2 months ago
On Saturday successful Denver, nan NWSL group a caller single-game attendance grounds for nan 2nd clip successful little than a year. This time, it was nan league’s 16th franchise, Denver Summit, who did nan honors successful their first location game, hosting 63,004 fans astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High Stadium (home to nan Denver Broncos). The league’s caller milestone eclipses nan erstwhile grounds by astir 23,000 fans.
Denver’s introduction into nan NWSL has been a fast-paced and eager whirlwind. They were officially announced arsenic nan league’s 16th squad successful January 2025. Three days later, they became nan fastest description franchise to waste 5,000 play tickets, pinch 5,280 sold successful 3 days. They went connected to waste retired their 8,500 season-ticket allotment successful short order, adding thousands to a waitlist.
While riding a activity of pre-existing momentum – enthusiastic section supporters lobbied for a nine successful Denver successful beforehand of Summit’s presence – Denver’s eager beforehand office, including nan controlling owner, Rob Cohen, and nan president, Jen Millet, gambled large connected hosting their first location crippled successful a 76,125 capacity stadium. By November, they had sold 25,000 tickets, still months successful beforehand of nan arena they branded “The Kickoff”.
In February, nan squad announced 45,000 tickets sold, capable to break nan erstwhile NWSL single-game attendance grounds of 40,091 group by Bay FC past August. With that, they opened nan precocious vessel and began trading tickets for $20.
While nan convention promoted Denver’s looming grounds and nan nine aimed higher, Denver’s official supporters group, dubbed nan “14ers” arsenic an ode to Colorado’s 14,000ft mountaintops, helped out. Emily Walsh, organization liaison for nan 14ers, told me: “Many of our members were actively recruiting group to be nan crippled correct up until nan time before. For instance, our serviceman of costs was flying backmost to Colorado connected Friday nighttime and convinced astatine slightest 7 group connected her formation to be nan game. We confirmed that they bought tickets and everything.”
According to Walsh and nan 14ers president, Megan Hart, for Denver’s first 3 games (all roadworthy games), they “were retired astatine various venues crossed nan authorities … trying to drum up liking and a spot for folks to link and get energized astir nan location opener”.
The 14ers held a tailgate connected gameday pinch complete 1,000 attenders, which they called a item of their day, noting tailgaters ranged from young girls to older couples, including 1 brace that regularly drives down from Vail (which is almost 100 miles away) and shared their fond memories of erstwhile Title IX passed. “The cross-generational joyousness was evident.”
Saturday’s lucifer against nan Washington Spirit vanished 0-0, but that did small to diminish nan time for fans aliases players – galore of whom noted nan unsocial acquisition of playing successful beforehand of a crowd that size. Walsh called nan ambiance “electric”, praising a lucifer that featured “three really adjacent calls for america – an awesome cross, a adjacent miss, and a beautiful group piece”.
NWSL has group and surgery a number of attendance records successful nan past fewer years, pinch nan apical 10 highest single-game attendance records each group since 2022. Notably, nan 3 astir caller attendance records were each group wrong non-NWSL stadiums. The 2 erstwhile to Denver’s were Bay FC’s 40,091 astatine Oracle Park (home of MLB’s San Francisco Giants), preceded by Chicago Stars’ 30,058 astatine Wrigley Field (home of nan Chicago Cubs).
The NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said: “Breaking our ain grounds again, and doing it successful specified a short window, shows that this is not a moment, it’s sustained momentum.”
With NWSL eager not only to break records, but raise attendances crossed nan league, Berman noted: “You really spot a rising tide effect successful moments for illustration this. When 1 nine sets a caller standard, it creates power and belief crossed nan full league. It gets group successful different markets reasoning bigger, it drives much liking and attention, and it reinforces that location is existent request for this merchandise nationwide.”
She added: “What Denver showed is what is imaginable erstwhile you harvester beardown section ownership, intentional organization engagement, and a clear knowing of really to move a lucifer into a must-attend event. They met nan infinitesimal pinch ambition, from really they marketed nan game, to really they showed up crossed nan city, to creating an acquisition that felt bigger than conscionable 90 minutes connected nan pitch.”
Denver were linked this week pinch a imaginable move for Sam Kerr, though nan Chelsea striker played down speculation connected societal media. The squad proceed their inaugural play astatine Dick Sporting Goods Park (capacity approx 18,000) earlier moving to 12,000 spot Centennial Stadium. Later this year, they dream to statesman building for their eventual location stadium successful Santa Fe Yards, which they scheme to unveil by 2028.
With play tickets sold retired and instrumentality liking evident acold beyond, there’s logic to judge they’ll support a patient attendance. Of course, on-field results will matter. Denver are successful eighth-place of nan standings aft 4 games pinch 1 win, 2 draws and a loss. Three of those games were against 2025 playoff contenders. And pinch nan reigning champions (who they hit 2-0), past year’s runner-up, and past year’s Shield winners each sitting beneath them, they’re disconnected to a decent start.
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