Haslam Sports Group paid $205 million to enter the National Women's Soccer League with a Columbus franchise launching in 2028, and the deal included a provision guaranteeing the league's 17th expansion team—awarded to Atlanta—would also close at $165 million. The linked structure removes downside for NWSL owners who approved both franchises in sequence and establishes the steepest price ladder in women's professional sports.
The Columbus fee represents a 24 percent premium over Atlanta's number, which itself came in 37 percent higher than the $120 million Bay FC paid to enter in 2023. The NWSL now operates 16 teams, with Boston launching in 2026, Utah in 2027, and Columbus and Atlanta in 2028. Haslam Sports Group, which controls the NFL's Cleveland Browns and Premier League's Coventry City, joins a shareholder roster that includes Robert Kraft, the Wilf family, and Michele Kang, who controls three clubs across two continents.
The guarantee mechanism matters because it prices liquidity risk out of the Atlanta transaction. Without it, the league risked a scenario where the 17th ownership group negotiates downward after seeing Columbus close, or Columbus walks if Atlanta stalls. By tying both fees contractually, the NWSL ensured $370 million in expansion capital across two awards announced within months of each other. That structure also signals to future buyers—Detroit, Philadelphia, and Phoenix have all surfaced as interested markets—that the league will defend price levels even as it adds supply.
For sponsors, the pricing reflects margin expansion that didn't exist 18 months ago. The NWSL's current media deal with CBS, ESPN, and Amazon pays roughly $60 million annually through 2027, but renewal negotiations begin in 2026 with a larger footprint and higher franchise values to anchor the ask. Kit sponsors are already adjusting: Nike's league-wide deal runs through 2025, and at least two incumbent team sponsors have been told to expect mid-teens percentage increases on renewal if the next broadcast window clears $100 million per year.
The Haslam group brings Cleveland Browns infrastructure to a Columbus market that lost the NHL's Blue Jackets' momentum but retains the Ohio State football apparatus and a downtown stadium district. The team will play at a reconfigured venue—likely Historic Crew Stadium or a purpose-built facility near the Arena District—and Dee Haslam, who leads the NWSL franchise, has already met with potential kit sponsors and local broadcast partners. The ownership group includes JW and Dee Haslam, Browns executive Dave Jenkins, and investor Whitney Haring-Smith.
What happens next: The Atlanta ownership group has until the end of Q2 2025 to finalize venue commitments and submit its first-year operating budget. Columbus must announce a president of soccer operations by the 2025 NWSL Draft in January and will enter the 2027 expansion draft alongside Atlanta and Utah. The league's next media deal enters exclusive negotiation windows in mid-2026, and the Columbus-Atlanta pricing will anchor those conversations.
The $205 million figure now sits in every pitch deck a potential buyer sees, and the next team in—whether it closes in 2029 or 2030—starts negotiations at that number or higher.
The takeaway
Linked expansion fees lock in **$370M** for the NWSL and set the floor for media negotiations starting in 2026.
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