Columbus Women’s Soccer Team: The Pocket Park Land Hurdle

When the city council in Columbus started debating whether a patch of green near the Scioto Mile should become a practice field for a prospective women’s soccer team or stay as a neighborhood pocket park, it felt like one of those hyper-local squabbles that only makes the evening news if you’re already tuned into the Franklin County government access channel. But peel back the layers of that YouTube clip’s title—“Park or Practice Facility? City Council, the mayor, and a frustrated community”—and you find something far more familiar to anyone who’s watched a mid-sized American city juggle growth, equity, and the quiet politics of public space over the last decade. This isn’t just about grass and goalposts in the Arena District’s shadow. it’s a microcosm of how cities nationwide are redefining what “community benefit” means when private investment meets public land, especially as amateur and professional women’s sports surge in visibility and funding.

Columbus has been positioning itself as a soccer town for years. Crew SC’s MLS Cup win in 2020, the ongoing development around Lower.com Field, and the city’s bid to host NWSL matches all signal ambition. Yet the pocket park in question—nestled between Livingston Avenue and Parsons Avenue near the historic King-Lincoln Bronzeville district—represents a different kind of infrastructure. For decades, this sliver of land has served as a de facto commons: a place where elders play checkers under the sycamores, where the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association hosts summer movie nights, and where kids from the nearby Ohio Avenue Elementary cut through on their way home. Turning it into a dedicated training facility, even for a team that could bring national attention and economic activity, raises immediate questions about access, cultural preservation, and who gets to decide what “progress” looks like in a neighborhood that’s seen waves of investment and displacement.

The tension here echoes debates from Austin’s Waller Creek Conservancy battles to Seattle’s fights over pocket parks in the Central District, but with a distinctly Midwestern flavor. In Columbus, the conversation is shaped by the legacy of the Hanford Village Carpenters’ Association, the long-standing influence of the King Arts Complex, and the recent work of the Near East Area Commission—all entities that have historically advocated for resident-led development in Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods. When the mayor’s office frames the potential soccer facility as a “regional asset,” residents counter that the true asset is the park’s daily role in fostering intergenerational connection and cultural continuity—a benefit that doesn’t show up in economic impact studies but is felt in the rhythm of block club meetings and Juneteenth celebrations along nearby Mount Vernon Avenue.

What makes this moment particularly salient is how it intersects with broader trends in women’s sports investment. The NWSL’s recent collective bargaining agreement, record-breaking attendance figures, and growing corporate sponsorship have created a pipeline where cities compete not just for franchises but for training grounds, youth academies, and fan engagement hubs. Columbus isn’t alone in weighing these trade-offs; Indianapolis debated similar land use for the Indy Eleven’s women’s initiative, and Pittsburgh’s Riverfront Parks Conservancy has navigated comparable pressures with its riverfront green spaces. Yet the local specificity matters: the proposed site’s proximity to the Lincoln Theatre, its role as a gateway to the Bronzeville Walk of Fame, and its use by the Franklin Park Conservancy’s outreach programs mean any rezoning or lease agreement would ripple through cultural, educational, and environmental networks that have taken generations to build.

Given my background in urban policy analysis and community-driven development, if this trend impacts you in Columbus—whether you’re a resident near Livingston and Parsons, a coach with the Columbus Youth Soccer League, or a planner at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission—here are the three types of local professionals you need to understand when navigating these land-use conversations:

• Land Use Equity Consultants: Look for professionals who don’t just understand zoning codes and conditional use permits but have demonstrated experience facilitating community benefit agreements (CBAs) in historically Black neighborhoods. They should be familiar with the Near East Area Commission’s guidelines, have worked with organizations like the Columbus Urban League or the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, and prioritize participatory mapping techniques over top-down presentations. Ask for examples of how they’ve balanced private development interests with the preservation of informal cultural spaces.
• Public Space Design Advocates: Seek out landscape architects or urban designers who specialize in “flexible space” concepts—areas that can accommodate scheduled programming (like soccer drills) without sacrificing everyday accessibility for passive recreation, cultural events, or spontaneous use. Their portfolios should show projects that integrate stormwater management with community gathering spots, preferably referencing local landmarks like the Scioto Greenways or the Olentangy Trail adaptive reuse projects. They need to speak the language of both recreation departments and block clubs.
• Municipal Finance Strategists Focused on Social ROI: These aren’t just bond lawyers or public finance officers; they’re analysts who can model the long-term social return on investment of public spaces beyond simple tax revenue projections. They should be conversant in frameworks like the Trust for Public Land’s ParkServe metrics, have experience evaluating cultural programming funding (perhaps through partnerships with the King Arts Complex or the Ohio History Connection), and be able to translate intangible benefits—like social cohesion or youth mentorship opportunities—into language that resonates with both city council and grant-making foundations.

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