Greater Columbus Sports Commission
On March 4, 2026, Mayor Andrew Ginther and First Lady Shannon Ginther announced the official name and logo for IgniteHER Columbus, a new initiative aimed to make Columbus the nation’s capital for women’s and girls’ sports.
The new initiative is a partnership between the City of Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission to help promote girls and women in athletics. IgniteHER’s goal is to bring more female school and professional sports and events to Columbus, as well as encourage girls and women to continue to play sports and pursue careers in the sports industry.
From producing numerous local, professional athletes to hosting big-name female sporting events, Columbus already has a long history of supporting and celebrating women athletics.
Some highlights for Columbus and women’s sports have been hosting women sporting events such as the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2018 Women’s Final Four – which sold out – and setting groundbreaking attendance records such as for the 2021 D1 Women’s Volleyball Championship Final, which attracted 18,755 spectators.
Columbus was also the first city to wrap team buses in school branding for the 2018 Women’s Final Four and the 2021 D1 Women’s Volleyball Championship.
New and returning initiatives
Alongside the announcement of IgniteHER, additional new and returning women’s sports initiatives were announced.
The Women’s Sports Report, an annual event celebrating and honoring female athletes hosted by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, will return.
Other new initiatives include a women’s sports symposium, a local chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE), research grants, a youth ticketing program and IgniteHER Next, a network of former female student athletes in Columbus who have transitioned from the athletic field to the business world.
In 2027, Columbus and IgniteHER will also host the NCAA Women’s Final Four and D1 Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Check out www.IgniteHERColumbus.com for more information.
The pillars
IgniteHER is built around four main pillars to guide its initiatives for education, leadership and mentorships in women and girls’ sports:
Fuel Her Game: Keeping girls and women in sports
Light Up Columbus: Continuing to grow women’s sports fandoms, teams and events based in Columbus
Legacy Rising: Cultivating the next generation of female business and civic leaders
Spark Next: Driving innovation in women’s sports and investment in sports related businesses
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
