Broncos exploring new stadium, ask fans where it should be located

The Denver Broncos have been engaging with their fans a lot lately, asking Broncos Country for their thoughts about the team’s uniforms, game-day experience and now the possibility of a new stadium.

According to 9News Broncos Insider and 104.3 The Fan contributor Mike Klis, the team sent a survey out to season ticket holders exploring the possibility of a new state-of-the-art stadium for the team. In that survey, renderings of a possible mixed-use neighborhood anchored by a stadium, options for what that stadium’s roof could be and possible locations where the massive development will be built are shared. They provide fans with options on each question and ask which they prefer.

This development is a significant one for Denver. Broncos CEO and owner Greg Penner had talked down any thoughts of a new stadium when he took over the team last fall, saying that conversation was premature. Apparently, the ownership group has been working behind the scenes on this topic, which was one of the first brought up when the Broncos were bought for $4.65 billion.

Klis shared all this information on Twitter Thursday night, writing that the survey said, “the new stadium would improve the fan experience with new seating options, upgraded amenities across concessions, concourse, technology, merchandise. If a new stadium is built, the Broncos would wish to highlight Denver and the state’s unique culture. What would an authentically Denver or Colorado stadium look like to you? (Fill in the Blank).”

The survey broke into 15-minute increments of how far a fan would be willing to travel to a Broncos home game, including over three hours. It also asked what location a fan would prefer for this new hypothetical stadium, listing the current Empower Field location, downtown, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest as options. Assuming that the directions are out from the city’s center or the current home of the Broncos, just West of I-25 and North of Colfax.

The Broncos asked their fans which five factors are most important to them if the team does build a new stadium. They gave their season ticket holders the options to rank these five categories: available restaurant chains, available social gathering spaces, concourse size, ease of stadium ingress/egress, eco-friendly design, heating, location, number of concessions, parking availability, public transit availability, food/beverage quality/variety, seat comfort, shading, sightlines to the field, tech and variety of seat products.

Klis also reported that the team had fans rank their top five preferred amenities to mixed-use stadiums, including the team store, gambling, hotels, recreation and more. The team asked fans if they were interested in using mixed-use development, which seems to be the trend in modern stadiums around the country and even locally. KSE has proposed a massive redevelopment around the stadium, and the survey aims to gather feedback from fans.

Survey asks to rank up to 6 roof configurations in order of preference at a new Broncos stadium. #9sports pic.twitter.com/PRIRelN6CZ

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) March 23, 2023

More potential stadium pictures in survey. #9sports pic.twitter.com/2toLGQCaeF

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) March 23, 2023

The Broncos have not committed to a new stadium, but have committed to over $100 million in upgrades to Empower Field that ownership will be paying for. It is unknown who will pay for a new stadium if the Broncos decide they require one. But considering Empower Field was 75% taxpayer-funded and opened just 22 years ago, and the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group are the wealthiest owners in the sport, it’ll likely be privately developed. That has been the case in their family, with Stan Kroenke splurging his cash for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The current stadium’s lack of a room and modern amenities that became commonplace in stadiums just a few years after it was finished has held Denver back from hosting many events, including college basketball Final Fours and big concerts during the winter.

The question has never seemed to be if there will there be a new Broncos stadium. Instead, the three big questions facing many Denverites and Coloradans are now: where will the new football stadium be? Will the stadium be publicly funded in any way? And will this new stadium get a roof of some kind? The answers to those three questions could change the sports scene in Denver in the coming decades.

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