Columbus’ NWSL Project Adds Youth Soccer as McCoy Park Review Continues

Columbus’ incoming National Women’s Soccer League franchise is moving beyond its April announcement with a direct youth-sports program, a formal city-county development framework and continuing public review of a proposed training facility at McCoy Park.

The first visible program is Grow Her Game, launched July 7 by Scotts, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, the Columbus Crew, Every Kid Sports and Columbus Recreation and Parks. The initiative is designed to reduce the cost of fall soccer for income-eligible Columbus girls ages 4 to 7.

Fee assistance will cover up to 400 girls

Grow Her Game will cover registration fees for up to 400 participants in the Tiny Tots and Pee-Wee divisions of Columbus Recreation and Parks’ Fall 2026 Girls Soccer League. The Tiny Tot division is for ages 4 to 5, while Pee-Wee is for ages 6 to 7. The participating community centers are Far East, Westgate and Whetstone.

The league is scheduled to run from Sept. 12 through Oct. 17. Organizers also plan an Oct. 15 clinic and celebration at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. The announced registration deadline was July 24, 2026, so families should confirm with Columbus Recreation and Parks whether any capacity remains or whether late enrollment is available.

The initiative is a current youth-soccer access program involving the Crew and its partners. It is separate from, and should not be treated as the entire community-benefits package connected to the proposed NWSL franchise.

What the public development framework covers

Columbus City Council passed Ordinance 1112-2026 on April 20. The council president signed it that day, Mayor Andrew Ginther signed it April 22 and the city clerk attested it April 23. The ordinance authorizes a development agreement involving Columbus, Franklin County, the Confluence Community Authority and the NWSL ownership group.

The framework covers financing and development responsibilities for a proposed NWSL training facility and improvements at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. The ordinance says Columbus and Franklin County each agreed to commitments of up to $25 million toward the facilities projects, subject to future legislative approval of budgets and annual appropriations. The county’s MOU describes its share as up to $25 million over 15 years, funded through non-tax revenues and subject to annual board approval.

The county framework also includes clawback provisions and an approximately 25-year requirement that the ownership group remain in Franklin County. Those conditions connect public support to the team’s continued presence, but they do not mean that every public payment has already been made.

Private benefits are separate from public financing

Columbus Women’s Soccer Holdings has separately committed $12 million in private community benefits. The city ordinance says the investment will be made over 12 years and focus on early childhood education, workforce development and food insecurity for Franklin County residents.

The county’s account of the MOU describes the commitment as an annual payment structure, with $6 million designated for early childhood learning and $6 million for food-insecurity initiatives. That framework is distinct from the city and county facilities financing and does not establish that the full $12 million has already been paid.

The ordinance also calls for a separate $3 million contribution to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Foundation by Dec. 31, 2029, intended to support community amenities and therapeutic recreation in Southwest Columbus, along with equipment and in-kind support for city youth soccer teams.

The public framework has drawn both support and scrutiny. City and county records describe intended community and fiscal benefits, while local reporting has documented concerns about parkland, recreation access and public financing. Those records do not establish a final economic-impact conclusion for Columbus.

McCoy Park plans still need public review

The proposed training facility at McCoy Park remains a proposal. It has not been approved, is not under construction and is not guaranteed to proceed in its current form.

Local reporting has described an expected Columbus Development Commission review and a targeted City Council rezoning vote, with an October groundbreaking discussed as a target rather than a confirmed construction date. The Southwest Area Commission’s review is advisory; final zoning authority rests with City Council.

The proposed site is on roughly 28 acres and would include a training complex, practice fields and community-use fields under the plans reported by WOSU. Residents and commissioners have raised questions about recreation amenities and how community access would be handled if the facility moves forward.

City records also show that Columbus is developing alternative sites for recreation and therapeutic amenities originally planned at McCoy Park. A June ordinance extending design services says the Southwest community and therapeutic-recreation participants will be involved in public engagement for those alternative sites.

What Columbus residents should watch next

For families, the immediate practical question is whether eligible girls can still receive Grow Her Game assistance within the program’s 400-participant capacity.

For residents and taxpayers, the larger questions are whether the proposed training facility advances through development and zoning review, how replacement recreation amenities are designed, whether future city and county financing approvals proceed, and whether the facility plan changes before construction begins.

Sources

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