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. We think it’s really important that there be these public, private partnerships as part of our growth story in order to set this team up for long-term success.”In addition to the admission tax, the ownership group also agreed to raise $12 million that would go to community initiatives, sources said.As part of this new agreement, the ownership committed to contributing $3 million to Columbus Recreation and Parks Department toward identifying and creating a new park for amenities in McCoy Park.

It also requires the team to remain in the county for about 25 years.The park was the focal point of tensions during Monday’s meeting. Locals said they were promised extensive renovations to the community park beginning this year. As the Columbus Dispatch reported, residents were outraged that the bulk of the park will be used for the new NWSL club’s training facility.

Per the report, residents had worked with the city on a plan since at least 2023 to renovate the park and offer adaptive sports fields for residents with disabilities.“This is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the city of Columbus, so much so that they have the lowest life expectancy in the state,” said Liz Reed, chair of the Southwest Area Commission, while addressing the city council on Monday.“We love soccer, and we love women’s sports, and (when) you combine those together, Columbus supports that.… (but) if it is given away, you have disadvantaged people who have no park.“They can’t walk their dog. They’ll have no place to do those things — and that’s not just for the time.

If we can’t find another piece of land somewhere close by, then they don’t have a place ever for that.”McCoy Park is located in the South Franklinton neighborhood of Southwest Columbus. Last year, the Columbus Dispatch published a report citing CDC research that grouped South Franklinton among the census tracts with the lowest life expectancy in the country at 60 years old, 15 years lower than the national average. The CDC’s research was conducted in 2015, but experts told the Dispatch that due to continued systemic issues, including food deserts, lack of access to quality health care and high rates of socioeconomic-induced stress, low life expectancy is more likely to remain an issue than not.One of the policy changes recommended by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio to improve the quality of life in South Franklinton is “giving residents more access to green spaces and nutrition,” according to the paper.Even those who voted in favor of the deal on Monday, including Columbus City Council president Shannon Hardin, were critical of the position the counc