Columbus Crew Stadium upgrades are on investor-operator Anthony Precourt’s agenda, as the team owner says either a new facility or a revamped facility is in the team’s future.
Precourt made one thing clear: the status quo cannot hold at Crew Stadium, which opened in 1999 as the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS. It’s a facility showing its age, and while the team has put some money into the stadium, a long-term game plan is needed. From the Columbus Dispatch:
“We call this our home,” Precourt said. “Long-term, obviously, at some point Columbus Crew Stadium becomes obsolete, so we have to talk about renovation or relocation within Columbus, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Opened in 1999 as the country’s first soccer-specific stadium, Crew Stadium remains an iconic, if dated, figure in the sports world. Seats on the east side of the stadium were renovated this year under a plan started by previous owner Hunt Sports Group, and Precourt installed a new scoreboard in advance of this season.
We are entering a new era in MLS, one that sees facility development a top priority in terms of revenue and fan comfort. Economically, a renovation plan might make the most sense, and if the team manages to sell naming rights — an effort that surely be underway this offseason — Columbus Crew stadium upgrades could begin in a few years.