For Denver FC’s grassroots movement to rally the city around a bid for an NWSL paid off this month, when the league awarded Denver its 16th team, set to begin play in 2026.
U.S. National Team forward Mallory Swanson celebrates after scoring a goal against South Korea National team goalkeeper Kim Jung-Mi during a friendly at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on June 1, 2024, in Commerce City, Colorado. The plan to bring a National Women’s Soccer League team to Colorado began with a 10-year-old girl demanding answers.
That grassroots movement to rally the city around a bid for an NWSL franchise paid off this month when the league awarded Denver its 16th team. The to-be-named franchise will begin play in 2026 under controlling owner Robert Cohen with a new stadium in the Denver metro expected to soon follow. Denver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee Chair Robert Cohen speaks during a meeting on a possible 2030 Winter Olympics bid on Feb. 22, 2018, in Denver.
“For several years , For Denver FC had already woven themselves into that fabric into the community, and they have ambassadors across the state that are engaging with all the youth programs as well as the youth teams that exist,” Cohen said. “That separated us in the expansion bid process.” For Denver FC’s first event was a watch party of the USWNT’s World Cup opener at Number 38, where over 1,500 people showed up and maxed out the bar’s capacity. USWNT star and Golden native Lindsay Horan appeared in a promotional video for the event calling for the NWSL to come to Denver.
When Berman came to Denver for an NWSL site visit last September, For Denver FC presented her with a basket filled with those postcards. Ultimately, Cohen says the plan is to have a training facility that is a separate location from the new stadium. Cohen was tight-lipped about where the stadium will be, citing ongoing negotiations, but Denver mayor Mike Johnston said the team is considering a few sites around Denver.
“At the end of the day, what’s going to be key for this team is where they put the stadium,” Sanchez said. “There’s got to be stuff around it, and it’s got to be an event. If you put it in the right spot, it’ll become a thing to do and it will draw who don’t want to go to Avs, Broncos or Nuggets games and spend a fortune.”
There are currently 15 Colorado players on NWSL rosters, including USWNT members Mallory Swanson, Ryan Williams, Sophia Smith and Jaelin Howell. Janine Sonis is a Canadian national team player, while Horan plays for Lyon in the Première Ligue. “The more the new team is willing to work with the local clubs and provide those opportunities to be a part of it, not just in games but in trainings and the educational piece, the more we will see a huge impact and importance to this girls soccer community in Colorado,” Carroll said.
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