Empower Field at Mile High
Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High, and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High, or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado, United States. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. The venue was previously home of the Denver Outlaws lacrosse team and the Colorado Rapids soccer team. It has also played host to countless concerts and served as the venue for Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
For the original stadium, see Mile High Stadium.Former names
Invesco Field (2001–2011)
Sports Authority Field (2011–2018)
Broncos Stadium (2018–2019)
Metropolitan Football Stadium District
132
76,125 (football)
85,000+ (concerts)
85,233 (August 19, 2023; Ed Sheeran, +–=÷× Tour)
Kentucky Bluegrass[1] (2015–present)
Artificial Turf[1] (2001–2015)
August 17, 1999
August 11, 2001
- HNTB
- Fentress Architects
- Bertram A. Burton and Associates
ICON Venue Group[3]
M-E Engineers, Inc.[5]
The stadium is nicknamed Mile High due to not only its predecessor, but due to the city's elevation of 1 mile or 5,280 feet (1,610 m) above sea level.[6] Given the difficulty of competing at altitude, as well as the notoriously loud fans, the Broncos are known to have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL.[7]
On March 24, 2022, a fire broke out that damaged some suites and many seats on the third level. The fire was caused by sparks from a welding torch.[8]
Financing[edit]
Legislative effort[edit]
The Broncos' pursuit of the new stadium included a lobbying effort that included 13 lawyers and tens of thousands of dollars. This effort was directed at the passing of SB 171 which put Referendum 4A on the November 1998 ballot. SB 171 was sponsored by Representative Doug Dean (R) from Colorado Springs. Members of the state legislature claimed that this was one of the largest lobbying efforts they had seen.[9]
In November 1998, Denver voters passed referendum 4A which was in favor of the construction of a new football stadium to replace the existing Mile High Stadium. The referendum was included on the ballots of six Colorado counties that comprise the Denver Metropolitan area.[10] The referendum called for the extension of a tenth of a percent sales tax on transactions within the Metro area to go towards the cost of issuing a $224.9 million bond.[11] This tax was originally established in 1990 when the Colorado Rockies sought public financing for Coors Field.[12] Financing and construction for the stadium was monitored by the Metropolitan Football Stadium District (MFSD). The MFSD is a subdivision of the State of Colorado that, "was created for the purpose of planning, acquiring land and constructing a professional football stadium". The MFSD is also responsible for implementing the MFSD tax.[13] The extension of the original stadium tax came into effect on January 1, 2001.[12]
The funding deal between the Broncos and the State of Colorado called for the team to pay 25% of the estimated cost of $400 million while the state would pay the other 75% of the cost. Part of the agreement stipulated that the MFSD would collect half of the 10 year, $120 million naming rights deal with Invesco Funds Group. Upon Sports Authority’s bankruptcy, the Broncos agreed to pay the MFSD $3.6 million to assume ownership of the naming rights of the stadium.[11]
Improvements[edit]
On December 21, 2012, the Broncos announced a $30 million renovation project prior to the start of the 2013 season, including a new HD LED video board on the stadium's south end zone that tripled the size of the video board used in the early 2000s.[18]
In 2013, it was revealed that a Neil Smith Kansas City Chiefs jersey was buried somewhere near the 50-yard line by a couple of out-of-state contractors during renovations, despite Smith's play on the Broncos' Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII-winning teams. The curse the contractors hoped to create did not occur as the Broncos won another Super Bowl two years later, Super Bowl 50.[19]
In an effort to be selected as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the MFSD invested $8.3 million on stadium improvements to satisfy FIFA's requirements. Included in the improvements are the addition of LED lights as well as locker room and seating upgrades.[20]
On December 14, 2022 the Broncos announced more than $100 million in upgrades to the stadium that would be completed during the off season and in time for the 2023 season. Upgrades include expanding the video board and an all-inclusive hospitality club on field level.[21] In August 2023, the Broncos debuted the improvements, including the new scoreboard, measuring 225 feet (69 m) wide by 72 feet (22 m) tall, making it the fifth largest screen in any NFL stadium.[22]
Controversies[edit]
Naming rights[edit]
During construction of the new stadium, Denver mayor, Wellington Webb opposed the sale of the stadium's naming rights. At this time, the potential partners were AT&T, Janus Capital, and Invesco Funds Group. A group called Friends of Mile High created a poll asking whether fans preferred the old name or would be fine with a corporate sponsor. The poll found that 70% of respondents preferred to keep the name as Mile High despite a potential loss of $89 million in revenue for the state.[23]
Many fans opposed a corporate name and wished to retain the previous venue's name, "Mile High Stadium."[24] The Denver Post initially refused to use the Invesco label and referred to it as Mile High Stadium for several years before changing its policy and adding Invesco to articles.
