The Crew's new stadium, due to be "substantially completed in June," now is expected to cost $313.9M "by the time it's finished," according to Hayleigh Colombo of COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST. According to the Crew's updated budget, the $13.9M increase over its original $300M budget "stems from several enhancements that are being funded by its private developers, the Haslam and Edwards families." Of the $313.9M in project costs, nearly $113.3M "has been spent so far on the project." According to the Crew, 86% of the project's "steel erection is complete," and 29% of the "canopy structure and decking is complete" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/11).
BUILDING THE TEAM, TOO: In Columbus, Jacob Myers noted in the months between groundbreaking and the onset of the pandemic in March, Crew Exec VP & Chief Business Officer Steve Lyons "felt confident in the progress they had made to finish the job." Once ground was broken, the next phase of the Crew's plan became "selling the future of the club as well as reshaping the roster into one worthy of a new stadium." Lyons at that point had to "finalize naming rights to a new training facility yet to be constructed, find a jersey sponsor and begin pursuing a deal on naming rights to the new stadium." Only "two of those three have goals have been realized," as the Crew have "yet to announce stadium naming rights." But Lyons this week said the team is in "ongoing conversations, several great conversations that are happening." Lyons: "But no definitive timeline" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 10/11).
