Haslam Sports Group paid $205 million to secure the National Women's Soccer League's 18th franchise in Columbus, a league-record expansion fee that doubled as commercial architecture to guarantee Atlanta's outstanding $165 million commitment materializes in full.
The Columbus franchise begins play in 2027. The deal's unusual structure—announced five weeks after Boston and Denver launched as teams 15 and 16, and five months after Atlanta was granted expansion rights—reflects NWSL's willingness to use one deal to backstop another. Atlanta's fee, announced last fall, carried an extended payment schedule that reportedly concerned some existing owners. The Columbus transaction, structured at a 24% premium to Atlanta's headline number, appears designed to ensure league distributions flow even if Atlanta's timeline slips. Two people familiar with the terms said portions of the Columbus fee accelerate into 2026, earlier than standard expansion schedules.
The Haslams—Jimmy and Dee—control the NFL's Cleveland Browns and a minority stake in the Milwaukee Bucks through their holding company, which brought in the Edwards family as equity partners for the Columbus bid. The group operates Field, the downtown Columbus soccer-specific stadium that opened in 2021 for the Columbus Crew. That venue eliminates the $150-200 million facility expense Boston faced and positions Columbus to show operating margin faster than most expansion markets. The Edwards family, through their private equity arm, has backed three sports analytics firms since 2022, suggesting data infrastructure as a likely early investment.
The $205 million fee resets the NWSL valuation floor. It implies a $3.5 billion fully diluted league enterprise value if you assume 18 teams at par, though the Atlanta discount complicates that math. More useful: it tells sponsor-side negotiators what the replacement cost of entry looks like. Nike's NWSL apparel deal, signed in 2022 at a reported $3.5 million per team annually, comes up for renewal in 2027. Columbus launching at $205 million means Nike's current deal—negotiated when Chicago sold for $35 million—is structurally underpriced by roughly a factor of five.
Columbus entering in 2027 also compresses the expansion calendar. With Boston, Denver, and now Columbus committed, the league has three teams launching across 24 months after holding at 12 teams from 2018 through 2023. That pace strains coaching and playing talent but accelerates media rights math. The current broadcast agreement with CBS and Amazon expires after the 2027 season. An 18-team league entering that negotiation—versus the 14 teams that signed the current deal—changes inventory volume and theoretically justifies a rights-fee step-up closer to $40-50 million annually, double the current structure.
The Haslams' track record matters. The Browns have cycled through six head coaches since the family bought the team in 2012, and the franchise posted a 38-78-1 record over that span before the current rebuild. Milwaukee, where the family holds roughly 25%, has seen more competent management but less family operational input. Columbus NWSL will test whether the Haslams can build rather than buy, though Field's existing infrastructure and the Edwards analytics angle suggest more design than their Cleveland playbook.
Atlanta's $165 million fee, now backstopped, should close by late Q3 2026, according to one person tracking the payment schedule. That market—announced with Arthur Blank as lead investor—has faced whispered concerns about whether the Falcons owner's appetite for women's soccer matched his public comments. The Columbus structure, whatever its exact mechanics, appears to satisfy league owners that the full $370 million from both deals will land in escrow within 18 months.
Watch for Columbus to announce a president or general manager by early Q3 2026, roughly 12 months before launch. The Haslams will need to name a head coach by December 2026 to participate in the college draft cycle and begin international scouting. Field's luxury suite inventory, currently priced for Crew demand, gets a second test with NWSL; early suite pre-sales—likely starting Q4 2026—will signal whether Columbus corporate sponsors see women's soccer as a separate budget line or a Crew bundle.
Atlanta's first stadium rendering, meanwhile, is now six weeks overdue from its promised spring delivery.
The takeaway
Columbus's **$205M** fee backstops Atlanta's **$165M** payment gap, resetting NWSL valuations and compressing the expansion calendar ahead of 2027 media renewal.
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