DENVER — The Denver Broncos have unveiled plans for a retractable roof stadium in Burnham Yard, about a mile from the existing Empower Field site, with the Walton-Penner ownership group footing the bill for the stadium.
The stadium will serve as the centerpiece of a mixed-use entertainment district. According to the Broncos’ website, the development will “include city and state support for public improvements with no new taxes.”
- Denver7 spoke with an economics expert who researches how sports facilities are financed and is skeptical about the no-cost claims being made by Denver officials. Watch that reporting in the video player below:
It raises the question: How common is a privately funded NFL stadium?
There are three such stadiums in pro football: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.; MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
The latter was funded by Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams who also owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. Kroenke reportedly shelled out more than $5 billion for what is believed to be the most expensive sports venue in the world. SoFi Stadium opened in 2020.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft privately funded the $325 million it took to build Gillette Stadium back in 2002. The New York Giants and New York Jets, who share MetLife Stadium outside New York City, funded the stadium through a 50/50 partnership before it opened in 2010.
Most stadiums are built with the help of some public funding, including some under construction in 2025.
Taxpayers are forking over $850 million in public funding between New York state and Erie County to build the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium set to open next year, according to the Associate Press. More than $1 billion in public bonds are helping fund the Tennessee Titans’ new stadium in Nashville, the AP reported. Washington, D.C. is putting $1.1 billion toward a public-private partnership that will fund a new Washington Commanders stadium in the city center, according to The Athletic.
A $430 million renovation of the existing Baltimore Ravens’ stadium was also done with public funds, the AP reported.
The Chicago Bears have pulled the plug on a public-private deal they had initially pitched for a lakefront stadium, and are now pushing for a suburban stadium that will "require zero state money for construction."