DENVER — Fans were filled with excitement in McGregor Square Saturday, but not for the usual Mile High professional teams, but rather for the new identity of Colorado's first women's professional soccer club, Denver Summit FC.
This past week, Denver7 covered the buzz surrounding the newly named Denver women's professional soccer team on Tuesday and the ways fans could join in on the fun, including a brand launch block party that happened Saturday.
"McGregor Square is an amazing place for hosting events, but we really wanted to do it in Denver, in a space where we could gather, and this was a perfect spot to do that," Jen Millet, Denver Summit FC president, said.
Fans of all ages could be seen proudly wearing the new merchandise and fully embracing the new crest, along with the team name.
"I think that it really shows that women's sports are for sports fans of every age, gender, and ethnicity. For a long time, people thought it was just for women to watch, and really, that sort of myth has been broken. We're really just such an inclusive environment, and fans of all ages love this sport," Millet said.
Scoring merchandise seemed to be top of mind for many, as several items are already sold out online. Taryn Pennington said at one point the swag line went all the way toward Coors Field.
Pennington came back when there was less of a crowd, still waiting in line for about 45 minutes before making it to the front. She said, It's pretty cool, I have never been in a city when they launched a sport, and especially for a women's sport," Pennington said. "I'm a super big fan of women's sports, and I love the attention they're getting."
The crowd heard directly from team leadership about the hard work and passion that went into making this major milestone possible. This included messages from the team's owner Robert Cohen, Millet, the commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, Jessica Berman, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
For fans like Sarah Ingram, seeing the large turnout speaks volumes to the dedication already in the Mile High City.
"We're over 10,000 in season ticket deposits right now for a stadium that's going to be 14-15,000 seats, like it's so amazing to see the community because, I mean, what have we been saying? Denver is a soccer city," Ingram said.
Young soccer superstars were also among those in attendance, with one fan saying this team is "for the girls" and another saying if they practice hard enough, maybe they could one day play for the team.
No need to worry if you still have not gotten your gear, Millet said over the next couple of weeks, inventory will be restocked online.
Prior coverage:
- Denver NWSL breaks ground on temporary stadium in Centennial
- ‘This guy knows Denver football’: Peyton Manning joins Denver NWSL ownership group
- Curt Johnson named general manager of Denver's NWSL team
- Denver City Council approves 'generational investment' into NWSL stadium, Park Hill
- Colorado Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin joins Denver NWSL team's ownership group
- South Broadway businesses advocate for new NWSL stadium as Denver City Council considers investing
- Denver NWSL shatters league history by selling 10,000 season ticket deposits
