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The Denver city council is on board with spending $50 million to help the ownership of the National Women’s Soccer League’s expansion Denver Summit FC franchise to build a stadium. Or is it? That is what the franchise’s majority owner, Rob Cohen, is wondering. Cohen wants to build a 14,500-seat stadium and surrounding entertainment district in an area called the Santa Fe Yards. Cohen said his ownership group will commit $300 million to the project which includes the stadium, which he estimates will cost between $150 to $200 million alone. The 14-acre site is about five miles south of downtown Denver and will include a 3.5-acre park along with mixed-used development. The city’s plan is to spend $50 million for the land and infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area and $20 million for parks, trails and a bridge nearby. But the council has delayed approval and Cohen may look outside of Denver for a home.
In January, the National Women’s Soccer League awarded its 16th franchise to the Denver market. It has been a long road for professional women’s soccer leagues in the United States. The thought in 1999, after the United States Women’s National Team won the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, that it was time to launch a league. It appeared women’s soccer found the right combination of financial support with the establishment of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2001. The WUSA had the 1999 players and solid backing from the cable TV industry, including ESPN, Turner Sports, and PAX Net. The WUSA could not attract an audience to fill the stands or watch games on TV. It folded in 2003. Women’s Professional Soccer started in 2009 and folded in 2012. The NWSL started play in 2013 and has struggled during its existence. The Denver team will start play in 2026.
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