COLUMBUS – Haslam Sports Group (HSG) today announced that Tim Bezbatchenko is returning to Ohio as HSG President of Global Soccer and will oversee all sporting elements for Columbus NWSL 2028, the Columbus Crew and HSG’s future investments in domestic and global soccer.

Bezbatchenko – who will start following the conclusion of his contract as President of Black Knight Football Club – possesses more than 17 years of experience in global soccer leadership roles, three MLS Cups, one MLS Supporters’ Shield, two Concacaf Champions Cup Finals appearances and three Canadian Championships.

One of HSG’s first hires when acquiring operating rights to the Crew in 2019, Bezbatchenko will report to CEO and Chairman, Managing Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam and joins President of Business Operations Mary Shepro as the first executives selected to set the strategic direction of Columbus’ professional men’s and women’s soccer clubs.

“Tim’s leadership and dedication helped set the Crew’s path for success since Day 1 with Haslam Sports Group. We’re excited for him to create the foundation for Columbus NWSL 2028 to compete for championships while also supporting Issa Tall, Marc Nicholls and the entire Crew technical staff,” said Dee and Jimmy Haslam. “Tim benefitted from expanding his global experience with Black Knight Football over the past two years, and it’s truly special for him and his family to return home as we begin this next era of soccer in Columbus together.”

“It’s incredible to be part of launching an NWSL team and continuing to support the Crew after five-plus remarkable years with the Club and as a lifelong fan. I’m honored and grateful that the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families have trusted me with this opportunity, alongside their exceptional leaders, coaches, staff and players, as we look to compete for championships across both leagues,” said Bezbatchenko. “This leadership group first inspired me to come back to Columbus in 2019, and they continue to be among the best ownership groups in all of sports with their ambition to compete for trophies and endless pursuit to unify communities through sport. It’s the perfect time for my family to return home, especially knowing firsthand their long-term investment in and commitment to advancing soccer in Central Ohio and across the country.

“I also want to thank Bill Foley, Ryan Caswell, everyone at Black Knight Football Club, AFC Bournemouth and our group of clubs for providing me the opportunity to work with multiple teams across Europe at the very highest level of the game. It was a unique opportunity where I developed both as a professional and as a person, and I am looking forward to taking what I have learned here and applying it within NWSL and MLS.” Bezbatchenko added.

Bezbatchenko will spearhead HSG’s efforts to construct Columbus NWSL 2028’s soccer staff and roster with the mission of consistently competing for championships, including global searches for the Club’s first general manager and head coach. The Westerville, Ohio native extends his long-standing relationship with Crew General Manager Issa Tall, who served as the Crew’s Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel & Strategy from 2019-2024 and with Toronto FC’s Player Personnel and Scouting department from 2014-2015 when Bezbatchenko led each club’s soccer operations. They also were members of the MLS Player Relations and Competition Departments in 2013.

After more than five seasons as the Crew’s President & General Manager (January 2019-June 2024), Bezbatchenko has spent the past two years with Black Knight Football Club, a consortium of European clubs including AFC Bournemouth (Premier League – England), FC Lorient (Ligue 1 – France) and Moreirense FC (Liga Portugal – Portugal) and previously Hibernian FC (Premiership – Scotland). He served as Executive Director on the Hibernian FC Board of Directors from 2024-2025 and will complete his term as President of Moreirense SAD at the conclusion of the season. During his time at Black Knight Football, AFC Bournemouth achieved its highest points total ever (56) and best finish in the table during the 2024-2025 campaign (ninth). With one EPL match remaining this season, the Cherries have matched that record point total and sit in sixth place, already securing their first Europa League qualification in the club’s 127-year history. Additionally, FC Lorient won the Ligue 2 title in 2024-2025, meriting promotion to the first division and finishing ninth in Ligue 1 for 2025-2026. Moreirense also ended the 2025-2026 Liga Portugal campaign in seventh place.

In Columbus, Bezbatchenko helped guide the Black & Gold to two MLS Cups (2020 and 2023) – becoming one of only three clubs with three or more league titles – and the 2021 Campeones Cup. The Crew also reached their first Concacaf Champions Cup Final in 2024, setting the stage for the MLS side to be the first to compete in three major tournament finals over a nine-month span when ultimately lifting the Leagues Cup 2024 trophy.

