After weeks of debate, Columbus City Council voted 5-3 (with one abstention) to approve a $25 million funding plan tied to a potential National Women’s Soccer League expansion team. The deal partners the city with Haslam Sports Group, the same group behind Columbus Crew.
On paper, it’s a major investment in women’s sports. In reality, it’s a lot more complicated.
The proposal centers on building a training facility at McCoy Park on the Southwest Side.
The city’s $25 million contribution would be repaid through a 2% ticket tax at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, with Franklin County considering a matching investment.
Private investors would fund the rest, and the ownership group is expected to pour more than $300 million into launching the team. If awarded, the franchise could begin play as early as 2028.
McCoy Park isn’t just open land.
It’s a neighborhood park in a community that had already been promised major upgrades, including accessible playgrounds and new amenities for kids of all abilities.
Now, that same space is slated to become a private training facility, and not everyone is on board.
The Southwest Area Commission, an advisory board for the city, has been vocal in its opposition.
“McCoy Park is a critical and limited community asset within an area already lacking adequate green space, and any effort to reduce or repurpose this land without clear, direct and meaningful community support constitutes a failure to uphold prior commitments and an unacceptable disregard for the needs of Southwest Columbus residents,” the commission wrote in a resolution earlier this month.
Residents and some council members have echoed those concerns, questioning both the loss of green space and how the plan came together.
In response, council added several amendments.
The city must now create a working group with neighbors to identify a replacement park location and move quickly on construction, with a goal of finishing by the end of 2027. The Haslam ownership group is required to contribute $3 million toward that effort.
There’s also a requirement for some level of public access to the new facility, though specifics are still being worked out. And importantly, the city can withhold funding if those conditions are not met.
For many neighbors, though, that still feels like a promise replacing something tangible.
This all comes down to a tension Columbus is still figuring out.
How do you invest in something exciting without taking something meaningful away?
Supporters see a chance to bring top-tier women’s soccer to the city and create something inspiring for young athletes. Critics aren’t against that vision, but they want it to happen without sacrificing a community park that was already supposed to be improved.
With Franklin County still weighing its share of the funding and the league’s expansion decision on the horizon, this story is far from over.
