Nearly a year after initially announcing the construction of a new stadium, the Denver Broncos' ownership group's efforts to bring the Burnham Yard area to life have picked up significant steam in recent weeks.
After the acquisition of the land held by SMR Concrete surrounding Burnham Yard on Monday, Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner opened up about the stadium itself, laying out three important priorities the team wants to have. "We want to be able to enjoy the outdoor Colorado weather," Penner said on Tuesday. "(No.) 2, we want to be able to grow grass. Then (No.) 3, as we were thinking about a retractable roof, we want the skydivers to be able to land.”
All three of those priorities will bring significant challenges in and of themselves. One of the best things about Empower Field at Mile High has been the spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains rising above the Denver skyline, as well as the unique Colorado weather. Despite having over 300 days of sunshine, the weather can turn on a dime (see the 2025 AFC Championship). How will the new proposed stadium preserve these elements?
When it comes to having a natural grass surface, there are a few different options the Broncos could use. If the retractable roof can provide good sunlight to the entire field, there won't be a need for extraordinary efforts. Otherwise, they could go the route of a retractable field tray, similar to what the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals do at their respective fields, or they could pivot to the futuristic route of stadiums like Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu's incredible pitch retraction system.
Third, is solving the problem of the Broncos' skydiving team. The Thunderstorm skydiving team is the only one of its kind in the NFL, parachuting into the stadium during pregame festivities. The group is so iconic, it was used in a promo for Madden 27. The group trains constantly, but could a (presumably) narrower target jeopardize the group's continued existence? Penner doesn't want that to happen.
The Broncos have targeted a stadium opening for the 2031 season. Penner acknowledged the land and approval challenges surrounding the project. "We’re making some progress, especially on the things that are really in our control," Penner said. "You all saw the property that we closed on (Monday), which was an important step. Really good progress with our architect and also the master plan. This is a process for some of the other steps that we need a lot of collaboration with different groups whether it be the CBA process, Denver Water relocation, city approvals — there’s still a lot of work to do and the 2031 timeline is aggressive. We can’t do it by ourselves.”
You can see more of Penner's comments below.
"One, want to be able to enjoy the outdoor Colorado weather. Two, we want to be able to grow grass, and then three...we want the skydivers to be able to land."
Greg Penner on the Denver Broncos' new stadium #broncoscountryhttps://t.co/N5oUCypybVpic.twitter.com/ked2o6Uriw
The team hopes to break ground on the new development in late spring or early summer of 2027, according to president Damani Leech. In the meantime, the club has released some incredible before and after renderings of the proposed Burnham Yard development.
If the city of Denver and community helps move the processes of permits and approvals along, Burnham Yard could very well turn from a "preferred site" to a "permanent site" in the coming months.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Greg Penner wants Broncos’ new stadium to have 3 key elements
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