Columbus has long been known as a soccer city. From the passionate crowds supporting Colmbus Crew to the endless number of youth clubs across Central Ohio, the sport has become part of the city’s identity. Now, womens soccer is set to take center stage.
With a new National Womens Soccer Leage (NWSL) franchise on the way, Columbus is preparing to join the rapidly growing environment surrounding womens sports. The announcment instantly created buzz across Ohio, especially amongst young athletes who know have the chance to watch womens soccer at the highest level. The timing could not be bigger.
Womens sports are reaching new heights nationally, the record television ratings, sold out stadiums and growing investment changing the landscape of athletics. The NWSL has become one of the fastest rising professional leagues in the country, and Columbus appears ready to embrace it.
Of course, like any expansion franchise, the project has faced questions about funding and long term financial planning. However, the excitement the city has surrounding the team has largely outweighed the concerns. Fans see the bigger picture: A major investment into the future of womens sports.
For many local players, the impact is personal. Thomas Worthingtons own womens soccer team described the new team as something younger girls in Ohio have been waiting for.
“I grew up being taught that there shouldn’t be a difference between men and women’s soccer,” shares enior, Kasey Nye. “I think this will hopefully help women’s sports to gain more popularity, especially among younger girls, increasing the value of women’s sports to act as a mirror for younger athletes to see themselves represented in.”
Another player explained that having a professional womens team in Columbus makes the dream of feeling professionally feel more realistic than ever before.
“I think that it means more people are watching and supporting women’s sports, and soccer in general which I love,” says senior, Mila Washer. It’s being taken more seriously and being seen as more than just women’s soccer but a part of the sports industry.”
For years, young athletes have had to look outside of Ohio to find professional womens soccer. Now, the next generation of players will grow up with hometown role models.
The growth of womens sports is opening doors all over the place. It’s not always about the physical talent to work with a ball. More women are stepping into leadership roles across all professinal athletics. From media and marketing to front office operations, women are proving themselves in all aspects of sports.
Womens athletics are no longer viewed as secondary. They are becoming one of the industries biggest areas of growth. In Columbus, that growth is arriving at the perfect time.
The city already has the infrastructure, fan support and soccer culture needed to support professional womens soccer. Now, it has the opportunity to become one of the faces of the NWSL’s future.
“I am just hoping that people give women’s sports more of a chance because until they begin making the profit to support the growth, it’s going to be hard to encourage other sports to follow in the footsteps of women’s basketball, and now soccer,” states Nye.
The impact of this team is already being felt before the franchise has even begun. For athletes across Ohio, this is bigger than a new team. It is proof that womens sports are no longer waiting for their moment, their moment has finally arrived.
