Ohio is about to make history with the arrival of a brand-new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team—but the excitement is already being overshadowed by a controversy over where the team will train.

Columbus was officially selected as the NWSL’s 18th franchise late last month, a major milestone for women’s soccer in the state. The team will be owned by Haslam Sports Group, Nationwide, and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, and will play home games at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, home of the Columbus Crew. It’s a huge win for the sport and for the city’s growing soccer culture.

However, the training facility is planned for McCoy Park, located in a historically underserved neighborhood on Columbus’s southwest side. This area has the lowest life expectancy in Ohio—just 60 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and for many residents, the park is a lifeline.

“We want to be excited about women’s professional soccer coming to Columbus,” said Jennifer Crayton, a local resident. “But the fact that you did it off the backs of an area that is so underserved … it has muddied any kind of excitement.”

McCoy Park is the only significant green space in the area, and the city had previously announced plans to upgrade it with adaptive soccer and softball fields, pickleball courts, a pond, and a splash pad by next year. For Crayton’s husband, a disabled veteran, those adaptive fields were especially meaningful.

“This park meant everything because it allowed him the ability to play with his kids again and create those memories that kids so desperately need with their parents,” she said.

Now, instead of a community-centered upgrade, the park will become a private training ground for a professional team—leaving many residents feeling overlooked. As Columbus gears up for its NWSL debut, the debate over where to build a lasting legacy for women’s soccer is far from over.