Without a coach, a single player or even a field to call home, Denver NWSL continues to ram through barriers.
The club announced on social media Monday morning that it has already sold 5,280 season ticket deposits, a nod to Denver’s elevation, in just four days since going on sale.
The vision started as a grassroots effort by Colorado native and former NWSL star Jordan Angeli to bring professional women’s soccer to her home state. It was fulfilled on a stage last Thursday at Number 38 in Denver alongside Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman, Denver NWSL controlling owner Rob Cohen and Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson to announce Denver as the NWSL’s 16th franchise.
The morning of the official announcement, Denver NWSL went live with a website, which includes a hype video, an about page and a link to put a deposit down on season tickets.
A deposit cleverly costs $30.30, perhaps a play on Denver’s area code, 303. More than 2,000 people signed up the day the team was announced — four days later, the club and the NWSL said it was the fastest an expansion team has ever eclipsed 5,000 deposits.
Before Thursday, Denver was the largest metropolitan city in the country without a professional women’s sports team, even though it boasts some of the best female athletes alive.
In the soccer world alone, Colorado is home to three of the best women’s players in the game today: Littleton’s Mallory Swanson, Golden’s Lindsey Horan and Windsor’s Sophia Smith.
Currently in the NWSL, there are 15 Colorado natives on active rosters, including Centennial-born Cherry Creek alum Ryan Williams, who earned her first call-up to the U.S. women’s national team last month.
“Colorado is such a soccer state in my opinion, so I’m really happy they got this,” Williams told The Denver Post during the January USWNT camp. “There are a lot of good coaches in Denver and so many talented players, even at the youth level, who I’ve trained with. I’m just so excited.
“I think (the club) is going to do really well. I’m excited to play there and to play against them in front of my friends and family. I’m excited to see how they do — their branding and their stadium and all that — I think it’s going to be done really well. I think they’ll have a lot of support and this huge fan base.”
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