The success in 2023 and 2024 occurred after Bezbatchenko directed the hiring of former Head Coach Wilfried Nancy and one of the Crew soccer leadership team’s most active summer transfer windows, which featured the incoming transfers of 2020 MLS Golden Boot-winner Diego Rossi and Yevhen Cheberko, the outgoing transfer of Lucas Zelarayán and other notable transactions. The Crew also received major contributions from talent developed within the Club: Homegrown Midfielder Aidan Morris, a 2023 MLS All-Star who was later transferred to the English Football League Championship’s Middlesbrough FC; 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year finalist, 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year and 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection Patrick Schulte; Homegrown Captain and Midfielder Sean Zawadzki; and 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Best XI Defender Mohamed Farsi. In 2024, Midfielders Taha Habroune and Cole Mrowka signed Homegrown contracts to become the first individuals to complete the full player pathway after representing both Crew 2 and the Crew Academy.

Bezbatchenko and Tall also secured the 2022 acquisition of Forward Cucho Hernández with the largest transfer fee in Club history. Cucho starred in MLS and earned MLS Cup MVP and 2023 MLS Best XI honors – the first Crew player with the recognition since Jonathan Mensah in 2020 – before being transferred to La Liga’s Real Betis in February 2025.

Complementing First Team success, Crew 2 won the inaugural 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup and 2023 Eastern Conference championship with First Team Interim Head Coach Laurent Courtois at the helm. The Crew Academy in 2023 was also named the Academy of the Year, as selected by its peers.

A 2021 SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 honoree, Bezbatchenko joined Columbus after serving as Toronto FC’s Senior Vice President of Soccer Operations & General Manager from 2013-2018 and working as the Senior Director of Player Relations and Competition for Major League Soccer from 2010-2013.

With Toronto FC, Bezbatchenko helped the club post four of its best seasons in franchise history (2014-2017), highlighted by a domestic treble in 2017 (MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship), three consecutive Canadian Cup Championships (2016-2018) and reaching the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Final when the club lost on penalty kicks to Chivas Guadalajara.

Prior to Toronto, Bezbatchenko worked as the Senior Director of Player Relations and Competition for MLS (2010-2013) in a role where he oversaw all MLS rosters, the MLS player pool and team salary budgets. He also was responsible for youth and player development initiatives for the League, including helping launch the EFCL coaching course between MLS and the French Football Federation.

Before joining MLS, Bezbatchenko worked as an attorney for Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York in their mergers and acquisition group. He earned degrees with honors from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Leadership Studies (2004) and the University of Cincinnati College of Law (2008).

Bezbatchenko was a two-time NCAA Academic All-American, an All-American for the South Atlantic Region, a First Team All-Conference midfielder and two-year captain for the Richmond Spiders. He played professionally with the United Soccer League’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2004-2005), who finished atop the league in 2004. Bezbatchenko will once again call Bexley, Ohio home with his wife, Annie, and their two kids: Jack and Sarah.

Haslam Sports Group embraces the positive impact of sports and its unique opportunity to unify communities. Dee and Jimmy Haslam, along with Whitney and JW Johnson, founded Haslam Sports Group in 2020. Through the Haslam and Johnson families’ network of industry experience and relationships, their mission is to create world-class organizations that achieve sustainable success, provide a best-in-class fan experience, and give back to their region. We look to invest in strategic sports and entertainment opportunities, with our current portfolio including ownership of the Cleveland Browns, operating rights to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, co-ownership of the Milwaukee Bucks and Columbus NWSL 2028, as well as investments in HSG Ventures, HSG Facilities, the WNBA, and other entities.

On April 21, 2026, the National Women’s Soccer League announced Columbus as the home of the league’s 18th franchise.  The Club, set to begin play in 2028, is owned by Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards. The successful NWSL Columbus 2028 movement reflected the group’s long-term commitment to elevating and uniting Central Ohio and beyond through the power of sport. As stewards of sports teams that are community assets, the leaders share a collective mission to consistently compete for championships on the pitch; deliver memorable experiences to fans throughout the year; and further advance the city, region and state through sports, including an emphasis on promoting education and youth soccer. Columbus NWSL 2028 will play its home matches at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, and the partnership group has already conducted extensive planning and design work to construct a premier training center in Columbus that will open ahead of its first campaign.

About the Columbus Crew:
The Columbus Crew are the first club in Major League Soccer. The Crew are owned by Haslam Sports Group and the Edwards Family. The Club is one of only three teams to win three or more MLS Cups (2008, 2020 and 2023) and claimed one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2002, MLS Supporters’ Shield titles in 2004, 2008 and 2009, the Campeones Cup in 2021 and Leagues Cup in 2024. The 2026 campaign is the Crew’s 31st in MLS, as well as the Club’s fifth full season in the world-class ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

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