From Wroxham to Hollywood (Almost): Riot Labs partners with non-league football club to kick smoking out

Vape firm Riot Labs has jumped onto the Wrexham AFC Hollywood success story by sponsoring the lowly Norfolk Isthmian league Wroxham FC to share their story of how they missed out on star-studded investment by just ‘one letter’.

Wroxham FC, the non-league football club who claim they missed out on celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney by just ONE letter, have gone viral after a staggered release of their three-part documentary sharing their unique story.

Riot Labs’ campaign garnered the attention of international media, featuring on BBC Breakfast and even across the pond on ESPN – the makers of the original Welcome to Wrexham, who also posted the story to their 15 million followers on X.

It’s a story the club have wanted to tell for over three years, finally made possible thanks to new club sponsor, Riot Labs, who have invested in the club as part of a drive to help non-league football fans quit smoking.

As part of the deal with Riot Labs, the club has declared their iconic 50-person Kenny Cooke stand behind the goal “smokefree” for the rest of the season to encourage fans to kick the habit, leveraging the community spirit and perseverance in grassroot football clubs to reflect the journey of a smoker quitting.

Riot Labs have also led an on the ground activation at the ground with their Riot Rehab programme to educate and provide samples of alternatives to smoking directly to fans.

The club released the trailer and series, aptly named, Welcome to Wroxham – and have since racked up close to a million views across social media, garnering thousands of comments from football fans, including many from Wrexham.

The series features wholesome characters from the Norfolk-based football club, including tireless cigar smoking 78 year-old Head Groundsman, Barry Letten, and club Chairman, James Blowers.

Riot led a guerilla marketing campaign by ‘accidentally’ plastering all the promotion for Welcome to Wroxham outside the Wrexham AFC stadium… in Wales!

“It’s simply a great story that had to be told,” Ben Johnson, Riot Labs CEO, commented.

We’re always looking for new ways to help people quit smoking, and non-league football is a great audience to target. To be able to support the club and give them the platform and investment to share their unique story is an honour and the reaction has been brilliant – we hope it helps them attract future sponsors, and maybe even Hollywood owners of their own.”