The Ohio High School Athletic Association and the MLS’s Columbus Crew announced a four-year deal on Wednesday morning to host the boys and girls state soccer championship matches at Columbus’s new Lower.com Field.
The new 20,000-plus capacity stadium sits just west of Huntington Park, the home of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, in Columbus’s Arena District.
“As a Club that is committed to championing soccer in our community and growing the game we love, we feel privileged to host a tournament that is a staple of Ohio high school sports here at Lower.com Field,” Crew President/General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. “Having participated in Ohio high school soccer, hosting the final of this tournament resonates with me on a personal level. Historic Crew Stadium served as the venue for OHSAA state soccer championships for two decades, and we are proud to continue that tradition at our new home, where student-athletes can experience what it’s like to play in a professional, state-of-the-art, world-class venue.”
Lower.com Field will succeed the Crew’s former stadium, Historic Crew Stadium, which had hosted the OHSAA soccer state championships since it opened in 1999.
The 2021 OHSAA soccer state championship games will be played on November 12 and 13.