Tag: Empower Field At Mile High

Broncos replace grass field ahead of Falcons game

The Denver Broncos used a local sod farm to replace the grass on the field at Empower Field at Mile High.

Prior to a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, the Denver Broncos gave the grass at Empower Field at Mile High a makeover.

The team’s stadium crew got the field replaced within 36 hours after playing the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 27, giving it three weeks to settle in before the Falcons game on Nov. 17.

The grass comes from Platteville, Colorado, which is approximately 45 minutes north of Boulder, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Chris Hathaway, the Broncos director of turf and ground at Empower Field at Mile High, wrote on Twitter/X that the main reason for the replacement is player safety.

The Walton-Penner ownership group famously trucked in a grass field before the 2022 season finale and replaced it again mid-season in 2023.

“[They] just told me,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after practice Wednesday when asked about the grass being replaced. “You would have to ask Greg [Penner]. Meaning, our field has been in good shape. I don’t know what’s taken place since the last one. The one thing I do know is if Greg feels like it’s not to his liking, then he’s not afraid to do it. I literally just found out and [it’s] outstanding.”

The Broncos are one of 15 teams at 30 stadiums across the NFL to use a natural grass playing surface. After hosting Atlanta on Sunday, Denver will have three more home games remaining on their 2024 schedule.

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Broncos won’t host any of the next four Super Bowls (but keep an eye on 2032)

The Broncos won’t host the Super Bowl in 2028 (or the three years before then), but if the team builds a new stadium, who knows?

The Denver Broncos won’t host the Super Bowl in 2028 (or any of the three championship games before then).

The NFL had previously announced the Super Bowl sites for 2025 (New Orleans), 2026 (Santa Clara) and 2027 (Inglewood). Today, the league announced that the 2028 Super Bowl (LXII) will be held in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Because the Broncos play in an outdoor stadium, they probably won’t be seriously considered to host a February Super Bowl anytime soon.

The team’s current lease at Empower Field at Mile High runs through the 2031 season and there has been heavy speculation that Denver’s ownership group will want to eventually build a mega stadium in the coming years.

If the Broncos do build a beautiful new stadium, they would instantly become a top contender to host a future Super Bowl, especially if there’s a roof (which is a hot topic in Broncos Country).

Denver is also interested in hosting a future NFL draft, but the city won’t host in 2025 (Green Bay) or 2026 (Pittsburgh). The next possible draft that could be held in Colorado would be in 2027, two years before the next available Super Bowl.

Unless the Broncos end their lease early, the team seems unlikely to host a Super Bowl before 2032 at the earliest. So potentially hosting a Super Bowl is still quite a few years away from being realistic, but it’s a topic worth monitoring going forward as stadium talks begin to heat up in Denver.

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Bo Nix and Co. eagerly await Broncos’ home opener

“I’ve been looking forward to this since the draft,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said of playing at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2.

After playing the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 1, the Denver Broncos are now set to return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2.

“I’m really excited about that,” quarterback Bo Nix said of playing in front of home fans for the first time (in the regular season) in his NFL career. “I’ve been looking forward to this since the draft. I’m excited to play a game at home. I’m excited not to travel this week. It’s going to be a good home opener.”

The Broncos have sold out 441 consecutive home games since 1970, the longest active streak in the NFL. Denver has an amazing fan base, and wide receiver Courtland Sutton can’t wait to play in front of them again.

“This is [my] seventh [home opener], and I tell people all the time, people think it’s biased, but I love playing at home,” Sutton said. “It’s one of the best atmospheres to be a part of. The excitement, the juice and the energy, you can feel it from the fans from the moment that they start letting the fans into the stadium. You just feel the juice. I’m excited for it.

“I’m excited to have this experience again with our team. Some of the guys, it’s going to be their first home opener. [I’m] just looking forward to going out there and getting a win for the home team and for the home crowd. They deserve it and we deserve it. [We’re] working hard. [I’m] just excited for this next opportunity.”

Gates to the stadium will open at 12:30 p.m. MT and pre-game entertainment will include the team’s Stampede Drumline, the Thunderstorm skydiving team, music from DJ Squizzy Taylor, an Alumni Flag Plant and a C-130 flyover. Then Tigirlily Gold will sing the national anthem just before kickoff.

Following a narrow loss on the road last week, the Broncos will aim to bounce back at home on Sunday.

