COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--The city of Columbus and Franklin County have unveiled plans for the future of Mapfre Stadium, should the Columbus Crew get a new downtown stadium.
Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer, and Franklin County officials announced Wednesday that Mapfre Stadium will be turned into the Columbus Community Sports Park.
The Crew will also use the space as their training facility.
The plans call for additional soccer fields in areas where the parking lots are today, with Ginther calling the facility a destination for youth sports and regional tournaments.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue between Major League Soccer, current Columbus Crew Owner Anthony Precourt, and a group led by Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam, to buy the team from Precourt, and keep them from moving to Austin, Texas.
Those negotiations include plans for a new downtown stadium for the team, with no plans released for that yet.
Ginther says if the Crew gets a new downtown stadium planned and built, the Crew would continue to play at Mapfre Stadium for at least the next two years.
The state of Ohio owns the land that Mapfre Stadium sits on, with the property adjacent to the Ohio Expo Center. The crew currently pays rent to the state for use of the facility.