Photo by Danielle Lirette
Audio By Carbonatix
Friday’s kickoff isn’t just the Premier League’s — it’s Denver’s — as Arsenal fans get ready to stake their claim on a city more accustomed to broncos than cannons.
The city will be buzzing with white and red on Aug. 21 as England’s largest professional soccer league starts with a grudge match between Aston Villa and Arsenal. But the celebration is more than just the start of the new season; it’s the national recognition of a fan base that has stretched from beyond the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of Colorado.
The Premier League is launching its “Coast to Coast” event this weekend, selecting 15 cities across the United States to host fan bases for the 20 teams in the competition. The North London team will host its first game celebration at Denver’s McGregor Square.
Along with the league-sponsored event, the Daniels & Fisher Clocktower will be lit in red and white to celebrate Arsenal’s takeover starting Aug. 20.
To those who only focus on Denver-based teams — like those pesky Broncos — the international attention may come as a bit of a surprise. But to those in the know, the city’s deep roots in Gunner culture are not shocking.
“It’s pretty spectacular for us,” says Wadi Muhaisen, organizer for the Denver Gooners, the city’s official Arsenal America chapter.
Event details
The celebration marks both the start of the 2026-2027 season and the triumphant victory of the year prior. Back in May, the Gunners won their first Premier League trophy in 22 years after leading the table with 85 points. Manchester City, Arsenal’s biggest rival over the last decade after winning four straight trophies, fell second with just 78 points.
To commemorate the fresh start in 2026 and jubilant win last season, the Daniels & Fisher Clocktower at 1601 Arapahoe Street will light up at 6 p.m. Aug. 20 and run red until 6 a.m. Aug. 21.
Then, the party will move over to McGregor’s Square at noon with a free event including “special” guests, games, singalongs and a photo opportunity with the actual Premier League Trophy, according to the McGregor’s Square website.
The guest will be an “Arsenal legend who is still mysterious,” Muhaisen laughs.
The game will start at 1 p.m. on the massive televisions in the area, giving Denver fans the chance to cheer on the reigning champs.
After the final whistle, the celebration will move over to the Celtic on Market — the home base of the Denver Gooners fan group.
“We anticipate a pretty large turnout,” Muhaisen said, adding that during the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain back in May, the Celtic and two other nearby bars were at capacity.
Local ties
The Denver Gooners have been cheering on the North London team since 2006.
The group is no joke, packing out the Celtic for every single Arsenal game. The dedicated fanbase even stumbles into the pub for games starting before sunrise, creating an atmosphere filled with tension, kinship and welcoming leaders no matter what time of day.
It’s not uncommon for Celtic employees to be waiting at the entrance on weekend mornings, turning away eager fans due to pushing capacity.
Muhaisen took over as head of the group in 2019 when the league started to gain popularity in the States. He says things have “just exploded. Every year since then our membership has just grown leaps and bounds.”
“The Premier League is getting a lot more popular, and the demographics of people who move to Denver are younger sports fans,” he continues.
The organization has taken notice of fandom, putting the group’s banner on the walls of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and sending the Stateside party their way this week. The roots go even deeper, though.
Stan Kroenke first purchased a stake in the team in 2007. He later bought 100% of the team in 2018 under Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. His son, Josh Kroenke, serves as the club’s on-site director in London as well.
Yes, that Kroenke. The one who owns the Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets.
Arsenal’s ties to Denver sports have brought increased fandom and a Colorado-based spotlight, including Arsenal’s 2019 match against the Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the national event on Friday.
“The presence of KSE and the Colorado Rapids makes Arsenal feel like our home team, so it’s not surprising for it to be standing room only on match days,” Denver Gooner Ben Donnelly told Arsenal.com back in 2017.
Muhaisen says that the Premier League did not mention the Kroenke connection when reaching out to the group about Friday’s event, but you can “read the tea leaves.”
Fandom and soccer fervor in the city have only grown over the past decade. The National Women’s Soccer League’s new Denver team set the league’s single-game attendance record at its first home game back in March when 63,004 fans showed up at Empower Field at Mile High to watch the new Denver Summit FC take on the Washington Spirit.
Around a month later, the Colorado Rapids’ match against Miami CF at Empower broke the city’s soccer attendance record with 75,824 people. It was also the second-highest single-game attendance in MLS history. Most of this was due to the appearance of the legendary Lionel Messi, though, to be fair.
It’s not just local soccer, though. RiNo bar Number 38 was named the top bar in the country visited by Lyft drivers for riders watching the World Cup soccer tournament in June.
