A local footy club is currently seeking wealthy Hollywood investors so they can build to become the AFL’s rumoured 20th license. Seemingly inspired by the hit television series Welcome to Wrexham, the Watsonia Wombats claim that if they can just get some high-profile new owners with deep pockets, they could slowly work their way up the football hierarchy and become a fully-fledged AFL team.

In Welcome to Wrexham, well-known American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney take ownership of a Welsh football team battling in the lower rungs of the sport in the United Kingdom. They recently earnt promotion, an impressive step towards the owners’ ultimate goal of getting the club all the way to the English Premier League.

Wrexham’s trajectory – along with the recent announcement of a 19th licence in the AFL – has caught the attention of supporters of the Watsonia Wombats, our suburb’s proud footy team. One such keen fan, Darren Thomas, told The Watsonia Bugle, “Well, they can’t stay with 19 teams in the AFL, so they’ll have to add a 20th. Why can’t that be Watsonia? We basically need some squillionaire to buy the Wombats and help us climb the divisions until we’re knocking down the door at AFL House. That would be so mint.”

While Thomas refused to divulge whether he’d been in contact with any potential celebrity owners, he did offer a few names. He said, “I don’t really care who it is to be honest. They just have to be rich and famous. What about Hugh Jackman? He seems like a good bloke, and likes to pretend he has a rivalry with Ryan Reynolds, so maybe he could get one up on him there. If not, maybe Mel Gibson, he doesn’t seem to be doing much at the moment. Margot Robbie? I’d love to see her down at Binnak Park!”

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