COLUMBUS CREW FULL

“Part of me says that I wanna cancel my season tickets, and part of me says I wanna enjoy every last minute that I can,” Coy says. That leaves fans like Niccum and Coy conflicted. As of right now, the Crew will play at MAPFRE stadium in 2018 for what could be its last, lame duck season in Columbus. The Crew has one regular season game left – Sunday in New York, then the playoffs begin. “Despite increased efforts and investments, our current course is not sustainable.” “There is a growing disparity in attendance and corporate support when comparing Crew SC with its MLS tiers and with other mid-size markets such as Kansas City, Orlando, Portland and Salt Lake City,” Precourt says.

Earlier this year, Major League Soccer registered “Austin FC” and “Austin Athletic” as trademarks of the league. Precourt did not totally rule out staying in Columbus, but he said if something will keep his franchise in Central Ohio, it has to happen fast.Īustin, meanwhile, is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. And Franklinton, we would have to just get rid of a bunch of residents, which would just gentrify the area, which would be bad for the city.' 'I don't know where he'd put it,' Niccum says. He thinks the team - and its stadium - should stay where they are. He attended his first Crew game a few years ago, when he won discounted tickets through a lottery at Ohio State. Ohio State junior Drew Niccum loves cheering on the Crew in 'Nordecke,' the supporter section in the corner of the stadium.

COLUMBUS CREW FULL

Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement that the city tried to keep the Crew here, but “did not receive full engagement from the team’s ownership.'Ĭredit Columbus Crew Anthony Precourt, owner of the Columbus Crew. “The key thing for us is that we need to have confidence in the market in order to feel comfortable building a new world-class soccer specific stadium,” he says.Ĭity political and business leaders have been talking with Precourt, and reportedly offered to buy half the team.

While he says he’s not asking for public tax dollars, Precourt says he hasn’t heard any serious investment offers. Precourt says unless Columbus builds a new, privately-financed stadium downtown, the Crew will move to Austin by 2019. Though MAPFRE was the country’s first soccer-specific stadium, it lacks the amenities of more recently-built soccer stadiums.

This year, average attendance was 15,439 fans per match, third-to-last in MLS.Ĭolumbus Crew’s home, MAPFRE Stadium, is nearly 20 years old and far from downtown. They've gone undefeated their past nine matches, and even secured a spot in the playoffs.īut match attendance has fallen behind other teams. The Crew has a good team this year – they’ve gone 16-12-5 this season and rank fifth in the Eastern Conference.

“The stadium and site are challenges in Columbus.” “The club historically and presently has challenges with match day attendance, with growing our season ticket base, with demand for corporate sponsorship, and with relevance,” Precourt said in a conference call on Tuesday. He says there are not enough season-ticket holders, and not enough local business support. Now, Precuort says the team is struggling here. According to The Dispatch, his purchase agreement included a promise to keep the Crew in the city for at least 10 years, but an escape clause if he decided to move the team to Austin. We’ve missed fewer than three or four games in our entire lives.”Ĭoy blames the team’s new owner, who Coy believes never had any intention of keeping the team in Columbus.Ĭrew’s owner, Anthony Precourt – CEO of California-based Precourt Sports Ventures – bought the team in 2013, saying he was 'very committed' to staying in Columbus. “I invited my son to join me as a season ticket holder. “I felt betrayed.”Ĭoy has been a season ticket holder since 1996 – when the Crew began as a founding MLS team, back when they played matches at Ohio Stadium. That stunned fans, to say the least, including season ticket holder Matthew Coy. The owner of the Columbus Crew SC announced Tuesday he was considering relocating the team to Austin, Texas, unless Columbus comes up with a plan for a new, downtown stadium. Major League Soccer could soon leave Columbus.

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