Professional football is coming back to Columbus.

New United Football League co-owner Mike Repole said Thursday that the Ohio capital will be the new home of a still to-be-determined relocated franchise.

“We’re excited about Columbus as a market,” Repole told USA Today. “We know how good Ohio State is and how big football is in Columbus. We’re excited about the local businesses in Columbus and the fan base.”

“When the team was able to agree on a deal with the Columbus market, it was really a no-brainer.” 

The team will play its home games at Historic Crew Stadium.

In a statement, a Crew spokesperson confirmed those plans.

“The UFL selecting Historic Crew Stadium to host a team’s home games is a further testament to the first-class fan experience at our venue, as well as advances our commitment to bringing unique major events to Columbus that highlight our city and promote economic impact in the region. It’s also the result of Columbus’ continued growth and its long-standing passion for supporting sports.”

Repole, the co-founder of BodyArmor and Vitaminwater, was announced as a co-owner of the league Thursday and wasted no time sharing his ambition to bring the UFL into the mainstream.

In an interview with ESPN, Repole said “the vibe hasn’t been to where it should be. You can hear a pin drop when someone runs 80 yards. That’s not so good. Nobody wants to turn on the TV and see 10,000 fans in a 65,000-seat stadium.”

“It’s like watching a COVID game.”

Financial terms of Repole’s involvement in the UFL were not disclosed, but all indications are that it’s sizeable.

“The bottom line is it was a big investment. … I would say the biggest investors (in the UFL) by far are Fox, RedBird Capital and Mike Repole,” said Repole.

The 2025 UFL season featured a 10-game schedule for each of its eight teams, with the season beginning in late March; a similar timeline is expected for the 2026 season.

It will mark the first time in over a half decade that Columbus has been home to a pro football team. That was the Arena Football League’s Columbus Destroyers, who original iteration lasted from 2004 until 2008 before a one-season rebirth in 2019 that lasted just one season before the AFL folded its operations and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The Destroyers played at Nationwide Arena in both instances.

While it remains to be seen what current UFL franchise will soon call Columbus its new home, two franchises struggled mightily with attendance. The Memphis Showboats averaged just 3,992 fans per home game, and the Houston Roughnecks were at 5,712. The league average 12,548, with the St. Louis Battlehawks averaging just under 30,000 fans per game to lead the attendance by a large margin.

Information on which team will be relocating to the Buckeye state and news on the potential for a name change will be announced later in 2025.