Denver Summit FC and WENU Announce Community Benefits Agreement
NWSL Denver Summit FC

Denver Summit FC and WENU Announce Community Benefits Agreement

Published on December 15, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Denver Summit FC News Release


DENVER, Colo. - Denver Summit FC and West East Neighborhoods United (WENU) announced a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) around the club's proposed purpose-built stadium project at Santa Fe Yards. The CBA will bring over $7M in benefits to the surrounding community over the next 10 years. Denver City Council is expected to vote on the Santa Fe Yards stadium project on Monday, Dec. 22. The Denver Summit - WENU CBA focuses on social equity, sustainability, transportation, business and labor, and art, history and culture.

"We are pleased to announce our partnership with WENU and the signed Community Benefits Agreement ahead of the important Denver City Council vote," said Denver Summit FC President Jen Millet. "Our goal with Denver Summit FC and our purpose-built stadium is to deliver a transformational project to Denver. This CBA allows us to positively impact our local community for generations to come."

"West East Neighborhoods United, and the many neighborhoods and other community organizations it represents, is excited about the Community Benefits Agreement we've reached with Denver Summit FC," said Connor Shea (Baker Neighborhood), Co-Chair, WENU. "Our goal has been to ensure that the input of the community is taken into consideration with this project. The club's ownership has worked with us for many hundreds of hours this year to accomplish that, and we're extremely happy to see the many improvements the stadium plans have accumulated as a result. We want to thank the team ownership for collaborating with us on a shared vision for a stadium that will do so much good for the people of Denver, and we look forward to an ongoing partnership for the many decades to come."

To celebrate the finalization of the agreement, Denver Summit FC will donate 500 tickets to its historic inaugural home opener, The Kickoff, at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday, March 28 at Noon MT. The donated tickets will be distributed to community organizations selected by WENU.

The Denver Summit - WENU CBA will focus on the following:

A Community Investment Fund (CIF)

Initial Funding: $400k in flexible funding for community priorities

Annual Funding: at least $300k per year for community priorities in perpetuity

Fund Priorities: Youth scholarships, athletics, sports equipment donations; Housing stability and anti-displacement; Small business support and incubation; Environmental programs and tree-planting; Local art and cultural preservation; Transportation safety and multimodal initiatives; Community org grants; Local workforce engagement and recruitment

Social Equity

Youth: Post-secondary pathways; Equipment donation; Stay in school programs and scholarships; DPS and Nonprofit youth event coordination; Community pop-up soccer clinics.

Game and Facility Access: Free or discounted student or senior tickets; Free meeting-room and event space for community organizations; Annual free access to Community suite for games.

Community Organization Visibility: Partnership opportunities for local community-based organizations or nonprofits; Social media support; In-game announcements and programming to highlight local organizations and cultures.

Sustainability

Stadium: LEED Silver building construction and operations; Exceed Denver Green Building Code ordinance requirements; Fully electric building.

Reporting: Annual sustainability report; Ongoing digital dashboard tracking progress towards sustainability goals.

Contamination Mitigation: commitment to implement a potential contamination mitigation/remediation plan if undiscovered contaminants are encountered during construction.

Tree Canopy Expansion: Contribute $300k over 6 years to plant 100s of trees in stadium area and surrounding neighborhoods.

Transportation

Transportation Strategy: Incentivize use of transit, bicycle, and walking by stadium visitors; Multi-modal transit communication campaign; secure bike parking; Maximize RTD frequency on game days.

RTD Coordination: integrate match tickets with discount transit passes (pending RTD approval).

North Bridge: Partner with City to identify funding for bridge construction and co-advocate with community for north bridge connecting the stadium and Broadway Station near Kentucky Ave.

Business and Labor

Construction: Prevailing wages; Union outreach; Woman and Minority (MWBE) contractor outreach; MWBE contractor mentoring program to increase local capacity; Prioritize and target minimum of 25 MWBEs for contracts.

Small, Local, Women, and Minority-Owned Business: 25% of all food/beverage vendors; 25 construction contractors; Mentorship program; Focused outreach; Small business cross-promotion marketing coordination.

Workforce: "First Source" NEST neighborhoods local hiring plan for operations; Planned construction apprenticeship program.

Art, History, and Culture

Funding: $400k

Artists: Collaboration with local, minority, and women artists to commission public art reflecting diverse cultural histories of neighborhoods surrounding the site.

History: programming collaboration with city orgs and community groups to elevate and honor local history through programming and aesthetic infrastructure.

Offsite Art Collaboration: Work with WENU and community to advocate for public investments in aesthetic infrastructure around the site.

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