Denver Summit FC's Centennial stadium won't be ready for start of season

DENVER — Denver Summit FC will play early-season matches at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park during its inaugural season, the club announced Tuesday, as it said its temporary stadium in Centennial would not be completed until the summer.

The team’s first match will be at Empower Field at Mile High on March 28, after which the team will play at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park — also home to the Colorado Rapids — in Commerce City until its temporary stadium in Centennial is ready.

“While we are making tremendous progress on our new stadium in Centennial, we are taking a little extra time to ensure the venue serves our players, fans and community,” said Denver Summit FC President Jen Millet in the announcement. “In the meantime, we are incredibly grateful and excited to host our matches at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.”

A finalized schedule with locations will be confirmed when the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) schedule is announced Thursday.

The temporary Centennial stadium, which is set to seat 12,000 people and host the club through its 2027 season, will not open until the summer, according to the announcement. The club broke ground on the stadium in June, and the club indicated in November that it planned to play a "majority of 2026 home matches" at the Centennial stadium while construction was completed.

The team’s permanent home in a new stadium at Santa Fe Yards is planned to be completed for the 2028 season. The club had previously threatened to move the team out of Denver city limits if the city failed to provide an initial $50 million investment, but city council ultimately approved a plan — and signed off on the investment to acquire and improve the land for the stadium — in December. The ownership group plans to spend an additional $150 to $200 million to complete the project.

The 14,500-seat venue at I-25 and Broadway is set to become the second dedicated professional women’s soccer stadium in the country.