COMMERCE CITY – Still looking for a reason to give Denver a women’s pro soccer team? Ben Hubbard can give you 19,000. And change.
“We have hundreds of ambassadors now, around the state, who (were) organizing watch parties, tailgate parties (Saturday),” said Hubbard, co-founder of For Denver FC, nodding at the shoulder-to-shoulder jam on the concourse at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for the USWNT’s 4-0 thrashing of South Korea.
“(We’re) really active on social media, but they’re self-organizing now. So this thing has taken on a life of its own. As any good fan base does.”
The fans here aren’t just good. They’re committed. Knowledgeable. Hungry. No, starving. Dick’s seats roughly 18,350 for MLS games. The Stars & Stripes on Saturday drew 19,010. For a friendly.
“Yeah, you walk around here, there’s people in the youth soccer community and schools, they all know each other,” said Hubbard, whose For Denver FC is bidding to join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). “And so you know, all of that is going to be on full display (here) as we put together a bid. And we’re really excited about showing everybody what this market has.”
It’s got spunk. It’s got loyalty. It’s got grass-roots power, grass-roots dollars, grass-roots juice. Tickets. Time. Merchandise. Whatever. Mothers and sisters and fathers and daughters who asked themselves the same questions that Hubbard, CEO of Parsyl, asked himself at a match here two years ago: Why not us? Why not here? Why not now?
“I was at the stadium with my now 11-year-old daughter, and for two years in a row, she was just like, ‘I don’t understand why we can’t watch women (play professionally),’” Hubbard recalled. “And it’s just … it’s a fair question, right?
“And I didn’t have a good answer.”
So he’s been working on one for more than a year now.
“I just got curious – like, ‘Why,’ and ‘What’s changed?’ And ‘Maybe we can change that,’” Hubbard continued. “And I really, truly have been so blown away by the groundswell. We lit a spark and there’s just truly a groundswell and it’s self-energizing, at this point.”
Soccer fans before the U.S. Women’s National team friendly against the South Korea National team at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Saturday, June 01, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
You couldn’t throw a ball inbounds without hitting somebody wearing a “HORAN” or a “SMITH” or a “SWANSON” jersey. Assuming you could swing your arms above your head, of course. Traffic around the concourse at Dick’s felt like a Monday afternoon along I-25 North. Rocky Mountain pride, going nowhere fast.
Colorado accounted for half of Saturday’s goals (Mallory Swanson, Highlands Ranch, had a brace), and 27% of the starting lineup. Did you hear those screams, in the distance,19,010 strong? Oh, yeah, there’s a market here for a women’s pro team. A healthy one.
“I would come to as many (matches) as possible,” Brad Stoffer of Erie told me before the start of the match. “Just because I’ve got two girls that are involved (in soccer). I’ve also got a son that’s involved. But nonetheless, there’s no question that I would come as often as possible.
“It is very surprising (that it hasn’t happened in Colorado). Just because I think they deserve it. I think they deserve to have it here. I think it would bring in additional support for soccer period. And women’s soccer, too.”
Brad’s daughter Sophie, 12, is a goalkeeper. Between her and her two elder siblings, now 17 and 16, the family’s spent roughly a decade driving the crew to tournaments, buying orange slices. And there are thousands more here with the same story. Thousands.
“I think the biggest thing that I see as a parent, we’ve got three kids, two girls, a boy — they all do soccer,” Brad’s wife, Renee, added. “(And) having role models that they can look up to that are local… to have somebody close by to actually look at and say, ‘I can do that,’ you know, that’s, that’s the biggest thing that I see as a parent. … I absolutely would support it, because it’s just a wonderful game.”
Hubbard and his partners aren’t at liberty to go super-deep on details, and he gently swatted away specifics Saturday the way U.S. goalkeeper Jane Campbell turned away Korean shots.
NWSL commish Jessica Berman in May 2023 unveiled plans to add two expansion teams to the league by 2026. Boston has been announced as the first new club, while cities believed to be in the running to join them include Atlanta, Cleveland, Minnesota and St. Louis. That second lucky town could get a green light as soon as this summer, insiders say.
U.S. National team forward Mallory Swanson (9) kicks a goal against the South Korea National team in the second half during a friendly at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Saturday, June 01, 2024. Teammate forward Crystal Dunn (19) follows in on the play. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“You know, we’re, we’re happy to compete. And we think we’ll be competitive,” Hubbard said.
He says they’ll still be aiming to build a soccer-first stadium and training facility in metro Denver, or in a central location thereabouts. The Chicago Red Stars reportedly needed $60 million in investment to land a NWSL team. Is the money there?
“Oh, yeah, we’ve got that,” Hubbard said.
How much of that?
“That depends.”
On?
“It depends on how you count it,” he said with a grin.
“You know, the price (to enter the league), it’s obviously gone up. But I think we’re attracting people who see it as a business opportunity and that there’s a lot of upside — a lot of upside — left in this sport. And, frankly, more than you see in a lot of the men’s sports right now. So while it’s a lot more expensive than it was a few years ago, I think we see a trajectory that makes it an exciting business proposition. And in addition to (being) a really amazing investment in that community, as you can see.”
Facilities?
“Facilities (and) infrastructure are, you know, the defining move for any team, for any expansion bid, and it’s occupied a ton of our time and efforts, and we’ve made a lot of progress,” Hubbard replied. “And I’ll leave it there. But we’re very excited.”
So are locals such as Swanson, who was raised in Highlands Ranch, attended Mountain Vista High School and reps the 5280 with the NWSL’s Chicago franchise.
“I mean, hopefully (it happens) soon,” Swanson opined early last week. “I don’t know, I’m not the one in charge to make decisions like that. But yeah, I think just the product that Colorado youth sports has produced over the years, I think it’d be super special and cool to see that.”
Way cool.
Way overdue.
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