Columbus officials have "requested in-person meetings" with Crew Chair Anthony Precourt and MLS Commissioner Don Garber to "discuss options for keeping the soccer franchise" in the city, according to Rick Rouan of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer yesterday in a joint statement said that Precourt and Garber have "agreed to take those meetings" and they are "expected 'to occur over the coming weeks.'" Precourt last week "went public with his threat to move the team to Austin ... if it did not get a Downtown stadium in Columbus." Precourt "openly flirted" with Austin over the last week, "including a trip to scout the city." Ginther's Dir of Media Relations Robin Davis said that she was "unaware of whether the mayor and Fischer had a plan to keep the Crew in Columbus that they intend to present to Precourt and Garber." Rouan notes it is "unclear what the city could do to keep the Crew in Columbus." Precourt has said that he "isn't looking for a publicly funded stadium." But Ginther last week said the city is "not in the business of private soccer-stadium construction" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 10/25). In Columbus, Laura Newpoff noted if Precourt does move the Crew to Austin, he will "be on the hook for Mapfre Stadium's lease" until June '23. The stadium was "part of the deal" when Precourt bought the team in '13. He "leases the land it sits on from the Ohio Expositions Commission and is contractually obligated to pay rent, which is now $72,000 a year." It will be readjusted in '19 "based on the consumer price index" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/23).
