Save The Crew has collected 10,000 season ticket pledges as part of the group’s Project 2019, a community-wide show of commitment to purchase tickets for the 2019 season.
In a press release, the group promises to provide the list of pledges to new ownership and work to ensure the “immediate and future success” of the team.
“Through trying to move our team, current team ownership has challenged our massive soccer community once more to prove our ambition, and we have again risen to the occasion,” reads the press release. “There is no better time for those in the community with the means to purchase the team, to band together and be the heroes we need.”
Save The Crew’s Project 2019 draws inspiration from a similar commitment by fans to purchase season tickets when Major League Soccer (MLS) was first established. A 10,000 season ticket pledge helped Columbus receive the first MLS franchise in 1994.
News broke in late 2017 that the future of the Columbus Crew was at stake, with owner Anthony Precourt suggesting a move to Austin. Community members, leaders, and Save The Crew’s grassroots movement have been suggesting and negotiating a number of ways to keep the team in Columbus, including filing a lawsuit against Crew ownership in March.
For more information on Save The Crew and to join the pledge, visit savethecrew.com.