The actual Premier League trophy is coming to Denver later this month, landing at McGregor Square for a free public watch party as reigning champion Arsenal opens its title defense against Coventry City. The season kickoff event runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21, at 1901 Wazee St., and it doubles as a rare chance for Colorado soccer fans to stand next to the same silverware Arsenal's captain lifted in London.
According to the Denver Gazette, the event is free and open to the public and will include Guinness pints, giveaways and a meet-and-greet with a Premier League legend. The trophy itself will be on display at the 17,000-square-foot outdoor plaza next to Coors Field, where a 66-foot-by-20-foot stadium-sized LED screen — installed when the development opened in 2021, according to The Colorado Sun — will carry the match broadcast for the crowd.
Denver is one of 16 U.S. metro areas hosting a Premier League opening-weekend watch party this year, joining cities including New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington D.C., per the same report. The trophy travels because the league keeps two identical versions of the hardware — one held by the reigning champion during the season and another retained for global tours and media events, according to the Premier League. Champions also receive 40 commemorative silver medals for the title-winning squad, and the club must return its held trophy three weeks before the following season's final match.
A Trophy Built Like a Piece of English History
The trophy itself is an object worth seeing up close: it stands 3 feet 5 inches tall, spans 2 feet wide, and weighs 25.4 kilograms, including a 15.9-kilogram base of green African malachite meant to evoke a soccer pitch, the league notes. The body is cast by Asprey London from solid sterling silver with 24-carat silver gilt crowns. Its design draws on “The Three Lions of English Football,” with two silver lions forming the handles — while the winning captain becomes the symbolic “third lion” the moment he raises the crown overhead, according to the Premier League.
That symbolism carries extra weight for Arsenal fans this year. The club's Premier League title, secured on May 24 in London, ended a 22-year drought stretching back to the club's legendary 2003–04 “Invincibles” campaign, when Arsenal went unbeaten through all 38 league matches, finishing with 26 wins and 12 draws. Only Preston North End's 1888–89 season matches that feat in English top-flight history, the league notes.
Denver Gooners Say Their Community Earned the Spotlight
The Denver-area event is being organized around the Denver Gooners, the local chapter of Arsenal supporters established in 2013, which regularly gathers for match viewings at its home pub, The Celtic on Market, downtown, according to Arsenal FC. The group told the Denver Gazette that Denver was chosen because of the community members built, and that they were proud to showcase what makes the group special. Representatives of the Premier League, Arsenal and Guinness will film the event, per the Gooners, as part of a documentary covering soccer fan culture across North America.
The Denver stop also reflects a deeper ownership tie between Arsenal and the Front Range. American businessman Stan Kroenke completed a £1.8 billion ($2.3 billion) full takeover of Arsenal in September 2018 through Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, according to the Evening Standard, after acquiring Alisher Usmanov's 30% stake and compulsorily buying out remaining fan shareholders — a move that initially drew opposition from the Arsenal Supporters' Trust. Kroenke's connection to the club actually dates back further: he first acquired a minority Arsenal stake in April 2007, establishing a commercial and training partnership with his Major League Soccer team, the Colorado Rapids, according to Forbes. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment's portfolio now includes Arsenal alongside the Rapids, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Mammoth.
Growing U.S. Audience Behind the League's American Push
The Denver visit fits into a broader expansion of the Premier League's American footprint. NBC Sports holds exclusive U.S. broadcast rights through the 2027–28 season under a six-year, $2.7 billion contract extension signed in November 2021, covering all 380 matches per season across English- and Spanish-language platforms, according to NBC Sports. Premier League broadcasts on NBC averaged over 600,000 viewers per matchweek during the 2021–22 season, a 14% jump over prior years, as reported by The Guardian, part of a global audience potential the league estimates at 4.7 billion viewers across 212 territories.
Arsenal's season opener against Coventry City is set for Aug. 21, the same day as the McGregor Square event, with manager Mikel Arteta leading the reigning champions into their title defense. Fans looking to attend can RSVP for the Denver gathering through the Premier League's official website, according to the Denver Gazette.
