This Saturday, Denver finally gets a look at its new slice of NWSL real estate as the Denver Summit opens Centennial Stadium, a 12,000-seat temporary home, by hosting the Portland Thorns. The suburban setup in Centennial will be the Summit’s base for at least the next two seasons, while construction continues on a permanent stadium in Denver’s Baker neighborhood.
Kickoff, broadcast and where to watch
Kickoff is set for noon Mountain Time on Saturday. The match will stream on Paramount+ and air on CBS, according to the NWSL.
Heaps makes her Summit debut
Lindsey Heaps, a Golden native and the U.S. women’s national team captain, is expected to make her Summit debut after closing out her club career in France with Olympique Lyon. U.S. Soccer lists Heaps with more than 170 international appearances and Olympic gold in 2024, according to U.S. Soccer. She signed with the Summit in January, adding a hometown star to the club’s first-year roster.
A campus built for the community
The Centennial Stadium and the neighboring CommonSpirit Performance Center came together through a partnership with the City of Centennial and the Cherry Creek School District. The 12,000-seat venue is designed as an interim professional home that can later be reconfigured for school athletics once the Summit shifts to its permanent stadium in Denver. The project also bakes in student internships, shared-use fields, and other community benefits as part of a long-range plan for the site, according to the City of Centennial.
Training hub and facilities
The CommonSpirit Performance Center serves as the Summit’s training hub, a 20,000-square-foot complex that includes recovery spaces, locker rooms, and multiple practice pitches. CommonSpirit holds the naming rights for the facility and highlights the natural-grass training fields and the collection of practice pitches that sit right next to the stadium, according to CommonSpirit.
What fans should know
Anyone heading to the opener will want to plan their approach. Parking near the stadium is tight: the closest option, North Lot 3, is already sold out. The club is operating a shuttle from a Boom/Shuttle Lot at 6803 S. Tucson Way, and the venue includes ADA parking on-site along with a bike and stroller valet. Tailgating is not allowed, and concessions are cashless, according to Denverite.
On the pitch
Portland comes in sitting near the top of the league table, while the Summit hovers just outside the playoff places, per current standings, according to CBS Sports. The expansion club’s first home match at Empower Field drew roughly 63,000 fans, a statement crowd that has fueled the team’s early momentum.
Looking ahead
Centennial is set to remain the Summit’s home through at least the 2027 season. After that, the club plans to hand the temporary stadium over to the Cherry Creek School District and move into a permanent venue in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, according to the City of Centennial. Fans can track updates on the club’s schedule and match-day details on the team’s website, according to Denver Summit FC, and on the league schedule page, according to the NWSL.
