OhioHealth Named Official Healthcare Provider of Columbus NWSL 2028

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OhioHealth Named Official Healthcare Provider of Columbus NWSL 2028

OhioHealth is a Founding Partner and the Official Healthcare Provider of Columbus NWSL 2028, Unveil OhioHealth Training Grounds

Health System will provide comprehensive healthcare, sports medicine and performance support for the Club's players.

Key Takeaways:

• OhioHealth is a Founding Partner and the Official Healthcare Provider of Columbus NWSL 2028, providing comprehensive healthcare, sports medicine and performance support for the Club's players.
• The new OhioHealth Training Grounds will serve as the Club's world-class training home, featuring a 45,000-square-foot facility, three grass pitches and dedicated spaces for performance, wellness and rehabilitation.
• The partnership extends beyond professional soccer, with OhioHealth and Columbus NWSL 2028 planning community health, wellness and fan initiatives while supporting opportunities for youth athletes across Central Ohio.

COLUMBUS - Columbus NWSL 2028 and Founding Partner OhioHealth today announced that the Columbus-based, nationally recognized health system will serve as the Club's Official Healthcare Provider and training facility naming rights partner.

To honor the moment and shared commitment to advancing Central Ohio and women athletes of all ages, the Club and OhioHealth unveiled detailed renderings of the world-class OhioHealth Training Grounds.As the Official Healthcare Provider of Columbus NWSL 2028, OhioHealth will provide its exceptional, comprehensive care and services for every aspect of the team's healthcare and performance needs at the Club's world-class training facility and ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

OhioHealth's exemplary sports medicine department and expert physicians will work in tandem with Columbus NWSL 2028 technical and support staff - led by Haslam Sports Group President of Global Soccer Tim Bezbatchenko and General Manager Lucy Rushton - to ensure players consistently receive access to elite resources to be their best as professional athletes, individuals and family members on and off the pitch throughout the year."We're proud to strengthen our partnership with OhioHealth, a national leader in healthcare and sports medicine who for generations has consistently proven their commitment to our community and local athletes at all levels of competition," said Haslam Sports Group (HSG) Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson.

"Columbus NWSL 2028's mission is to create a legacy and set a new global standard across women's sports for our Club, supporters and region. That starts with building world-class facilities that give our players every advantage to perform at their best. The OhioHealth Training Grounds reflects that commitment and the long-term community impact it will create, from hosting teams during major international events to serving the local youth athletes who are the future of our sport and City."

"Bringing professional women's soccer to Columbus is about much more than what happens on the field. It's an investment in women, in the health and vitality of our community and in the next generation of girls who will grow up seeing what's possible," said Steve Markovich, President and CEO, OhioHealth. "We're also incredibly proud that OhioHealth will be connected to this team every day, with our sports medicine physicians and healthcare teams caring for these world-class athletes as they train at the new OhioHealth Training Grounds. It's an exciting partnership that brings together elite care, elite athletes and a shared commitment to this community."

"OhioHealth is an Ohio institution who cares deeply about our athletes and our City. They're the perfect partner to meet our ambition of consistently contending for championships and providing our players with the elite resources and a truly world-class environment to compete at the highest levels of the game globally," said Bezbatchenko. "OhioHealth experts will play a pivotal role in ensuring our athletes and staff are able to perform on the pitch and be the best versions of themselves every day as we strive to bring trophies to Columbus beginning from Day 1."

Through their partnership, Columbus NWSL 2028 and OhioHealth will collaborate on various fan-focused and community-based initiatives at the training grounds, in the stadium and across Central Ohio, including opportunities for team personnel to interact with and positively impact patients and trusted care providers at OhioHealth locations.The Club and OhioHealth together will emphasize the importance of overall community health and wellness through engaging events at the OhioHealth Training Grounds and ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, creating avenues for supporters and community members to access the buildings and amenities the world's best female soccer players benefit from each day.

The OhioHealth Training Grounds is a transformative 45,000-square-foot training facility that is specifically designed to accommodate the professional and personal needs of the globe's top women soccer players. Modeled after the Crew's OhioHealth Performance Center, HSG, Nationwide and the Edwards family are creating an environment that will attract and maximize the performance and personal health of elite female athletes while best positioning the team for long-term talent development opportunities in women's soccer and sport.The best-in-industry facility, opening in January 2028, will feature three grass pitches; a modern weight room with top-line equipment; multiple locker rooms for players and staff; premier athlete performance, wellness and rehabilitation space; office and meeting rooms and ample resources dedicated to Columbus NWSL's First Team.

Upon the full site's completion, the grounds will also possess three high-quality synthetic turf fields for long-term youth player development and community access programmed in partnership with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.In its first year of operation, the OhioHealth Training Grounds will welcome Columbus NWSL 2028 for its debut season, as well as additional professional domestic and international women's soccer teams. Columbus NWSL 2028 and the Columbus Crew's training facilities will be home to soccer federations across the globe as they prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games' Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament, which awarded Columbus nine matches based on the world-class environments at both facilities, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field and throughout Central Ohio.

OhioHealth is a Founding Partner of Columbus NWSL 2028 who shares the Club's passion and commitment to supporting women's sports and the local community. OhioHealth has been dedicated to soccer and youth sports in Columbus for generations, including as a partner of the Columbus Crew since 1997 and the official naming rights partner of the Crew's OhioHealth Performance Center since 2020.Columbus NWSL 2028 has partnered with Columbus-based institutions Moody Nolan and Marker Construction to bring the vision for the OhioHealth Training Grounds to life. On April 21, Columbus was awarded the NWSL's 18th franchise, which is owned by HSG, Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards. Reflecting the group's long-term commitment to elevating and uniting Central Ohio and beyond through the power of sport, the successful Columbus NWSL 2028 movement was strengthened with the support of a public-private partnership and shared commitment to women athletes by Mayor Ginther's administration, Columbus City Council and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, including to facilitate the construction of the Club's first-class training facility.

About OhioHealth

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church.

Serving its communities since 1891, OhioHealth is a family of more than 36,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 16 hospitals, five joint-venture hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites and other health services spanning a 50-county area. For more information, visit ohiohealth.com.

For more information, visitohiohealth.com.