Dear Denver City Council: Don’t Block Our Shot!

As a female youth soccer player for more than ten years on various recreational, competitive and school teams here in Denver, I’ve dreamed of having a women’s professional soccer team in my hometown. In January 2025, the National Women’s Soccer League announced the expansion franchise that would soon become known as Denver Summit FC. In March, the owners of Denver Summit FC, representatives from the NWSL, Mayor Mike Johnston and members of Denver City Council used my school, the Girls Athletic Leadership School of Denver, as a backdrop to unveil their design plans for a permanent stadium at Santa Fe Yards in Denver. I couldn’t believe that we — Denver female athletes — were really going to have a professional sports team to root for in our own city.

Now, all of that energy and progress needs one more thing to become real: a YES vote from Denver City Council. The decision before them is an opportunity to move women’s sports forward in our city and show young athletes like me that our dreams matter.

The team owners have already shown their commitment to Denver, joining community events like this year’s Parade of Lights, hosting a food drive and NWSL watch party, and engaging directly with local families and fans. Through these community events and the simple existence of an NWSL team, there is a ton of excitement. Plans for the inaugural season are in full swing, with the home opener taking place at Empower Field on March 28, 2026. There is a waitlist for season tickets after selling out the initial 8,500 the team had planned for. Construction of the team’s training facility, which will include a 12,000-seat temporary stadium, has started in Centennial (this stadium will be downsized after the Summit’s 2027 season and be used by Cherry Creek Schools). To me, it seems like the team owners are doing all the right things to be an integral part of our community.

A YES vote would also send a powerful message to young female athletes across Denver — that we matter, and that our city believes in women’s sports. We have a unique opportunity to be one of only a handful of cities with an NWSL team. Building a permanent stadium in the City of Denver matters not only to women’s sports, but also to the girls around the city who want to have a place to go and watch their athletic heroes, just like the boys already get to do for literally every sport that they play. We’re just asking for one! By debating whether or not to invest city funding to support building infrastructure around the new stadium – a discussion that rarely (if ever) happens with stadiums for men’s sports – Denver City Council is sending a message to girls that we don’t matter as much as the boys. While I’ve heard that all the councilmembers believe that uplifting women’s sports in Denver is important, actions speak louder than words: Now is the moment to show it by voting YES.

From what I understand, Denver Summit FC will pay for the stadium, but city funding is needed to build infrastructure around the stadium, such as pedestrian access, area development and green spaces. This funding is essential in helping to create a safe and beautiful area surrounding the stadium. This past week, Denver City Council’s South Platte Committee moved forward proposals to purchase and improve the land or a full council vote that will take place later in December. Council should vote YES. Investing in this project isn’t just about giving money to a soccer team to get what they want. It is about investing in the citizens of Denver, community programs and businesses of District 7. Investing in all of us.

Big civic projects like building stadiums require teamwork. Just like in soccer, everyone has to know their role and commit to doing their best to put together passes that score the goal or win the game. Denver, it is our turn to step up and take the shot. We, the young female athletes of Denver, need you to advocate with us. Call upon your councilmembers to vote YES to approve the rezoning and city funding needed to support the Denver Summit FC stadium in Santa Fe Yards. Encourage them to be the elected officials who make history by investing in the first women’s sports stadium in Denver.

Each day that passes puts this goal at risk. Let’s make it loud and clear that we want Denver City Council to assist in this goal and not block our shot!