Here’s how the Broncos went local to improve Empower Field

DENVER—Denver Broncos President Damani Leech is focused on creating special moments in Empower Field at Mile High that are unique to Colorado. In the latest updates to the 23-year-old stadium, the team’s brass tackled ways to make their home stadium more special.

This offseason didn’t include as big of a price tag as last when the Walton-Penner Ownership Group used their first summer to spend $100 million on a new scoreboard, new premium spaces and other things. The 2023 fixes addressed some of the primary concerns about the stadium built on the corner of Colfax and Federal which opened in 2001. That complaint—that it aged way too quickly. But only so much can be done about that even though leadership keeps making fans’ WiFi better. Instead, both last offseason and this offseason what ownership could do was address the second biggest issue; the stadium can be bland. As Walton-Penners have made it home, they’ve styled up the place and added a lot of life in the process.

In a tour given to Denver Sports and other media outlets on Tuesday, team leadership showed off new hospitality areas and concessions and added art pieces to Empower Field over the summer.

“Much like our artwork here, we want to lean into what’s special about Colorado, what’s unique about Colorado,” Leech said. “We want people who come to the stadium, who are from Colorado, to be excited about what they see and eat and feel, but also people from outside of town, when they come here as visitors, we also want them to get a flavor and a taste of Colorado.”

Adding local art inside, club spaces deeply attentive to the team’s rich history while partnering with big-time local restaurants like TAG Group and Blue Pan Pizza, new ownership has finally made Empower Field feel like a Denverite.

Club 1977 looking sharp pic.twitter.com/8CfNUD3vNG

— Rachel Vigil (@heyrachelvigil) August 13, 2024

New art on the 300 level above the north end zone. pic.twitter.com/9LS7LmrLRK

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 13, 2024

Did I get every item available? Yes.

Here we go! pic.twitter.com/SSXKV9A0PH

— Rachel Vigil (@heyrachelvigil) August 13, 2024

Broncos themed crunch wrap supreme?!? It’s amazing! Called the Thunder crunch pic.twitter.com/iXoWl9wYs2

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) August 13, 2024

It is exciting to think about what the Walton-Penner Group could do with a new stadium from scratch given how much character they have added to a rather bland barn in just a few years. Tough Leech says that is still at least five years away and there is no news on the issue. But that’s not bad news for folks wanting a new home as the current works at Empower Field will not hinder future plays and the club views the two as separate issues. Those who want the Broncos to stay in their current home, well at least you’re getting to see the best possible version of it in its possible final years, instead of letting it rot while the ownership group forces the public into a new stadium—a story all too common around sports.

As for rebuilding the roster, that might take longer than the continued touch-ups to the team’s image but given the focus of their ownership group, it seems improvement everywhere is a demand, and the results on the field will come in time.