It was a particularly warm housewarming party for Denver Summit FC.

The Summit welcomed fans to the team’s first game at its new stadium in Centennial, aptly named Centennial Stadium, on Saturday for a match against Portland Thorns FC.

And while fans certainly got the most out of the electric game day atmosphere, that atmosphere also included a lack of shade and a limited number of water fountains, which can be difficult on a hot July day.

Centennial Stadium seats 12,372 fans and will serve as a temporary home for the Summit until the permanent venue at Santa Fe Yards in Denver is completed. That is expected in 2028. The Summit had been playing home games during its inaugural season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which seats a little over 18,000, and the club set an NWSL record during its first home game with an attendance of 63,000 at Empower Field.

By the club’s official numbers, Saturday’s game was a sellout. But by the eye test, it was hard to tell. Once the game actually kicked off, the stands were mostly full of cheering and chanting fans, with a few hundred seats still empty.

Maybe they were taking a break from the heat. Take a walk around the stadium as the game was going on, and you’d find many fans taking refuge under the stands, one of the only places with shade in the stadium beyond the Summit’s and Thorns’ benches. 

Fans had a lot of good things to say about the new stadium. For one, it’s a home that the Summit can claim as its own. The stadium is adorned with green seating and banners of the team’s players hang from the bleachers.

Crystal Samuel came to the game with her friends Ashley Holmes and Hannah Klaassen. The friends live only about a mile from the stadium, so transportation was no issue. Samuel said she’s been to every one of the Summit’s home games thus far.

The friends said they thought it was awesome to see a stadium dedicated to women’s sports.

“I think it’s awesome to have something specific to girls, women’s sports and women’s soccer,” Samuel said. “Everything is tailored to the Summit, and I think it looks really great.”

Klaassen said the reduced number of seats compared to previous arenas meant every fan was close to the action.

“Every seat is a good seat,” Klaassen said.

There was also no lack of good food options and fun things to do, as fans arrived several hours early to hang out at the stadium’s fan zone on a turf field across the street. If you’re looking for food, the stadium was host to a number of options, including classic stadium eats like hot dogs, pretzels and nachos, and more premium options from food trucks selling pizza, Greek and Asian bowls and sandwiches.

Beer will run you about the same price as it would at other major sporting events, with domestic Coors available for $11 and “premium” beers (Michelob and Modelo) available for $13. Those wanting a seltzer will have to fork over a little bit more, as High Noons were selling for $14.

While fans were certainly excited about the new stadium, there were also some worries seen first on social media and echoed by some fans at the game. To start, there isn’t a dedicated parking lot, so many fans had to park and walk as far as a mile to get to the game, or take a shuttle. What parking there is requires a fee, and while it is only $7, it was free at Dick’s.

A big concern was the lack of shade. The Summit warned fans ahead of time on social media to stay hydrated and bring sunscreen. With clear skies overhead, temperatures hit the mid-90s around the start of the game. Many fans left their seats during the game to take refuge in the shade under the bleachers or wait in long lines to refill their water, missing critical parts of the game.

Some Portland fans made the trek from Oregon for the game, and while they might be biased, they said Centennial Stadium has a lot to catch up on if it wants to compare itself to the Thorns’ stadium, Providence Park.

Gary Ploski came to the game from Portland with a friend from the Denver area. In comparing Providence to Centennial, he said the stadium in Portland is very accessible, with tons of public transit options available, as it’s located in the heart of the city.

Ploski did say he’s looking forward to the Summit’s official home stadium being completed and plans to come back for another Summit game in 2028.

The energy at Centennial Stadium was infectious. Before kickoff, red, white and blue fireworks erupted, leaving colored smoke hovering over the field. The fans erupted themselves as the players were introduced, with the loudest cheers reserved for women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps, who made her Summit debut Saturday.

The 14ers, the official support group of the Summit, has its own section at the stadium, Section 114. That section led the stadium in cheers, chants and drum beats, as “Let’s Go Summit!” echoed throughout the stadium and fans began pounding their feet on the metal bleachers to drum up noise for the team.

Chris Weber pointed to the fans’ energy as being the best part about the gameday atmosphere, which was his first game as a fan.

“Fans are singing, they’re screaming, they’re backing the team,” Weber said. “It’s good. It’s fun.”

And in the end, the Summit walked out of its first game in its new home with a 2-1 victory and a move up in the standings as it pushed closer to a playoff spot. And they gave their fans something to go home happy about.