More of the beautiful game at a Mile High - the NWSL comes to Colorado

On an evening when the Broncos, Nuggets, and Avalanche are all playing simultaneously, It can scramble a writer’s brain with all the choosy choices there are to choose?

Maybe none of those stories more interesting than the exceptional news out last Tuesday that has Denver as the likely recipient of the National Women’s Soccer League’s latest franchise. With 14 teams already on the pitch, and another slated for Boston in 2026, the (theoretical) Denver club also stands a strong chance of playing in that 2026 season. Even more exciting, the choice happens as the league is showing signs of growing importance, especially when it comes to that all-important metric, the dollar.

The entry fee for this franchise will nearly double the fees of the two that entered before it, landing north of 100 million for enrty, and that’s got a lot to do with the eyeballs the NWSL is starting to pull. With most of the more-famous names of the recent Gold Medal-winning US Olympics squad playing in the league – including Coloradans Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith – women’s soccer continues to draw a larger and larger fan base. With that comes new sponsors and advertisers, along with attractive new possibilities for the players themselves in terms of endorsements and deals.

While there are still i’s to be dotted, etc, the group that has been actively pursuing bringing Women’s soccer to Denver doesn’t intend to piggyback on the Rapids arena, as so many other NWSL squads do. Instead, their initial proposals call for a new soccer-centric arena, rumored to land within the National Western Stock Show complex, possibly further updating the corridor that keeps stretching north of RiNo.

Soccer’s fanbase still lags decidely behind the big four in the US, with women’s sports typically drawing even less eyes and hearts. But even if the beautiful game is not your sport of choice, this should still matter to the denizens of Denver. Even to the citizens of Colorado. Alongside clubs the Rapids, the Mammoth, the Barbarians, the Raptors, and even minor league clubs like the Colorado Eagles, alongside so many major college programs and other clubs, this arrival broadens the base of sport in our state. Gives one more point of entry for another kid to become a fan and consider sports themselves. It makes Colorado about as diverse a state when it comes to sports as any of the 50.

And women’s soccer absolutely does end up drawing that interest. Ever since Brandi Chastain’s penalty kick capped an emotional and victorious World Cup for Team USA a quarter century ago, the ladies have often kept a more passionate and stolid fanbase than the men’s game. The recent Olympic gold medal match against Brazil drew over 10 million viewers. Having a sport so popular amongst us only drives good things for Colorado as well.

Though the NWSL is rumored to have more clubs not far behind when it comes to expansion, it will be extra sweet to be the sweet 16th club to join the fray, including all the easy division that gives the league in terms of conferences and divisions. Hoping the club, whatever it is called, is competitive quickly. Welcome to Colorado, NWSL. We are absolutely crazy for our sports around here.