The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Denver Summit FC has officially broken ground on its new permanent stadium at Santa Fe Yards in Denver, Colorado (US) thus marking the beginning of construction on a soccer-specific venue designed around the club and women’s professional soccer.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
‘developingmycity.com’ stated that the groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 1st at the future stadium site near the Interstate 25 and South Broadway.
Flexible Seating Configuration
The new stadium is planned with 12,500 fixed seats with expanded safe-standing areas thus bringing the total venue capacity to approximately 13,000. Populous is designing the stadium with a flexible seating configuration intended to bring the spectators closer to the field along with social and gathering spaces incorporated throughout the venue.
Broader Redevelopment
The stadium site is part of the larger Santa Fe Yards property where the venue is expected to serve as the anchor for a broader redevelopment. The future plans for the surrounding property could eventually include additional residential or office development and a new city park.
The Denver Summit FC is an American professional soccer team based in the Denver Metropolitan area (US) that competes in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It was accepted as an expansion team by the league on January 30th, 2025, and began play in the 2026 season.
The Centennial Stadium is a 12,000-seat temporary home venue for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Denver Summit FC and is located in Colorado (US).
Populous is a global architectural and design practice with regional headquarters in Kansas City (US), London (UK) and Brisbane (Australia) specializing in the sports facilities, the arenas and the convention centers as well as in the planning and design of the major special events.
Land Blessing
‘developingmycity.com’ further stated that the players, the club leadership, the community members, and the project partners gathered on the property for a ceremony that included a land blessing, remarks from the Denver Summit FC President Jen Millet and the Controlling Owner Rob Cohen, a ceremonial groundbreaking and a player discussion with Janine Sonis (full-back for Denver Summit FC) and Eva Gaetino (center back for Denver Summit FC).
Borrowed Venues
A major theme throughout the event was the significance of creating a permanent venue specifically for women’s professional sports. The club leadership spoke about moving beyond playing in the borrowed venues and creating a permanent home designed around the team, its fans and the continued growth of women’s soccer in Denver.
Development Plans
The current site development plans cover approximately 7.77 acres and list roughly 300,752 square feet of gross floor area. The plans also include approximately 2,980 square feet of retail space and show a maximum building height of approximately 91 feet.
Bicycle Infrastructure
Its location also places the stadium near the Broadway Light Rail Station and the existing bicycle infrastructure. Plans for the broader site emphasize pedestrian and bicycle connections between the stadium, the transit, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the South Platte River corridor.
Stadium All-in Cost
The project currently carries an estimated valuation of $120 million in city permit records. That figure represents the valuation associated with the development application and should not necessarily be interpreted as the final all-in cost of the stadium.
With the ceremonial groundbreaking now complete the site and construction work is expected to move forward. Mortenson is leading the construction, with completion of Denver Summit FC’s permanent home currently targeted for the end of 2028.
Mortenson is a US-based top-10 builder, developer and provider of energy and engineering services committed to helping the organizations move their strategies forward. Mortenson’s broad portfolio of integrated services ensures that its customers’ investments result in high-performing assets. The result is a turnkey partner fully invested in the business success of its customers.
Home Schedule
Until then the club is expected to continue playing at its temporary stadium in Centennial, including the 2027 season, and the majority of its 2028 regular-season home schedule.
Planned Stadium Site
The groundbreaking represents the transition of the Santa Fe Yards from a planned stadium site into an active development project thus beginning the process of creating a permanent Denver home for the Denver Summit FC and the women’s professional soccer.
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