Columbus is coming to the NWSL. Some locals are conflicted about it
The National Women’s Soccer League has awarded its 18th franchise to Columbus and an ownership group that includes the Haslam family , owners of Columbus Crew in MLS, for a record $205 million expansion fee. Like the incoming NWSL Atlanta club , the Columbus team will share its stadium, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, with its MLS counterpart. The announcement comes on the heels of two key votes passed by Columbus officials this week that allow the public-private partnership to move forward with $50 million in public money up front.
The votes followed tense public pushback, leading to a last-minute amendment by the city council on Monday night that requires the owners and operators of the team to contribute $3 million to fulfill the “initial vision” for McCoy Park, the proposed site of the NWSL club’s training facility. It will be built on the city-owned property in southwest Columbus. As part of the deal, the city will provide $25 million to fund the training facility and upgrades to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field needed to host a second team.
On Tuesday morning, the Franklin County Commissioners approved a resolution for a matching $25 million. This $25 million will not come from the city’s operating budget and it is not being repaid by standard taxes, according to sources who spoke anonymously to The Athletic on background because the matter is private. Columbus will increase its existing five per cent admissions tax by two percentage points for stadium events, including Crew matches.
For new events tied to the NWSL team, the full seven per cent admissions tax will be directed toward repaying the city’s contribution. In effect, the funding is supported by revenue generated from ticket sales, not from the city’s broader tax base. “We have to trust and defer to the public process in the city council.
We’re really grateful that it was approved last night,” Jessica Berman, the NWSL commissioner, told The Athletic . “We know that part of what has created the circumstances and environment for men’s sports to be as successful as they are in America is the investment from the public sector in infrastructure, and that has happened over the course of many decades. “It is only now that women’s sports has a seat at the table to be able to ensure that we’re in a position to build the foundation of a professional sports league the way it’s been done for men.
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