Jimmy Haslam's family office is writing a $205 million check for an NWSL expansion franchise in Columbus, the league's 18th team and the third entry awarded since December 2023. The fee sets a new high-water mark for women's professional sports in North America and—critically for league ownership—contractually guarantees Atlanta's $165 million payment clears at the same number.
The dual-lock structure matters because NWSL ownership wanted certainty on Atlanta's fee after Boston and Denver entered at different price points five months ago. Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC launched play this season, but their expansion payments—reported in the $110 million to $125 million range—left Atlanta's higher number exposed if Columbus came in below it. The Haslams' $205 million bid removes that risk. Atlanta's fee was always disclosed as $165 million, but the full amount only vests if the next expansion franchise pays at least that sum. Columbus did, with $40 million to spare.
Haslam Sports Group already controls the NFL's Cleveland Browns and a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks. The Columbus move reunites the family with professional soccer in Ohio after the Browns' parent company absorbed Cleveland SC of the USL in a 2019 branding exercise that never produced a standalone vehicle. This franchise is different: the NWSL's central business office now runs a $1.4 billion annual media deal with CBS, ESPN, Amazon, and Scripps, and the league's average team valuation has doubled in eighteen months according to private secondary-market tape reviewed by three family offices sizing stakes in existing clubs. The Haslams are paying 15x trailing revenue at the league level, in line with MLB's recent Sun Belt expansion math.
Columbus itself is a repeat customer. The city hosted the Columbus Crew's MLS Cup title run in 2020, supports Ohio State women's soccer at 11,000 average attendance, and sits ninety miles from both Cleveland and Cincinnati for road-trip inventory. The Haslams will need to decide on a venue—Historic Crew Stadium holds 19,000, but the team may opt for a smaller soccer-specific build or a shared arrangement with the Crew's downtown facility, which opened in 2021 at $315 million. That venue call drives the operating model: MLS joint-use deals save $8 million to $12 million annually in fixed costs, but limit premium inventory and create scheduling conflicts during playoff windows.
The expansion fee structure now spans three tiers in fifteen months. Boston and Denver at $110 million to $125 million, Atlanta at $165 million, Columbus at $205 million. The escalation reflects both demand and the league's media rights coming off the board in August 2024. Every franchise awarded after that date prices in four years of guaranteed national distribution and a $45 million annual rights fee that didn't exist when Bay FC entered at an estimated $53 million in 2023. The league has one more slot available under its current 20-team framework, and ownership is now watching for a bid above $205 million to lock the curve. Three groups are circling: a San Francisco family office that missed the Bay FC bid, a private-equity backed group in Phoenix, and a New York-based consortium exploring a second Northeast club.
Haslam Sports Group will announce coaching and front-office hires by September, per two people briefed on the timeline. The franchise begins play in 2026, giving the group eighteen months to build out a technical staff, settle the stadium question, and begin season-ticket sales. The Edwards family—minority partners in the deal and owners of the NHL's Minnesota Wild—bring sports venue experience, but the Haslams control governance and final budget authority. Atlanta's group, led by Arthur Blank, is operating on a parallel timeline for a 2026 kickoff.
The structure also clarifies the league's sale process. NWSL franchises now trade in a $180 million to $210 million band for new entries, and existing clubs are fielding acquisition interest at $150 million to $175 million depending on market and venue control. That's a 60% premium over secondary quotes from January, when one West Coast club fielded a $105 million offer that ownership declined. The bid-ask spread has tightened, and family offices are now underwriting these as hold-forever assets rather than five-year flips.
The next data point is the 20th franchise. The league office is targeting an announcement before year-end, and the price floor is now $205 million. Phoenix would be the largest new market, but the San Francisco group has venue optionality the league values. Either bid resets the comp base for MLS's next women's league investment conversation, which three ownership groups have quietly opened with Don Garber's office in the past four months.
The takeaway
The Haslams paid **$205M** for Columbus, but the real trade was locking Atlanta's **$165M** fee—and setting the floor for franchise 20.
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