“I think we have a perfect opportunity to set that tone,” cornerback Pat Surtain said. “First home game of the season, the fans are going to be there, [and] we have home-field advantage. Being able to play this week at the stadium, it’s [going] to mean a lot. [It] has a lot of stake going in towards the season for sure.”

Sunday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 2:25 p.m. MT.

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Broncos’ stadium nominated for USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award

Who needs a new stadium? Empower Field at Mile High has been nominated as one of the NFL’s best.

Empower Field at Mile High has undergone significant changes in recent years, including a few name changes. But some things never change, because no matter the name, Empower Field has been one of the best environments in the NFL.

Empower Field at Mile High has been nominated for Best NFL Stadium and Best NFL Stadium Food by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Broncos Country can vote for Empower Field at Mile High in each category at www.10best.com/awards/. Fans are limited to one vote per person, per category, per day. Voting opened on Sept. 2 and will close on Monday, Sept. 30, at 9:59 a.m. MT. The Top 10 winners will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Since opening in 2001, Empower Field has been one of the best environments in sports, down to the present day. Although the Broncos haven’t been up to their winning ways as of late, fans have always shown up.

Empower Field features a capacity of 76,125 and 1.7 million square feet of space, making it one of the largest stadiums in the National Football League. The Broncos have also sold out every home game since 1970, the longest sellout streak for an NFL team in a single city.

Despite those amazing statistics and unique fan experiences, there have been rumblings that the Broncos could be in the market for a new stadium down the road.

If it sticks around, Mile High will continue to provide one of the toughest and best atmospheres in any major sport.

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Broncos’ home sellout streak leads the NFL since 1970

The Broncos have sold out 441 consecutive home games since 1970, most in the NFL. That streak will continue this fall.

After opening the 2024 season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the Denver Broncos will return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 2 home opener on Sept. 15.

That game — and every other Broncos home game this season — has sold out, marking the 54th-straight year that Denver has sold out its stadium. The Broncos’ home sellout streak dates back to 1970 when the team played at Mile High Stadium. Since 2000, Denver’s home games have been played at what is now called Empower Field at Mile High.

The Broncos have sold out 441 consecutive games (including playoff matches), the longest active streak for an NFL team that has stayed in one city. Behind them are the Pittsburgh Steelers (433 games), New York Giants (398 games) and Green Bay Packers (395 games).

Denver is also one of seven teams with at least 300 wins at home since 1960. With a long season ticker holder waitlist, the Broncos’ home sellout streak isn’t expected to end anytime soon.

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Terrell Davis attempts to draw the Broncos’ logo

Looks great, Terrell Davis! 😅

In the most recent episode of their “Salute to Broncos Country” series, Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and NFL writer James Palmer explored art in and around Empower Field at Mile High.

The pair began outside of Empower Field at the Ring of Fame memorial walk, as they admired Davis’ sculpture on his marker. The two then make their way inside the stadium to examine Empower Field’s stadium artist series, which has a number of diverse art pieces about the team around the stadium, painted by local artists.

Palmer and Davis end up in front of a mural displaying the championships and Hall of Famers the Denver Broncos boast, right outside the team store on the inside of the stadium. They meet up with the painting’s artist, Thomas “Detour” Evans.

After Davis declared that painting the mural didn’t look that hard, Evans gave the duo a painting challenge, one that might intimidate any amateur artist: painting the Denver Broncos logo. Davis and Palmer each tried their own interpretation of the logo, but Davis’ looked a bit better than Palmer’s!

Fans can watch more of the series on the team’s YouTube page.

Will the Broncos build a new stadium? Greg Penner weighs in

“We’re evaluating options for a new stadium potentially and whether that’s on the current site or somewhere else,” Greg Penner said.

The Denver Broncos had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new headquarters and training facility on Thursday.

At the ceremony, Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner was asked if the team considered building an entertainment district around the facility.

”There are a couple of things,” Penner said of the decision to not have entertainment around the practice facility. “One with just the timing, which is, as we talked about, we’re evaluating options for a new stadium potentially and whether that’s on the current site or somewhere else. We weren’t ready to make that decision at this point.

“The second thing is, some teams do have that (an entertainment district around the facility) with mixed results. I think in certain cases there are positives to having both in one location. There’s also something about coming to a place where, this is where we practice, this is our space.

