Columbus leaders to meet with Crew owner, MLS boss

Precourt, Garber agree to meet ‘over coming weeks.’

Columbus officials COLUMBUS — have requested faceto-face meetings with the owner of Columbus Crew SC and the commissioner of Major League Soccer to discuss options for keeping the soccer franchise in Columbus.

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer said the team’s owner, Anthony Precourt, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber have agreed to those meetings “over the coming weeks.”

Last week, Precourt threatened to move the team to Austin, Texas, if it did not get a downtown stadium. The Crew have played at Mapfre Stadium, formerly Crew Stadium, on the Ohio State Fairgrounds since 1999.

The stadium was the first in the country built specifically for an MLS franchise. Precourt bought the team and the stadium in 2013 for $68 million, according to Forbes.

Precourt openly flirted with Austin last week, including a trip to scout the city.

Fans in Columbus have organized a group called Save the Crew, which has held rallies and asked for support from other soccer franchises to keep the Crew in Columbus.

Two members of that group asked the Columbus City Council for support Monday.

Council President Zach Klein said the council would consider adopting a resolution at a future meeting.

It’s unclear what the city could do to keep the Crew. Precourt has said he isn’t looking for a publicly funded stadium, and Ginther said last week “the city is not in the business of private soccer-stadium construction.”

Ginther said he helped drum up private-sector support to purchase the team and spend millions of dollars on corporate sponsorships, but Precourt apparently rejected those offers.

“We are resolved to do our part to keep the Columbus Crew SC in Columbus,” Ginther and Fischer said in their joint statement. “Until those meetings take place, we don’t expect to have anything new to report. We will keep our public comments focused on cheering on our beloved Columbus Crew SC during the playoffs.”

On Sunday, 2,000 Crew SC fans congregated in front of City Hall to voice their support, as well as their disapproval of the Precourt Sport Venture’s proposed move.

Nine speakers, all public figures and/or ardent Crew supporters, addressed a crowd donned mostly in black and gold Crew SC merchandise for an hour, with shouts of “Save the Crew” and other chants at Columbus home games sprinkled in between speeches.

Morgan Hughes, the host of the event and one of the several people behind the Save the Crew movement, was thrilled with the turnout.

“It was more insane and more massive than I ever hoped it would be,” Hughes said.