Columbus’s new National Women’s Soccer League club broke ground Tuesday, Oct. 27, on a 45,000-square-foot training facility, a major step toward the team’s launch in the 2028 season, USA TODAY reported. The club will train and keep its headquarters at the OhioHealth Training Grounds, while its home matches will be played at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, the downtown home of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew.
The facility is being built by the club’s ownership group — Haslam Sports Group, Nationwide and the Edwards family — as an environment designed for elite women’s soccer. According to the club’s announcement, reported by USA TODAY, the building will include a locker room with amenities specific to female athletes, a family and mothers room for child care, and a social media room where first-team players can produce content for their own channels.
“This facility will set a new global standard across women’s sports that reflects our Club’s goals of consistently investing in and elevating female athletes, competing on the pitch, creating special memories for our fans and showcasing Columbus on an international stage,” Whitney Haslam Johnson, managing partner of Haslam Sports Group, said in a news release reported by USA TODAY.
The training grounds will also have space for the club’s academy and developmental teams, tying the future first team to a player pathway in Columbus. The facility is scheduled to open ahead of the club’s first season in 2028, giving the roster a permanent home base well before its first match, USA TODAY reported.
“The investment we’re seeing in Columbus reflects exactly where the NWSL is headed and the standard we’re setting for the future of women’s professional sports,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in the news release reported by USA TODAY. “World-class players deserve world-class facilities, and the OhioHealth Training Grounds represents a meaningful commitment to giving our athletes the resources and environment they need to thrive.”
The groundbreaking adds to a busy stretch for soccer in the capital city. Beyond the Crew and the incoming NWSL club, Columbus is preparing to host nine matches of the 2028 Olympic soccer tournament, USA TODAY reported — seven men’s matches and two women’s games between July 10 and July 20, 2028, including a men’s quarterfinal.
For Columbus fans, Tuesday’s groundbreaking is the first visible construction milestone for a team that has so far existed mainly as an announcement. A name, colors and a first roster are still to come, but the club now has both a matchday home downtown and a training home under construction for 2028.