Feature

Columbus Crew owner targets Austin move

Precourt Sports Ventures, owner of Major League Soccer franchise Columbus Crew, has today (Tuesday) confirmed that it is considering relocating the club to Austin, Texas if a new stadium in Ohio is not an option.

The team joined MLS in 1996 as one of the league’s first charter clubs. Chairman Anthony Precourt, chief executive of PSV, said the club is weighing up the possibility of a relocation to Austin – some 1,200 miles from Columbus – to ensure its long-term future.

In a statement published on the Crew’s website, PSV said the team has “recognised its growing disparity in attendance and corporate support compared to its MLS peers and other midsize markets, such as Kansas City, Orlando, Portland and Salt Lake City.”

“Despite our investments and efforts, the current course is not sustainable,” Precourt said. “This club has ambition to be a standard bearer in MLS, therefore we have no choice but to expand and explore all of our options. This includes a possible move to Austin, which is the largest metropolitan area in North America without a major league sports franchise. Soccer is the world’s game, and with Austin’s growing presence as an international city, combined with its strong multicultural foundation, MLS in Austin could be an ideal fit.”

The team currently plays at the Mapfre Stadium (pictured), which opened in 1999. MLS commissioner Don Garber said he would be reluctant to let the Crew relocate, but claimed that its current home ground is not up to the required standard.

Garber said: “As attendance league-wide continues to grow on a record-setting pace, and markets across the country seek to join MLS, Columbus’ situation is particularly concerning. Despite PSV’s significant investments and improvements on and off the field, Columbus Crew SC is near the bottom of the league in all business metrics and the club’s stadium is no longer competitive with other venues across MLS.

“The league is very reluctant to allow teams to relocate, but based on these factors, we support PSV’s efforts to explore options outside of Columbus, including Austin, provided they find a suitable stadium location.”

PSV last month joined a forum of Columbus leaders to outline the Crew’s challenges and to assess the club’s options going forward. The team would need an MLS-approved stadium plan in place for Austin before any relocation was possible. Any move would likely take place in 2019, with Mapfre Stadium to remain the club’s home for the 2018 season at least.

Image: Rick Dikeman