DENVER — The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is set to welcome its newest franchise in Denver, following a groundbreaking expansion fee of $110 million, as reported on Thursday.
This amount marks a significant increase, more than doubling the previous record for expansion fees in the league and becoming the largest fee recorded for a women’s sports team in the United States.
Competing bids from Cleveland and Cincinnati were also in contention for this new franchise.

According to source information, the Denver group finalized its initial payment to the NWSL on Tuesday.
This group is headed by Robert Cohen, CEO of IMA Financial Group, who is slated to take ownership control of the team.
Recent additions to the league included the Utah Royals and Bay FC in the previous season, and a franchise based in Boston is also expected to join the NWSL by 2026, having agreed to a $53 million expansion fee similar to that of Bay FC.

The ownership group led by Cohen also features notable figures such as Ben Hubbard, a former official from the Obama administration and current CEO of Denver insurance firm Parsyl, as well as sports executive Tom Dunmore, Phos CEO Nicole Glaros, and former NWSL player Jordan Angeli.

The new ownership team has indicated plans to initially play in a temporary venue while working towards the establishment of a dedicated soccer stadium for their franchise.