The Haslam Sports Group and Columbus Crew ownership secured an NWSL expansion franchise for $205 million, the league announced this week. The team begins play in 2027 at a 15,000-seat downtown stadium currently under construction. The Haslams—Jimmy owns the Cleveland Browns, Dee the Tennessee Titans—join the Edwards family that controls the MLS Crew in the bid.
The $205 million fee trails only San Diego's $116 million expansion payment last cycle, which was previously the league record before Boston paid an undisclosed sum believed to approach $150 million. Four years ago, Angel City paid $125 million to enter Los Angeles. The Columbus fee reflects two realities: MLS crossover infrastructure and a market where institutional allocators now set the price floor. The NWSL's twelve existing franchises were watching this number closely. Three ownership groups are reportedly working term sheets for the league's final expansion slot, expected to close by Q2 2026.
Columbus brings built advantages. The $800 million stadium district includes shared training facilities, a medical partnership with OhioHealth, and hospitality infrastructure paid for by the MLS club's corporate sponsors. The Crew already runs youth academies across central Ohio that feed the men's side; the women's franchise inherits those pipelines. ScottsMiracle-Gro, which this week extended its stadium naming rights deal with the Crew through 2035, reportedly structured the contract to accommodate NWSL inventory. That matters for the women's team's go-to-market: corporate partners can buy bundled packages across both clubs, reducing sales friction.
The Haslams bring NFL-scale infrastructure and the complications that follow it. Jimmy Haslam's Pilot Flying J paid $92 million in federal rebate fraud settlements a decade ago; Dee Haslam has been the more active NFL operator in recent years. Their involvement signals that legacy sports families now view NWSL franchises as portfolio additions rather than venture bets. The league's media-rights deal with CBS, ESPN, and Amazon runs through 2027—exactly when Columbus debuts. Renewal negotiations begin in early 2026. League valuations hinge on whether that next media contract delivers triple-digit percentage increases or mid-teens bumps.
Columbus is the third NWSL expansion market announced in eighteen months, following Boston and a Bay Area franchise set for 2026. The league targeted sixteen teams by 2028 in its 2023 strategic plan. Commissioner Jessica Berman has been selective: Detroit, Cleveland, and Charlotte submitted bids in the last cycle but were passed over. The calculus favors cities with existing infrastructure and ownership groups that can write the check without requiring private-equity scaffolding. Columbus checks both boxes.
Watch for three developments: stadium renderings by Q2 2025, which will reveal whether the Haslams are building a purpose-built venue or sharing the Crew's facility with modifications; coaching and front-office hires starting in late 2025, when the franchise can officially begin operations; and whether the Edwards family takes a majority stake or splits equity evenly with the Haslams, which determines decision-making structure. The next NWSL media-rights announcement, expected in Q3 2026, will either validate the $205 million bet or make it look premature.