The NWSL announced Tuesday that it has awarded its 18th franchise to Columbus, with the expansion club set to begin play in 2028. The team will join the league alongside Atlanta, continuing the rapid growth of women’s professional soccer in the United States.
The new club will be owned by Haslam Sports Group, the organization that also owns the Cleveland Browns and operates the Columbus Crew. Additional ownership partners include Nationwide and Columbus Crew co-owners Christine Edwards and Pete Edwards. Reports indicate the ownership group paid a record-setting $205 million expansion fee, surpassing the previous high set by Atlanta’s incoming franchise.
The yet-to-be-named club will play its home matches at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, the current home of the Columbus Crew. Team officials said the club’s name, colors, and crest will be developed with input from fans across Ohio.
How will the new NWSL team fit into the Columbus sports landscape?
Well, the answer will depend on what happens with the NWSL’s schedule.
Right now, the new team would fill a gap in Columbus’s sports schedule.
Ohio State football, which plays from late August through November, is always the main focus of the local sports scene. And then there’s the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, who play from October through mid-April (and, sadly for Columbus fans, rarely beyond that).
Soccer’s Columbus Crew currently plays from February through October, which means that the NWSL team would have overlapped with their season, as the NWSL currently plays from mid-March to early November.
But with MLS switching to a fall/winter schedule starting in 2027, the NWSL team would have been the only professional team to be playing in the city from May through August. That would have created a great opportunity to create interest and get people to the stadium.
But that opportunity may be short-lived, as the NWSL is considering changing its schedule to match the new MLS schedule (which was changed to align with the European schedule to match transfer windows).
If that change happens, instead of complementing the Columbus sports schedule, the new team would find itself fully competing against it. It would be playing at the same time as all three other major sports programs. In addition, the team would also be playing in the colder months of the year, which makes it a less family-friendly environment for kids.
Next steps
For local Columbus fans, if you think you might want to be a season ticket member for the new team, you can place a $28 per-seat deposit to get in line. The deposit is non-refundable, but it would be applied to any eventual season ticket purchase. To place your deposit with the team, click here.
