SMITHFIELD, VA (WTKR)- A steady rain fell on Lionsbridge FC as the club practiced at Nike Park in Smithfield Tuesday morning, but that didn't bother defender Harri Lovett. A native of Wales, he's used to that.
"Every single day," Lovett smiled when asked about the rain in his homeland. "It's actually when we play our best football. The best guys out there are the ones that grew up with this."
Lovett has always had a passion for soccer. To understand that, you have to go back to his childhood. The soccer standout grew up in the Welsh town of Wrexham, where the sport reigned supreme.
"It's religion, almost," he commented. "Living a mile from [Stok] Racecourse (the team's home stadium), it was always going to be part of my life. My parents taught me from an early age and I just fell in love with it. It was about the only thing I was semi-good at."
He was also a die-hard fan of his local football club through and through. Wrexham AFC was the heartbeat of the community, but he would watch his team struggle and see the town around it do the same.
"We had some socioeconomic and political things with Brexit," Lovett noted. "Towns like Wrexham really struggled and then with government funding not necessarily coming in, it's a little bit of a struggle for the deprived areas."
The soccer standout departed for the US in 2019 to embark on his own career, playing his college ball at Chowan, but a year later, the club and the town got the shot in the arm they needed. Inspired by a documentary they had seen and wanting to impact a team with a deep community connection, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds purchased Wrexham AFC.
"It's reshaped the entire town, the entire community," Lovett pointed out. "It's not just the football club that's benefited, it's every restaurant, it's every hotel, it's every government-funded initiative."
Now the team and the town are both thriving. McElhenney and Reynolds produced a docuseries, "Welcome to Wrexham," profiling their rebuilding of the organization and gaining the team a fanbase worldwide. In addition, the results are showing on the pitch. The team has earned a promotion in the English Football League for the last three consecutive years and now sits just one step away from the coveted English Premier League.
"All the time. I'm tired of hearing talk about how good Wrexham are," smiled Lionsbridge teammate Josh Baker. "He talks about it a lot and obviously it's something that he's really excited about."
"I would be one of 1,200 in the stadium, losing games and you still get made fun of by the Manchester United and Liverpool fans," Lovett recalled. "Now those people are there watching Wrexham and die-hard Wrexham fans, so that for me, that's amazing. It's a point of pride."
That pride follows him across the Atlantic. He vividly remembers being that kid in Wrexham watching his favorite club and understands that there are those in Newport News doing the same.
"When I play for Lionsbridge now, I see myself in the stands," he pointed out. "I see Wrexham fans very similar to Lionsbridge fans and I think that instilled a sense of supporting your own, investing in your own community and loyalty."
Lovett also has a family connection to Wrexham AFC. His sister, Erin, plays for the women's club and has been part of the team's academy since childhood.
Lionsbridge FC battled Virginia Beach United to a draw to open up its season Saturday night and will host Grove United at TowneBank Stadium Wednesday at 7:00 PM.
