columbus won the award National Women’s Soccer League The franchises were announced Tuesday and will begin in 2028, making the league 18 teams.
An ownership group led by Haslam Sports Group paid a $205 million expansion fee, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose financial details.
The Columbus NWSL team will join the league in 2028 with an expansion team in Atlanta. League’s 17th franchise in November The reported expansion cost is $165 million.
In addition to the Crew, Haslam Group also owns the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and has stock in the Milwaukee Bucks.
“This is a city with a rich soccer tradition, a track record of support at the highest level, and an ownership group that has made meaningful, long-term investments in women’s sports,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring the world’s most competitive women’s soccer league to Columbus and watch this community embrace soccer in new ways.”
The ownership group for the NWSL franchise includes insurance company Nationwide and Crew minority owners Pete and Christine Edwards.
The new NWSL team will share the ScottsMiracle-Gro field with the Crew. The stadium will be renovated to suit the needs of the women’s team. The owners also plan to build a new training facility for the NWSL team.
Haslam Group’s bid included $50 million in public funding for the training facility, $25 million from the city and $25 million from the county.
The facility drew criticism because it would be built in a park in a disadvantaged neighborhood that the city had planned to renovate. In return, the new NWSL owners will contribute to the construction of a new park for the community.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
