Denver Summit FC Receives Approval for Stadium Project at Santa Fe Yards

Denver Summit FC received approval from Denver City Council to move forward with the club’s proposed purpose-built stadium for professional women’s soccer at Santa Fe Yards today. With Denver City Council voting the measure through, the club will proceed with building a new stadium in Denver’s urban core in advance of the 2028 NWSL season. 

“Denver Summit FC is extremely pleased with Denver City Council’s vote to approve the Santa Fe Yards Stadium project,” said Summit FC controlling owner Rob Cohen. “We are excited to continue to take the next steps in building a purpose-built, soccer-specific stadium in Denver’s urban core for our community, our athletes, and our supporters. We greatly appreciate the support and collaboration from the Denver Community, Denver City Council, WENU, the Mayor’s Office, local businesses and our fans and supporters. We look forward to building a stadium that will provide a positive impact on our community for generations to come.” 

Denver Summit FC plans to build a state-of-the-art, 14,500-seat stadium at Sante Fe Yards (Broadway and I-25) in the heart of Denver, Colo. Santa Fe Yards will be the first purpose-built sports and entertainment district built for professional women’s sports in Colorado. Santa Fe Yards, the Denver Summit FC stadium and recreational district, designed in collaboration with Populous, is expected to open in the spring of 2028. 

“This is a monumental day for South Broadway, for women’s soccer and for women’s sports, and for Denver as a whole,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. “I am grateful to Councilmembers for their thorough review of this project and their partnership on this transformational project, to Rob Cohen, Jen Millet, and the entire Denver Summit team, and most especially to businesses and neighbors near the stadium, who saw an incredible opportunity and fought to ensure their community would be included in it. Let’s go!”

The 14-acre redevelopment at Santa Fe Yards will feature a purpose-built professional women’s soccer stadium, a 3.5-acre recreational park, and future mixed-use development in the heart of Denver. The stadium will be constructed with the ability to expand in the future to host larger crowds and marquee events. Denver Summit FC will transform a site that has for decades sat dormant and undeveloped to create a world-class sports and entertainment district featuring pedestrian and bike connections, in addition to close proximity to public transportation. 

This design reimagines the relationship between elite athleticism and community recreation, suggesting that inspiration flows in both directions. This integration of professional athletics with publicly accessible parks and everyday open space recreation spaces may reshape how young people envision athletic achievement—when excellence is visibly embedded in the community, aspiration becomes more tangible. The stadium complex stands as a physical manifestation of the idea that women's sports deserve not just equal facilities but equal integration into our community identity.

Last Monday, Summit FC and West East Neighborhoods United (WENU) announced a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) around the club’s proposed purpose-built stadium project at Santa Fe Yards. The CBA will bring over $7M in benefits to the surrounding community over the next 10 years. The Denver Summit - WENU CBA focuses on social equity, sustainability, transportation, business and labor, and art, history, and culture.