“Sometimes we’ll have fans, as you all know, and partners here, but it’s really about work and practice. I think sometimes if you combine that with more entertainment, there can be some dangers with that.”

Not much of an update on the team’s stadium status, but Penner did confirm the team is “evaluating options.” Denver started surveying fans about the stadium’s future last year, and there’s been speculation that the ownership group could eventually build a mega stadium with an entertainment district around it.

The team’s current lease at Empower Field at Mile High runs through the 2031 season. With eight more years left at the current stadium, Denver’s brass hasn’t rushed into announcing any future plans. That won’t stop fans and media members from asking about it.

“I’ve been getting the stadium questions since Day 1 about two years ago,” team president Damani Leech said Thursday. “We’ll continue to get that. I think the answer is the same one. It’s a pretty long process. We’re still evaluating everything. Everything’s on the table. We’ll continue to explore it and make a decision at a time that makes sense for us.”

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Playing at Broncos’ stadium for the first time was ‘awesome’ for Bo Nix

“I thought the atmosphere was awesome,” quarterback Bo Nix said of the Broncos’ stadium and fans. “I thought it was really fun.”

After making his NFL debut on the road against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of NFL preseason, quarterback Bo Nix returned to Colorado to play at Empower Field at Mile High for the first time in Week 2.

The Denver Broncos‘ rookie played, completing 8-of-9 passes for 80 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers in a 27-2 victory. After the game, Nix was asked if he “took in” playing at the team’s home stadium for the first time.

“Yes, I thought the atmosphere was awesome,” Nix said. “Obviously, my first game here, and even though it was a preseason game, I thought it was really fun. It was a great atmosphere. It kept the fans engaged, kept us on the sideline engaged.

“These games are kind of strange because you know you’re playing a certain amount of time, and then you do know you’re coming out. When that happens, you just want to stay engaged with the guys and have a good time because that’s really what you do it for. You go out there and celebrate with everybody. We’re all just kids at heart having fun playing football.”

Just kids at heart playing football. Those kids will wrap up preseason against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Tickets to Denver’s preseason finale start at $30 on the secondary market. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.

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Broncos adding players’ family room to stadium after poor NFLPA grade

The Broncos received a “D+” for family treatment on their NFLPA report card last season, in part because they did not have a family room.

In their NFLPA report card following the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos were given a “D+” grade for their treatment of families.

The biggest complaint players had was that there was no family room at the stadium, something that 20 other NFL teams provide for players on game days.

The Broncos took note of that low grade and they quickly addressed it. Before the team’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, 104.3 The Fan‘s Andrew Mason shared an image of a family room that’s “coming soon” at Empower Field at Mile High:

The graphic says the family room will arrive for the 2024 regular season. The amenities are as follows:

  • Private hospitality space for player and coach families
  • Complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages
  • Comfortable seating and furniture options and Game TVs
  • Dedicated heating and cooling
  • Men’s and women’s restrooms
  • Nursing mother’s suite

That’s quite an upgrade from previously having no family room at the stadium. Another smart move from Denver’s new ownership group.

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Broncos’ upgrades to current stadium don’t impact long-term stadium plans

The Broncos continue to make upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High, but they haven’t ruled out the possibility of a potential new stadium.

The Denver Broncos continue to make upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High. Broncos ownership spent $100 million on upgrades to the stadium last year, including a massive new scoreboard. The upgrades continued this year with a new “Club 1977,” a Stadium Artist Series, new food items, an expanded Ring of Fame Plaza and improved Wi-Fi.

So, does this mean the Broncos are settling in at their current stadium instead of making plans for a new venue down the road?

“No, we really see those as two different things,” team president Damani Leech said Tuesday. “I think what you’re seeing today, what you saw last year, is about this stadium’s immediate fan experience and what we’re focused on. Particularly this season the focus is on this season. Putting the best product on the field, but also giving out fans the best experience.”

Denver’s front office is in no rush to unveil any potential plans for a future mega stadium, but speculation remains such a plan is on deck.

“No real update there,” Leech said when asked about the team’s long-term stadium plan. “No new information. It’s certainly a complicated process, one that’s going to take a long time to figure out. Obviously we have a lease that runs through 2030. So we’re taking our time and doing all the research we can.

“Really, all options are on the table certainly in terms of what the future could hold, but as I said most of our focus right now is on this season, this team and this stadium.”

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