The Columbus Crew, Ohio’s Major League Soccer club, has a new TV rights agreement, it was announced by Henry Ford, SVP/GM, FOX Sports Ohio, and Mark McCullers, President & GM, Columbus Crew. FOX Sports Ohio will produce and air 32 Crew soccer games in HD. The first “Soccer Night in Ohio” featuring the Crew on FOX Sports Ohio will be Saturday, 3/10 at Colorado.
“As Ohio’s leading regional sports network, this deal was a natural for our network and we are proud to partner with the Columbus Crew,” said Ford. “Crew fans will be given the same inside access and in-depth, state-of-the-art coverage of their soccer team that sports fans across the state have come to expect from FOX Sports Ohio. We look forward to growing our relationship with the Crew.”
Calling all the Crew action on FOX Sports Ohio will be Dwight Burgess, the original “Voice of the Crew,” with the play-by-play, and club icon Duncan Oughton with analysis. Joining them on home telecasts will be sideline reporter Ashleigh Ignelzi.
Burgess returns for his 17th season behind the microphone for the Crew. His background includes a stint with XM Radio as a studio host during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and two seasons as the radio play-by-play announcer forOhioStatemen’s basketball.
Oughton, the longest-serving player in club history, returns for his second season in the booth after retiring from a 10-year career in Black & Gold following the 2010 campaign.
Ignelzi is entering her third season as the Crew’s online video host and first on the TV broadcast team. She currently works as a reporter on FOX SportsOhio’s “Game Time with Urban Meyer” and as a remote reporter for ESPN the Magazine, covering professional sports inOhio. She started her career with the Ohio News Network as a host and reporter on the Average Joe Sports Show.
