. Snoop also carried the Olympic torch in the closing stages of the relay. The 53-year-old has previously spoken of investing in Celtic – similar to the involvement of Reynolds and his fellow actor Rob McElhenney at Wrexham – and been pictured in the kits of various English clubs in recent years. Swansea and Wrexham will be rivals in the Championship this season following the Red Dragons' three successive promotions under their Hollywood owners. Hereeeeee we go 👊🏿👀 @SwansOfficial — Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) July 12, 2025 It is the first time Wrexham have been in the second tier of English football since 1982. While Reynolds and McElhenney have entertained some of the biggest names in Hollywood at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground in recent years, Swansea have their own touch of glamour in South Wales. Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, who has just left Real Madrid after 13 seasons with the Spanish giants, invested in Swansea three months ago to become a minority owner at the club.
