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SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX<\/a><\/p>\n The team will play home games at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field \u2014 where the Columbus Crew<\/a> play \u2014 but the training facility will be built at McCoy Park on the city\u2019s southwest side, in the neighborhood with the state\u2019s lowest life expectancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be excited about women\u2019s professional soccer coming to the city of Columbus, but the fact that you did it off of the backs of an area that is so underserved \u2026 it has muddied any kind of excitement that would have been built around this team coming here,\u201d said Columbus resident Jennifer Crayton.\u00a0<\/p>\n McCoy Park in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers discovered Census Tract 51<\/a>, which includes McCoy Park, had an average life expectancy of 60 years \u2014 the lowest in Ohio.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a vital resource for a community that is continually underserved and we don\u2019t have the equity that some of our other neighborhoods in Columbus have,\u201d Crayton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the only green space in this area between the south side and the west side of any significance that would be a safe place for our kids to go.\u201d<\/p>\n The city of Columbus had previously announced plans to upgrade McCoy Park with adaptive soccer and softball fields, pickleball courts, a pond and a splash pad by next year, according to the city\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crayton\u2019s husband is a disabled veteran, so they were looking forward to the adaptive fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cThis park meant everything because it allowed him the ability to play with his kids again and create those memories that kids so desperately need with their parents,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The next closest park with adaptive fields would likely be in the suburbs, Crayton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too far for us to go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The city of Columbus now has to come up with a plan to figure out where else in the Southwest Side they can build the type of park that was promised and the ownership group will donate $3 million toward the new park, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said.<\/p>\n The plan is for construction on a new park to break ground this year and for it to be complete by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cLet me be very clear \u2014 no plans, no site, then no money,\u201d Hardin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The City of Columbus and Franklin County will both pay $25 million to build the training facility at McCoy Park and upgrades to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. <\/p>\n The city of Columbus plans to pay back its debt with a 2% ticket tax on all events at the ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone in our city will benefit from this team, which will create tax revenue and jobs, bring additional global notoriety to our city and show Columbus women and girls that we want them to shine on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights,\u201d Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a news release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Hardin supports bringing a professional women\u2019s soccer team to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s the right thing to do for our city, and I don\u2019t want us to miss out,\u201d he said during a press conference. \u201cBut how we do things matters. Process matters, and honoring commitments to neighborhoods, especially underserved neighborhoods, matters.\u201d<\/p>\n He said there will be some public access to parts of the training complex, including some of the soccer fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam looks on prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on October 27, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Crayton invites Jimmy and Dee Haslam to Columbus\u2019 south side neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cCome walk this neighborhood with me,\u201d she said. \u201cCome see what we deal with because when you\u2019re looking at it from the outside in, it has a different impact than when you\u2019re looking from the inside out.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Haslam\u2019s also own the Cleveland Browns and the Columbus Crew.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSports are one of today\u2019s greatest unifiers and are incredible for their communities,\u201d Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson said in a news release. <\/p>\n \u201cThe NWSL will have a significant impact on Columbus within and beyond sports, now and for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n The club is set to begin play in 2028 and the team\u2019s official name and colors have yet to be determined.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs the NWSL continues its rapid growth, expanding to Columbus is a natural next step,\u201d NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a news release<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, a proven track record of support at the highest level, and an ownership group making meaningful, long-term investments in women\u2019s sports.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X<\/a> or on Bluesky.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"McCoy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/301041041160716150be28b458551da6.jpeg\"\/)
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