The Crew’s gold jersey in '16 "will give way to one reflecting the city’s flag," according to a source cited by Adam Jardy of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. That means the black and gold "will be joined by red, green and multiple shades of blue on a predominately white jersey." As a result, the Crew "will not have a gold uniform for the first time" since '99. An image circulated on Twitter last week "showing a portion of the adidas catalogue featuring jerseys for next season." This year’s black jersey "is shown as the Crew’s primary jersey, with a close-up shot of the Columbus city logo shown as the secondary jersey." The club since last year "has been looking at a potential third uniform with alternate colors." The immediate reaction on social media "was almost universally negative" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/11).
THE ANDY MAN CAN: The DISPATCH's Jardy notes Crew President of Business Operations Andy Loughnane since joining the team in August '14 has helped the club "cross several longstanding key items off its to-do list." A naming-rights partner "was found for Crew Stadium and the team’s training facility, and multiple partnerships have been signed with companies such as Audi, Heineken and AEP Energy." With a focus on "selling out Mapfre Stadium instead of solely growing its season-ticket base, the Crew set team records for total attendance and number of sellouts last season." This year "has seen a new food and beverage partner in Levy Restaurants, as well as increased local food options at the stadium." Although the Crew’s home average attendance of 15,432 "is fifth worst in MLS, the total is an increase of 1,256 compared with the first seven games last season." Loughnane said paid attendance is up by more than 10%, while complimentary seats are “down significantly" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/12).
