COLUMBUS – The owner of the Columbus Crew SC confirmed he is considering taking the team to Texas but the move isn’t a done deal.
“No course of action is yet set in stone,” Anthony Precourt, CEO of Precourt Sports Ventures and chairman of Columbus Crew SC, said during a conference call with reports from Ohio and Texas Tuesday.
Local leaders are vowing to work to keep the team in central Ohio after Precourt announced that he is considering at least two options, including relocating the team to Austin after the 2018 season, because remaining in Columbus is “not sustainable” due to poor attendance, slow season ticket sales and a lack of corporate support.
A tweet from Mayor Andrew Ginther reflected his frustration, saying the city did not receive “full engagement” from Precourt.
My thoughts on possible move of @ColumbusCrewSC: pic.twitter.com/4EZ0DY0E7g
— Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) October 17, 2017
Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the public-private Columbus Partnership voiced his disappointment that, after a year of talks, Precourt had decided to publicly woo the Texas capital, and promised the organization would pursue “every sensible opportunity” to keep the team in Columbus but his statement was also tinged with exasperation”
This was the same approach we took last year in helping the owner secure a marquee local jersey sponsor, the same approach we used earlier this year in evaluating new stadium options with the owner, the same approach we used over the past several weeks in rallying and offering significant community sponsorships, and the same approach we took in making offers to purchase or invest in the team. Our sincere offers of assistance were rejected. –Alex Fischer, Columbus Partnership
Precourt said no local investors came forward with plans to help pay for a “world-class soccer-specific” stadium the company was considering in three downtown Columbus locations as a replacement for the nearly 20-year-old MAPFRE Stadium..
Columbus Crew SC was the first charter granted in Major League Soccer in 1996 and MAPFRE Stadium was the first stadium in the U.S. built specifically for professional soccer. Precourt purchased the team in 2013.