Wrexham are touring Australia and New Zealand for the very first time. While the Championship awaits the Welsh side in 2025-26, they will first have to play three A-League clubs across three cities on their preseason tour.
ESPN will be with them every step of the way as Phil Parkinson, Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac & Co. plot their path to the Premier League.
Wrexham, the ‘No Sherrin Rule’ and Australian sporting politics
MELBOURNE, Australia — After a week in Melbourne, Wrexham made the short flight north to Sydney on Saturday, touching down in New South Wales ahead of their clash with Sydney FC on Wednesday. And after getting through Friday’s 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory in front of nearly 40,000 people at Marvel Stadium largely unscathed, it probably couldn’t have gone much better for Phil Parkinson’s side. There was one local edict — really more a colloquial, tongue-in-cheek guideline — that they ran afoul of, however: the “No Sherrin Rule.”
For the uninitiated, a Sherrin is the oblong-shaped ball that is used in Australian Rules football, named after the company that has made the balls out of kangaroo leather since 1880. The “No Sherrin Rule,” meanwhile, is used by the Australian footballing public to describe the phenomenon of high-profile touring sides rapidly having a Sherrin shoved into their hands by the local AFL teams when they touch down.
And the Red Dragons proved no more immune to this phenomenon on their trip than the likes of Real Madrid or Manchester United before them: visiting Hawthorn training on Tuesday and catching Brisbane’s win over Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday evening.
Why these crossovers occur so regularly that they have a nickname is obvious. The local promoters organising these tours seek to maximise visibility and ticket sales, and the reliable spotlight that comes with teaming up with the local dominant code provides this. The same reasoning goes for the clubs that have headed Down Under seeking to grow their own brand, while the local AFL outfits receive the benefits of being able to tap into the global presence of these international sides — something the provincial nature of Australian Rules otherwise denies them.
But Australian soccer also has a long and not-too-pleasant history with the local dominant code, which has frequently used its embedded position of dominance to stifle or marginalise the global game. On a deeper level, the relationship between Australian Rules and the foreign ‘sokkah’ provides a window into a long and complicated history of identity, migration, assimilation, racism and multiculturalism in Australia. Thus, the sight of touring sides appearing chummy with their rival code, uplifting them with their global reputation, carries a complicated legacy. Indeed, the long history of football’s place in Australia could fill books — in fact, it has.
But for all the intellectual and historical context underpinning it, the “No Sherrin Rule” is also a bit of fun, something of a meme that touring players and coaches know little about when they head out to these media opportunities. For them, the visits are a chance to experience a new sport and glean an insight into a new culture. And it’s not like Wrexham are ignoring the Australia game: the Wrexham foundation is performing a series of clinics with former players Ben Foster and Ben Tozer in Australia, visiting local clubs and communities.
Unfortunately for partisan followers of football, Australian Rules is an entertaining spectacle, especially for those unfamiliar with the game. During Arsenal Women’s tour last year, then-Gunners coach Jonas Eidevall was enraptured with the sport and its combination of athleticism, brutality, tactics and spacing. Wrexham’s George Evans, meanwhile, was one of the squad that attended Brisbane’s 103-66 win over Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday and was thoroughly taken with the spectacle, which also means he’s had more fun watching the Blues than any of their fans have in months.
Sights and sounds
37,020 fans inside @marvelstadiumau this evening.
Thank you for your fantastic support 👏
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/W3Ww3O6kod
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) July 11, 2025
The official attendance of 37,020 fans at Wrexham’s game against Melbourne Victory was just over 4,000 more than the largest crowd during the 2024-25 A-League Men season — 32,741 at the Sydney Derby — sparking debate among the local footballing followers.
Quote of the day
“Watched the game here, first time experiencing it, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a game that we didn’t know too much about beforehand, and then obviously came to the Marvel stadium to watch it, and I was fascinated the whole game. So I’m a big fan and will definitely watch more.” — Wrexham goal-scorer George Evans on his first experience of the AFL.
What’s on tomorrow for Wrexham?
After touching down in the Harbour City, the Red Dragons will ramp up their preparations for their clash with Sydney FC at Homebush, in the shadow of the stadium that was the centrepiece of the 2000 Olympic Games and, more recently, was the sight of Spain‘s triumph at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. And, in the great tradition of trips Down Under, they will visit the Sydney Opera House.
