SPORTS HEADLINES: LATEST NEWS & UPDATES

Here’s what you should know about Denver’s newest pro team

Jan 31, 2025, 3:08 PM | Updated: 3:11 pm

DENVER — On Thursday, Denver gained a new pro sports franchise with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announcing the city had been awarded an expansion club. The city welcomed the new team with a news conference and celebration packed with supporters and local power players at Number 38 in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.

Among the big names featured at the event were Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. The three all talked about collaborating with the team’s leaders to get the bid across the goal line. It’s the Mile High City’s first new major league franchise since the Colorado Avalanche moved to town 30 years ago.

What is NWSL?

Founded in 2012, the NWSL is the latest evolution of professional women’s soccer in the U.S. Unlike previous leagues, the NWSL has established stability and rapid growth, with expansion teams reflecting its increasing popularity. Denver’s $110 million bid underscores that growth, with rising media deals and fan support. There are currently 14 clubs in the league, two of which just joined this past season. Denver is the 16th team and will join the NWSL at the same time as Boston’s club. Unlike men’s soccer in America, the women’s game has had a significant head start globally, driven by the dominance of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Still both the FA Women’s Super League in Great Britain and Spain’s Primera Iberdrola have made great strides in recent years—making it nearly a dead heat between the two and NWSL for the top league in the world, according to Global Football Rankings. The NWSL is vying to be the best on the planet, recently making sweeping changes to the structure that mostly impacted player acquisition.

Who owns Denver’s NWSL team?

Denver’s ownership group will be led by IMA Financial Group CEO Rob Cohen. He will be joined by Project Level, led by Mellody Hobson—a businesswoman who also owns a stake of the Denver Broncos— and former Washington Commanders executive Jason Wright.

Where will Denver’s NWSL team play?

Cohen said the team is in “discussions with a number of jurisdictions around our city and state.”

Cohen highlighted the goals as near mass transit and centrally located for the whole region.

Meanwhile, Johnston took the microphone and made a pitch for somewhere in Denver proper.

“We are deeply committed that this will be a purpose-built women’s stadium in the city and County of Denver and will be accessible to neighborhoods where folks can walk and bike and easily approach that in a comprehensive community-based development,” the mayor said at the event. “We see our role as helping find that site and also to facilitate the access to that site to make sure that whatever beautiful stadium they build is easy for folks to get to.”

A new outdoor venue is expected in the area soon. Currently, the NWSL plays in stadiums that are between 68,000- and 10,000-person capacities. But the higher end of that range is Seattle, who plays at the home of the Seahawks and the city’s MLS team. All the purpose-built and more recent stadiums top out at 35,000, which is good number since that’s the league’s record attendance for a game—set last year between the Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC at Wrigley Field at 35,038.

Chances are it will be a similar or smaller size to the Rapids’ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which holds 18,061 fans. Since that size niche has already been filled and our closest neighbors in Kansas City just finished a specific NWSL stadium that holds 11,500 fans—that seems like a reasonable size. Some other things to keep in mind is that Cohen said repeatedly that the purpose-built stadium will be both soccer-specific and not only be designed for women but coming with training facilities specifically tailored to women. There’s also the factor of concerts, which is a growing industry. Given that Coehn shared he wants to build a complex with possible businesses around the venue—an eye toward events outside of soccer might be worth keeping in mind. Red Rocks holds just over 9,500 patrons while Fidlar’s Green is over 17,000. Both Coors Field and Folsom Field have hosted large outdoor shows in recent summers, with the biggest taking place at Empower Field. With First Bank Center torn down and much of those shows going to the smaller Mission Ballroom—what niche will the team look to fill? While there was once a gap in the music scene for an outdoor venue between the sizes of Mission Ballroom and Red Rocks, that niche has largely been filled by the newly built Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs and the relatively new Levitt Pavilion in Ruby Hill Park. But there’s a more likely gap between 10,000-15,000 nobody is currently filling that would be great. Plus NWSL is likely going to make Denver built at least a 10,000 seat venue given Kansas City just hit that mark.

