MAPFRE Stadium and the Ohio High School Athletic Association have signed a five-year contract extension that ensures the OHSAA’s championship matches will be played at the home of Columbus Crew SC through 2020. The 2016 matches are set to take place at MAPFRE Stadium on November 12 and 13.
“As the most iconic soccer stadium in the United States, our venue takes great pride in serving as the official home of the OHSAA State Soccer Finals and our five-year extension will continue yet another great soccer tradition in our historic home,” said Columbus Crew SC President of Business Operations Andy Loughnane. “Hosting this important event furthers our goal of developing soccer in the State of Ohio and we are honored to work alongside the OHSAA to ensure that the boys' and girls' state championships are played at MAPFRE Stadium.”
The 2016 girls' soccer championship matches will be held on Saturday, November 12, with the boys' 2016 championship matches to be held on Sunday, November 13. The championship matches for girls on Saturday kick-off at 2:00, 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. ET, while the boys' kickoff times on Sunday are slated for 12:00, 3:30 and 7:00 p.m. ET. Gates on both days are set to open one hour before the first match.
Participating teams are to be determined following the completion of the regional brackets, to be held throughout October and into early November across the state. All ticketing information for the general public and credentialing information for media will be released at a later date.