The new women’s soccer team that said earlier this year it would make Denver its home is threatening to move elsewhere if city officials don’t approve its plans — and a $50 million contribution from the city — soon.
Officials with Denver Summit FC, which is led by majority owner Rob Cohen after the group landed a National Women’s Soccer League expansion franchise, have said the team must build a stadium ready for play by 2028. In March, Cohen said the location for that stadium would be the Santa Fe Yards site in Denver’s Baker neighborhood.
Now, team leaders say that plan is under stress because of delays from the Denver City Council. Last week, a council committee postponed four items related to the stadium, saying there was a lack of detail in the city’s financial agreement with the team.
“Given the challenges we have faced in the Denver City Council process, we are currently pursuing a parallel path regarding the stadium site and engaging with other jurisdictions outside Denver,” said team spokesman Brendan Hannan.
But the council committee members say they’re doing their job of ensuring the deal is a good use of taxpayer dollars.
“Denver wants this team here … but Denver cannot be pressured into rushing through an agreement worth millions of dollars without a finished community benefits agreement, completed infrastructure planning and transparent financial terms,” said Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez, who represents Baker.
Council President Amanda Sandoval, who asked the bulk of the questions during the committee meeting on Wednesday, said she would not sign off on incomplete documents.
“Fifty million dollars is a lot,” she said. “I want to know exactly where the money is going.”
Denver officials have said the city will invest up to $70 million in the project. It would purchase the land where the stadium would be built and make improvements to the surrounding area with those dollars. The committee considered an initial $50 million allocation during the committee meeting last week.
Sandoval said it’s still possible for the council to approve all the necessary items before the end of the year but that she hasn’t received any answers to the questions she asked. The committee approved a proposed rezoning for the land and it will have a public hearing Dec. 15.
In a statement, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Johnston — who has spearheaded the efforts to bring the women’s soccer team to Denver — said he was working with all parties to reach an agreement.
“Losing this team would be devastating for the thousands of people who have already fallen in love with this franchise and the small businesses who are counting on the boost it will bring,” according to the statement from Jon Ewing.
The team announced in September that it reached 15,000 season ticket deposits for its inaugural 2026 season. The Summit FC plans to play at a temporary stadium in Centennial until its permanent home is built.
Hannan said the team would not make public which other cities it is negotiating with for a possible permanent stadium.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Staff writer Kyle Newman contributed to this story.
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