Denver Summit FC to break ground on new 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards

Denver Summit FC is putting shovels in the ground — ceremonially, at least — for what is planned to become the first permanent home for the city’s new professional women’s soccer team.

The club will break ground Thursday morning on a 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards, a 14-acre site near Interstate 25 and Santa Fe Drive. Actual construction is expected to begin soon, because apparently even stadiums need a pregame ceremony before the real work starts.

The project is being designed by Populous, the global architecture firm behind a long list of major sports venues. Summit FC announced in March that it had acquired the Santa Fe Yards property, setting up what the club hopes will become more than just a stadium.

The team has described the site as a future recreational district centered on professional women’s soccer, with the larger redevelopment envisioned as transit-oriented — a logical pitch for a property sitting near major roads and rail access in one of Denver’s most closely watched redevelopment corridors.

“This has been a long time coming for South Broadway,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. “This moment belongs to the Denver Summit fans and leadership team and could not have happened without every neighbor and business owner who believed in this dream from day one. I can’t wait to see you all this Saturday at Empower Field, and I can’t wait for our first game at Santa Fe Yards.”

The stadium timeline has been one of the biggest questions surrounding the club. Summit FC’s franchise agreement with the National Women’s Soccer League requires the team to debut the stadium in the 2028 NWSL season, team President Jen Millet previously said, according to the Denver Business Journal.

But after delays tied to Denver City Council votes and the land acquisition process — because in Denver, even joy needs a zoning calendar — the stadium opening could slide closer to the start of the 2029 season.

The groundbreaking marks a major step for Summit FC and for Denver’s growing women’s sports scene. The club’s future home would give the team a purpose-built venue instead of a shared stadium setup, a significant move for a league that has been rapidly expanding its footprint, fan base and expectations.

For now, fans will have to wait a little longer before they can pack into Santa Fe Yards. But Thursday’s groundbreaking makes the plan feel a lot less theoretical and a lot more like something Denver soccer fans can start pointing at from I-25.