 | |
| Stadium |
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|---|---|
| Owner(s) | |
| Head coach | Nick Cushing |
| League | National Women's Soccer League |
| Website | denversummitfc |
TheDenver Summit FC is a future American professionalsoccer team based in theDenver metropolitan area, that will compete in theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) starting in 2026. It was accepted as anexpansion team on January 30, 2025.
In July 2023, an investment group called For Denver FC, led by former soccer playerJordan Angeli, sports executive Tom Dunmore, and insurance executive Ben Hubbard, announced their plans to bid for a franchise in the NWSL orUSL Super League.[1] They were joined by IMA Financial Group CEORobert Cohen and venture capitalist Nicole Glaros.[2] Other members of the ownership group includedMellody Hobson andJason Wright ofAriel Investments.[3] For Denver FC had been founded in 2022 as agrassroots group and organized outreach events, including watch parties for theUnited States women's national team during the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[4] In November 2024, the NWSL announced that Denver was one of three finalists, alongsideCincinnati andCleveland, to become the league's 16th team which would begin play in 2026.[5]
Denver was officially awarded the expansion bid by NWSL on January 30, 2025, and will join as the league's 16th team in the 2026 season.[6] The ownership group, led by finance executive Rob Cohen, was reported by media outlets to have paid a league-record expansion fee of $110 million.[7][8]
They are the first professional women's sports team in Colorado since theColorado Xplosion of theAmerican Basketball League folded in 1998.[4]
On February 19, 2025, the ownership announced that the fans of the then-unnamed team would vote on the team's name with the following six names under consideration: Denver Peak FC, Colorado 14ers FC, Colorado Summit FC, Denver Elevate FC, Denver FC, and Denver Gold FC.[9] On July 22, the team's ownership announced Denver Summit FC as the team's name.[10]
On May 6, 2025, alpine skier andVail nativeMikaela Shiffrin joined the team's ownership group.[11] On June 3, 2025, Pro Football Hall of Fame and formerDenver Broncos quarterbackPeyton Manning also joined the ownership group.[12]
On July 22, 2025, the team ownership unveiled the team's name, crest, and secondary logos. The crest features a red sky and yellow sun, emblematic of Colorado's sunsets and red rock formations, and green mountains angled at 26º to commemorate the year 2026, the inaugural year for the team.[13][14][15] Secondary logos include one featuring "5280" (Denver's elevation above sea level) and the letter "D."[16] The crest and secondary logos were designed byMatthew Wolff who had created logos for numerous other NWSL teams.[16]
The team plans to build its own 14,500-seatsoccer-specific stadium at Santa Fe Yards in Denver'sBaker neighborhood, which would be completed in 2028.[17][18]
In March 2025, the team announced plans to build a temporary stadium at Potomac Street and Fremont Avenue inCentennial that would be used for their first two seasons.[19] It would have 12,000 seats for use by the NWSL team before it is downsized into a 4,000-seat venue for school sports.[20] The stadium would be on the grounds of the permanent training facilities in Centennial, which are planned to include eight soccer fields on 43 acres (17 ha), with $25 million in financing primarily provided by theCherry Creek School District.[21][20] The training center would be adjacent to the team headquarters and training facilities of theDenver Broncos. The home of theColorado Rapids,Dick's Sporting Goods Park inCommerce City, was ruled out of serious consideration early in the process.[4]
In November, 2025, the team announced they are considering alternative locations for the stadium outside of the city of Denver amid delays in the approval of the stadium's public funding.[22]
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | DF |  USA | Kaleigh Kurtz |
| — | DF |  CAN | Megan Reid |
| — | FW | USA | Ally Watt |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | MF |  MEX | Lourdes Bosch(on loan toMonterrey) |
| — | FW |  ESP | Nahikari García(on loan toNottingham Forest) |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Nick Cushing |
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