Mile High Welcome: NWSL awards 16th franchise to Denver

DENVER — Two years ago when the promising “For Denver FC” dream launched ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Lakewood’s Jordan Angeli told local media her ‘why’: To make sure the many Coloradans playing in the National Women’s Soccer League could suit up in front of their friends, family and coaches at home, in Denver.

On Thursday, her why became reality after the NWSL awarded its 16th franchise to Denver and the goal is to kickoff in 2026. What was once a grassroots effort led in part by Angeli, Ben Hubbard, Nicole Glaros and Tom Dunmore, turned into an accepted bid with the largest-ever expansion fee paid in NWSL history at $110 million.

Denver finally shed the moniker of being the largest American city without a women’s professional sports team, but it didn’t come without some serious backing power.

Robert Cohen, the Chairman and CEO of IMA Financial Group and founder of the Denver Sports Commission was named as the controlling owner. The ownership group also Project Level, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments which includes Mellody Hobson (who will be the alternate governor & is a minority investor in the Denver Broncos); Jason Wright (former president of the Washington Commanders).

There’s also a host of minority backers including FirstTrack Sports, led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz from the famed Colorado ski family, Neelima Joshi and Dhiren Jhaveri and Molly Coors of the Coors Brewing family.

Paying to play now will prove invaluable in the future

Considering that amount of firepower, and that amount of money just to get into the door, it shows just how popular and steady the NWSL has become. The new TV deal is worth $240 million. The average salary has blossomed in part because of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Attendance averaged 11,000.

Still, in order to capitalize on the momentum, the group still has to cobble together the dough to privately finance a purpose-built soccer specific stadium, a training facility and assemble a world-class team.

On Thursday, the words relayed to the press: We’ll be happy to fork it over.

“One of the things we thought about when we were doing the math was ‘yes, this (expansion fee) is by the standards of what we’ve seen recently, it’s a lot more,” Hobson said. Thursday at Number 38 in RiNo. “However, it’s a fraction of the most valuable team in men’s sports. That says a lot about the value that can be created. We’re convinced a decade or two from now, we are so glad we are in on these teams. This will seem like the best bargain price that you can possibly imagine. We are happy to pay to play in this situation, because we think it is a downpayment on future returns and great gains.”

Cohen said the group was finalizing locations for a temporary and permanent stadium and training facility, which should be known “within a number of weeks.” Mayor Mike Johnston added that the stadium would be in the County and City of Denver, with an emphasis on a neighborhood feel with walkability and bike-ability in mind.

From grassroots to gosh, it’s really happening

Back to Angeli, though. The grassroots effort which started two years ago came about because the former NWSL’er was tired of her home city representing the sport at the biggest stages of the game, but had nowhere to play at the professional level in Colorado.

“I think my biggest driving point, and I will say this over and over again, is: There’s something special about playing in front of the people who brought you to where you are, and I never got to do that,” Angeli said in July 2023 on the day For Denver FC publicly launched. “Lindsey talks about it, Mal talks about it, any pro player will talk about playing in front of their friends, family and club coaches, everybody. I didn’t get to experience that. Everybody I’ve talked to, that spark goes off in their mind: ‘Wow, I get to play in front of my family, I get to invite everybody I know come to watch me play.’ That is my why. That’s why I am driven to do this. I didn’t get to experience that, and I don’t want that to go, I don’t want any other players to have to not get that opportunity.”

The organic nature of For Denver FC watch parties was a smashing success. There was a tireless communal effort to get those interested in women’s soccer to come out again and again to watch parties for the USWNT and NWSL games at bars across the Front Range. It showed up within Day 1 of launch. By end-of-day Thursday, over 2,000 season ticket deposits have already been entered. Add those figures on top of the 15 Coloradans on active NWSL rosters, including some of the biggest names in world soccer at the moment? It went from grassroots to gold overnight.

For those players like Angeli who were apart of the original NWSL, and the countless players who played in precursor leagues or overseas because the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd was not possible, Thursday really was a watershed moment for the sport.

At 2:22 p.m., Commissioner Berman handed the ball over to Cohen and the launch became complete. But first, she couldn’t help but comment on how strong the bid was.

“You see the fabric of what makes a city uniquely that city, and this city is incredible,” Berman said. “… I’ll also just give a shoutout to the literally thousands of postcards I was sent, thousands, by the girls of this community who play soccer and want to aspire to play professionally. They deserve it.”

What’s next?

Cohen said the search for a General Manager will begin Friday. There’s a ton to do in the span of a year, including building out the technical staff, front office and start to evaluate what a potential roster would look like, in addition to building out the physical infrastructure of the club.

The other important thing to remember throughout all of this, something Angeli preached again and again until it became true to its core: “Denver is a soccer city.” Thursday officially cemented it.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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