Mile High Report
Big news today on the new stadium front for the Denver Broncos. The city, state, and team issued a joint statement noting that the Broncos have selected Burnham Yard as the preferred site for the new stadium, which will be slated to open for the 2031 season.
That joint letter ended with: “Denver has been the proud home of the Broncos since Day 1. This community-inspired vision will allow our city and team to continue to grow and thrive together at Burnham Yard.”
The key points around this announcement is that the entire endeavor will be privately funded with the taxpayers only picking up the tab for the transportation infrastructure around the facility. This removes one of the biggest contention points that surrounded the last stadium construction back in 2000.
Plans include the stadium having a retractable roof and natural grass fielding. As a fan, this is one of the biggest bummer aspects to the announcement. However, on the business side of things, I understand it. This will put Denver on the map in the NFL and Super Bowls will absolutely be hosted at this future site. Clearly, that is something on the minds of the new ownership and I don’t fault them for it. I will miss the occasional inclement weather game in Denver, though.
Other announcements included that the entire 25 acre plot will go beyond just the new stadium. There will be entire areas dedicated to restaurants, retail and office locations, and even hotels. This is more than just a stadium. It will be a complete revamping of the area that will result in a major economic boon for the city.
On that front, Broncos Owner Carrie Walton Penner noted the importance of building these facilities to reach beyond football saying, “One of our goals is to make sure that we are engaging community members 365 days a year in the area around the stadium.”
On the whole, I welcome this announcement as a fan. I grew up loving the Mile High Stadium atmosphere and while I didn’t much care for its replacement — there is no denying that it was needed at the time. My hope is that the new stadium will bring back some of the atmosphere of that old Mile High Stadium vibe, while being a state of the art facility that it will likely be once finished.