On August 16, 2011, the Metropolitan Stadium District announced Invesco would immediately transfer the naming rights to Englewood-based Sports Authority in a 25-year agreement worth $6 million per year.[14] In August 2016, the Denver Broncos paid $3,601,890 to the Metropolitan Football Stadium District to purchase the naming rights to the stadium.[25] As the naming rights change began to occur, the MFSD sought permission to install larger signs on the newly named stadium. Residents of the neighborhood sought to block the installation of new signs in an effort to keep light pollution down. Neighborhood complaints included concerns about light pollution as well as the aesthetic value of the Sports Authority sign that the MFSD hoped to install on the stadium.[26]
In 2016, several Colorado legislators attempted to pass a bill in the Colorado State Legislature that would require the "Mile High" moniker regardless of any naming rights deal, citing the large public contribution to the stadium's construction;[27] the bill failed to pass out of a Senate Committee in May 2016.[28]
Location[edit]
The construction of the stadium marked the completion of a six-year sporting venue upgrade program in Denver, including the construction of Coors Field and of Pepsi Center. As with the other venues, the stadium was constructed to be easily accessible. It sits along Interstate 25 near the Colfax Avenue and 17th Avenue exits. It is also bordered by Federal Boulevard, a major Denver thoroughfare, on the west side. A dedicated light rail station also serves the stadium. The stadium is located in the Sun Valley neighborhood.
Stadium culture and traditions[edit]
A home game tradition (carried over from the original Mile High Stadium) is the "Incomplete Chant." At Broncos home games, when the opposing team throws an incomplete pass, the stadium announcer will state "Pass thrown by [the opposing quarterback] intended for [the opposing intended receiver] is..." at which time the fans complete the sentence by shouting "IN-COM-PLETE!!".[31] The Broncos filed to register a trademark for the chant in 2020.[32] In a tradition carried over from Mile High Stadium, the stadium's public-address announcer will give the final official attendance for the game, including the number of unused tickets; in response, Broncos fans "boo" the no-shows. During the stadium's first years, in another tradition that was carried over from Mile High, Broncos fans on one side of the stadium would chant "Go" and fans on the other side would respond "Broncos," back and forth chanting for several minutes. That tradition has since died out. Another long-term tradition is famed rowdiness of fans seated in the "South Stands," although this tradition has diminished significantly as well. Finally, especially in the upper two decks, the fans create their own 'Mile High Thunder' (and warm themselves) by stamping their feet on the stadium's floors. The old Mile High Stadium was built with bare metal, and the 'Thunder' reverberated readily. The new stadium was built with steel floors to preserve this unique acoustic feature.[33]
The stadium also continued the tradition of displaying Bucky the Bronco, a 30-foot (9.1 m) high replica of Roy Rogers horse, Trigger, on top of the main scoreboard.[34]
The stadium has sold out every Denver Broncos' home game since its inception in 2001, extending the "sold-out" streak that began during the team's tenure at Mile High Stadium, where every home game had been sold out since 1970 (though due to NFL policy, local TV broadcasts of sold-out games did not start until 1973).
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum[edit]
The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum opened in August 2001. It is located at Gate #1 on the west side of the stadium.
2022 fire[edit]
A fire broke out on March 24, 2022, destroying several sections of third row seats and fourth-level suites, though no injuries were reported. The fire caused damage to approximately "1000 feet of seating." The cause of the fire was determined to be from a welding torch being used on an expansion joint.[8] The fire also forced Empower Field at Mile High staff to reorganize events scheduled to take place at the stadium.[62] The damage was said to be a "real challenge" to repair in time for the next Denver Broncos regular season, due to damage to steel risers and difficulties in procuring replacement materials.[63]
