The National Women’s Soccer League is expanding to Denver, with the league announcing its 16th franchise earlier this year. One of three finalists, alongside Cleveland and Cincinnati in Ohio, it’s the sixth time that the NWSL has chosen an expansion team west of the Mississippi in the last four years.
“There's so many reasons that this is a great expansion team,” Jordan Angeli, a NWSL broadcaster and ambassador for the club, told INDIVISA. “I think when you look at the bigger picture of NWSL geographically, Denver is in an amazing space. It is in the middle of the country… So geographically, I feel like it really fits nicely into the landscape of the country. But, most importantly, it's the right place because it is a city that is ready to have a women's sports team. We have a really good team in every other league, and we don't have a women's professional team."
The club got some local celebrity boost this week when NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning joined the ownership group. Manning, who won five NFL MVP awards, won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos and has remained active in the Colorado community since his retirement. The exact investment is unknown, but the ownership group spent $110 million for the rights to an expansion franchise.
Manning joins other high-profile investors, including skier Mikaela Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic Champion, eight-time World Champion, and five-time Overall World Cup champion.
And with record early ticket sales and plans for a women's soccer-specific stadium on the path toward approval, the expansion franchise is already gaining momentum, a year before it begins play.
INDIVISA breaks down three reasons why Denver is the perfect expansion choice.