DENVER — The City of Denver and its expansion National Women's Soccer League franchise have unveiled plans for a stadium that the groups are calling the largest-ever investment in a women's pro sports team.
Officials on Tuesday unveiled plans for a 14,500-seat stadium in the area of Broadway and Interstate 25, known as Santa Fe Yards, a location the city has been eyeing for a mixed-use development near the light rail station.
"It's a deeply under-invested in area, and I'm hoping that it will also create more investment around the district, whether it's mobility... updating our parks," said Denver City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez for District 7, where the stadium will be built.
The stadium is expected to open in the spring of 2028. The NWSL club will release plans for a temporary stadium that will serve the team in the interim at a later time.
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to leverage this massive private investment to revitalize and transform Santa Fe Yards into a new hub of thriving community activity, a place for outdoor recreation, restaurants, retail, and for building connections with our community,” said Rob Cohen, the controlling owner of the yet-to-be-named club.
The announcement for the stadium made its way along South Broadway to Kerry O'Brien, the owner of Bar 404.
"When a stadium comes along like this, other things come as well... apartments, maybe more restaurants and bars," said O'Brien.
O'Brien and other nearby business owners told Denver7 they are excited about the business boost and planning head.
"Maybe there will be some sort of, say, rapid transit bus or specific bus that takes you from the heart of South Broadway to here," said Adam Hodak, owner of the L.
Both Hodak and O'Brien, however, brought up concerns about parking.
"People are going to do what they already do when they go to Ball Arena, when they go to Empower Field, they're going to drive," said Hodak.
Alvidrez doesn't believe parking will be an issue with the stadium's proximity to public transit.
"People will take the light rail from all different directions. Various lines all meet up at the Broadway station," Alvidrez said.
Alvidrez told Denver7 that the Santa Fe Yards area has always lacked connection. She thinks this project will create that connection not only between businesses but within the community.
"Soccer is like such a special thing. It crosses cultural barriers. It crosses language. So it's really a special opportunity to unite a diverse district," she said.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Tuesday that the stadium will be a linchpin for the development at Santa Fe Yards.
“This project at Santa Fe Yards will transform an underutilized eyesore into a recreational and economic hub where memories are made, culture is built, and championships are won,” Johnston said.
- Watch the full announcement in the video player below
Interested fans can put a deposit down on season tickets for the Denver NWSL club here. More than 5,200 people already claimed their spots at the beginning of February.
The Denver NWSL franchise marks the first women's professional sports team in a major national league to call Denver home. Part of the reason NWSL chose Denver was because of For Denver FC, which is a grassroots movement to bring a professional women's soccer team to Colorado.
Before Denver, NWSL made Boston the 15th franchise. Denver beat out Cleveland and Cincinnati for the 16th team spot. In mid-December, Sportico reported that the NWSL had entered negotiations with Denver. By the end of January, the official announcement was made, naming Denver as home of the NWSL's newest team.
Related coverage:
- More than 5K people put down deposit as season ticketholders for new Denver NWSL, breaking previous record
- Denver group lands NWSL team for record $110M expansion fee, Sportico reports
- Denver officially chosen as home for new National Women's Soccer League team, set to start playing next year
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