So look for a new 12,500-seat stadium (or s0) coming to the metro area that has some training facilities attached and a local business complex. And look for that location to be somewhere near a light rail line—though that could conflict with the active Broncos stadium search.

The plan is for the stadium will be privately funded.

When will Denver’s NWSL start playing?

Boston and Denver both kick-off for the first time in 2026. NWSL begins play in March with the championship taking place around Thanksgiving.

What will Denver’s NWSL team be named?

The name is unknown, but fans will likely have a say in the final decision.

“What I’ve been saying all along is you have one chance to get a name and a brand and colors, right,” Cohen told Denver Sports. “So we do want to have a collaborative process with the community at large to make sure that we get the input, we have a chance to have that and really think about it through and really nail it when it’s time to do it.”

What has been the fan reaction thus far?

Former women’s pro soccer player and current broadcaster Jordan Angeli, who is tied in with the team, confirmed during the news conference that the team already has 2,000 deposits for season tickets.

Meanwhile, Johnston is putting the cart way ahead of the horse.

“I will tell you, Rob and Mellody, I already instructed our team at [the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure] to reserve downtown for championship parades in 2027 and 2028,” he joked.

How will the team attract top talent, including the stars of Colorado?

Johnston said Denver would win a three-on-three women’s soccer tournament against any city in the world, and he’s probably right. Three of the 11 starters on this past summer’s Olympic team call 5,280 home. That would be Lindsey Horan, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson.

“What we’re tired of doing here, Commissioner, is girls grow up here, women train here, and they go off to play for other teams,” Polis said to Berman at the event. “We want to make sure we have a place for our home-growing talent to excel at the professional level, and, of course, attract people from across the country and across the world to play here in Denver.”

Cohen said the team’s specialized facility will help get the best players to Colorado.

“The studies show that today facilities are being built and designed still in the shadow of men’s sports as opposed to being built for what the needs are for women,” Cohen said. “We’re spending a lot of time and a lot of money to invest in trying to create that facility, again, that will be unique and different for women — to create a stadium that will be unique and different.”

Denver has hired CAA to help the team kickstart a search for executives and coaches.

Sports Headlines: Latest News & Updates

Deebo Samuel...

Will Petersen

Deebo Samuel thinks Broncos could be special, and he’s available

Bleacher Report dropped a clip that is going to add some fuel to the Deebo Samuel to the Broncos fire; and this came from Samuel himself

2 hours ago

Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos signs autographs after the AFC Wild Card Playoff game ag...

Jake Shapiro

Early Super Bowl LX odds place Broncos exact middle of NFL to win

With Super Bowl LIX behind us, a blowout win for the Philadelphia Eagles, the entire NFL now turns over a new page looking to the 2025 season

7 hours ago

Peyton Manning practices his field goal kicks in preparation of his Fan Dual Kick of Destiny 3 agai...

Jake Shapiro

The 5 Super Bowl commercials Colorado is talking about

Whether you had to run to the restroom or grab another snack from the kitchen, you may have missed some of the best Super Bowl commercials

11 hours ago

Justin Simmons...

Andrew Mason

Justin Simmons shows on social media that he still loves a Chiefs loss

Justin Simmons was having a bit of fun as the Kansas City Chiefs fell in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night.

17 hours ago

Chiefs Patrick Mahomes Super Bowl...

Andrew Mason

How the Chiefs’ Super Bowl humiliation shows the Broncos are closer than you might think

The Eagles showed the Broncos -- and everyone else in the AFC -- how to take down the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

18 hours ago

Bo Nix...

Andrew Mason

Terry Bradshaw explains how Bo Nix surprised even Sean Payton

Bo Nix surprised even Sean Payton, Terry Bradshaw explained as he discussed what he learned from a chat with the Broncos coach about Denver's young QB.

2 days ago

Here’s what you should know about Denver’s newest pro team