AUSTIN, Texas (WTVN)--The City Council in Austin, Texas has approved a deal with Precourt Sports Ventures, owners of Columbus Crew SC, to build a new stadium for the team.
The council Wednesday, in a special meeting, voted 7-4 to authorize the deal for PSV to construct, occupy, and lease the property for the stadium, with the goal of completion for the 2021 MLS season.
News broke late last year that Owner Anthony Precourt was considering moving the team to Austin after the 2018 MLS season, citing the need for a new downtown stadium specifically for the Crew.
A group of fans and season-ticket holders organized the "Save the Crew" movement in an effort to increase season-ticket sales, and they have also come up with a design of a new stadium in the Arena District.
There's also a pending lawsuit against the Crew, by the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio, citing the "Modell Law" that requires the ownership team to give an opportunity to provide local investors a chance to buy the team.
That law also states that the team has to give six-months notice before they move.
The Crew has been in Columbus since 1996, and was the charter member of Major League Soccer. Columbus Crew Stadium, now known as Mapfre Stadium, opened in 1999, as the first soccer-specific stadium in the U.S.
Precourt bought the team in 2013.