For Denver FC launches bid for top-division women’s soccer team

For a state that has produced so much women’s soccer talent over the last few decades, Colorado has never had a professional women’s soccer team to call its own.

That direction changed Tuesday morning as For Denver FC launched a campaign to bring professional, top-division women’s soccer to the Mile High City. The group would be looking to land an expansion bid in the National Women’s Soccer League or the new United Soccer League’s Women’s Super League, which applied for first-division sanctioning this year and has five markets in mind. The group intends to formally submit a bid by the end of 2023.

Denver is one of the largest markets in the country without a professional women’s sports team.

For Denver FC is led by a core group of volunteers and has some financial backing already, a source told The Post. Publicly, the group is led by Jordan Angeli, a Lakewood native who played in the NWSL; Ben Hubbard, a CEO of insurer Parsyl; and Tom Dunmore of Major League Cricket, who has experience launching teams in the past with USL Championship side Indy Eleven.

A launch party is planned for July 21 at Number 38 from 6-10 p.m. when the United States Women’s National Team takes on Vietnam in its first game of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“As a former professional player and Lakewood product, I grew up dreaming of one day playing professional soccer at home in Colorado,” said Jordan Angeli, currently the Rapids’ lead on-air personality on Apple TV, in a statement. “Our state consistently produces some of the best women’s soccer talent in the world. We can create a club that thrives from this pipeline and offers some of the best players in the world the opportunity to play in their home state in front of a devoted fan base and passionate women’s soccer community.”

Currently there are 20 Coloradans who play in the NWSL — enough for a full match day squad and traveling roster, including four rookies who entered the league in 2023. From a national standpoint, Denver has always been a hub for the USWNT, as the team has played eight times in Colorado, seven of which have been at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

For Denver FC is a placeholder name at the moment as the group looks to get a full name and logo. For now, the FC signifies “For Colorado.” The group is also undergoing feasibility studies to secure training and stadium sites, in addition to adding more investors.

“This is an idea whose time has come,” Hubbard said in the release. “This is about soccer, but so much more. We’re excited to engage fans, families, civic leaders and investors in laying the foundation for a community asset that will be a powerful force for good in Denver and beyond.”

Currently, the NWSL is seeking to expand to 16 teams for the 2026 season, a group in The Bay Area was already approved, the Utah Royals will be returning in 2024 and Boston is widely expected to be the 15th team. The Bay Area’s expansion fee was a reported $53 million, while the group intends to spend at least $125 million on its facilities and building out the team.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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