Background
The National Football League (NFL)'s Denver Broncos currently play their home games at Empower Field at Mile High, which replaced Mile High Stadium as their home venue in 2001. [1] Following an internal ownership dispute among the family members of the late Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen in 2019, speculation arose concerning the potential sale of the team. [2] [3]
Speculation concerning the construction of a new stadium began growing after then-Broncos president Joe Ellis suggested that a new stadium would be "Issue No. 1 on the next owner's plate". [4] [5] [6] In August 2021, Walmart fortune heir Rob Walton purchased the team for $4.65 billion. [7] Following the sale, the new Bronco's ownership team refused to rule out replacing Empower Field with a new, state-of-the-art stadium in the future. [8] [9]
In December 2022, the new ownership group announced $100 million in renovations into Empower Field at Mile High, including the construction of a larger video board, improved concessions, and expanded hospitality space. [10] During the renovation announcement, the team again refused to rule out the possibility of a new stadium's construction in the distant future. [11]
History
In January 2023, the team partnered with Legends Hospitality to survey Broncos fans and stakeholders regarding the construction of a new stadium. [12] [13] The results found that a majority of fans preferred a new stadium with a retractable roof in a near-downtown location. There was also an overwhelming support for a mixed-use development, as well as a focus on the importance of non-gameday amenities and site accessibility.
Starting in August of 2024, various parcels of land were purchased by various Limited-Liability-Corporations(LLC) around the Burnham Yard rail site, a downtown state-owned, 58-acre property that predates Colorado statehood. [14]
On September 9, 2025, the Broncos, city of Denver and state of Colorado announced Burnham Yard as the preferred site for a new stadium. [15] [16] The stadium-anchored community hub will span more than 100 acres, with the team purchasing the 58-acre site for the stadium and 25 acres from Denver Water for surrounding land. [15] Private real estate acquisitions will make up the rest of the stadium complex. [15] The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group also announced that they will privately fund the stadium, the land, the surrounding development, and the construction costs, with the city of Denver shouldering $140 million in infrastructure upgrades surrounding the area. Among the proposed improvements are upgrades to Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) light-rail services to the area, which is served by the 10th & Osage station. [17]
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