Janine Sonis calls Denver Summit FC’s new training facility “an athlete’s wonderland.” 

The 20,000-square-foot CommonSpirit Performance Center in Centennial boasts amenities like a state-of-the-art gym, a cryotherapy chamber, hydrotherapy pools, massage rooms and a sauna. The white-and-green locker rooms are sleek and modern, with each player’s locker including a Colorado fourteener image and information as a nod to their namesake. 

Having grown up 15 minutes away, National Women’s Soccer League veteran Sonis never would have imagined calling a facility like this home.

“It can’t be overstated how important it is to have young boys and girls see this in their backyard,” said Sonis, a Highlands Ranch native. “What the (Colorado) Rapids have created is amazing, and now they are seeing it from both sides. Exposure is the dream maker. People have to see that you can do it, and this facility says that and more.” 

Denver held a grand opening for its new training facility Friday, introducing media, civic leaders, community partners, supporters and club representatives to the top-tier training center. 

What makes the facility stand out is that it was designed for the female athlete. The club’s goal was to set a new standard for women’s professional sports facilities, and it certainly met the mark. 

“The first vision and discussions with Rob (Cohen) were to be intentional about designing for female athletes, which hasn’t been historically achieved over the years,” said Sherri Privitera, Populous Senior Principal and women’s pro sports lead. “We are taking a good progression into that and defining what that means to design for a female athlete.”

Populous, a global design firm, designed the facility with project management provided by CAA ICON and construction by Haselden Construction and Barton Malow Construction. 

Several club representatives, including President Jen Millet and owner Cohen, spoke on the significance of the facility for the future of the NWSL and women’s professional sports. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and campus tours followed the speeches. 

“For me, seeing the athletes’ excitement last week when they came into the building helped me understand how rare and unique the facility is and needs to happen across the entire league,” Cohen said.

“The good news is we are seeing that kind of investment across the league. Since we announced our performance center, several others are doing the same.”

A facility 16 months in the making

The performance center, developed in partnership with the city of Centennial and the Cherry Creek School District, will serve as the club’s permanent training facility but will also host professional teams and districtwide school events. 

The facility sits next to the club’s 12,000-seat temporary stadium, which will be utilized starting July 18 of the 2026 season through the 2027 season. 

There are two natural grass fields, a natural grass agility zone and an artificial turf field, but there eventually will be eight soccer fields. The stadium will be configured into a 4,000-seat CCSD athletics venue after 2027.  

“Anyone who is a parent or anywhere in the state knows how hard it is to find fields, especially fields that are well maintained,” Millet said. “So we are excited to introduce shared fields and give encouragement to boys and girls that there is access to sport and that being able to play on the same field as a professional is pretty special.”

After Denver was awarded a franchise 18 months ago, conversations quickly arose regarding building a performance center. Populous began the design process two months later.

With a tight deadline and no roster yet, Populous turned to experts across multiple fields for guidance in making it a facility for female athletes. It worked with high-performance experts, athletic trainers, and medical professionals, as well as specialists in soccer and women’s health. 

“What really informed us most were the female athletes we interacted with to understand design needs from a sport recovery perspective,” Privitera said. “It’s been really revealing that these athletes historically haven’t been given the tools they need to succeed.”

Populous has designed other women’s sports teams’ facilities, including the Portland Thorns (NWSL) and Portland Fire’s (WNBA) Kaiser Permanente Center, and will design facilities for the Chicago Stars (NWSL) and Atlanta’s future NWSL team. 

Privacy and safety

Just about every detail in Denver’s training facility has the female athlete in mind, such as readily available nutrition just outside the door to the practice fields. 

“Females need protein and carbs within 30 minutes of working out, whereas men can go up to 60,”  Privitera said. “Where we put that nutrition is important so the athletes can grab and go off the pitch.”

That’s just one example of how intentional Populous was in making the facility comfortable for female athletes. Privacy and safety were priorities for Populous and the club in the design process. 

An example of this is in the changing rooms. Through its research, the firm found that not all athletes like changing in front of teammates, so it added changing rooms and a mother’s room.

Not wanting to compromise the foundation of the training center, Populous was careful not to downsize the gym. Female athletes and females in general build confidence through community and being around each other, Privitera said. 

The neutral wood tones inside and outside the building intentionally create a calm and welcoming environment. 

 “Athletes have said ‘it feels like the center was designed for me’, and that matters,” Privitera said. “This place will absolutely attract athletes. You know you have great facilities on-site, and players will be confident they are taken care of.”

Sonis is still exploring every facet of the facility and says it feels “surreal.” It’s a far cry from the youth fields she used to train on early in her NWSL career and makes her even more excited for the club’s future. 

“When you walk into a space especially designed for you to help you reach your potential, it raises everyone’s standards,” Sonis said. “The 90 minutes people see on game day is only a small fraction of what goes into being a professional athlete and building a championship team. 

“Most of the work happens behind the scenes, and now we have a world-class facility for the world-class athletes that are on this team.”

What I’m thinking

• Denver saw its defensive numbers improve over the first half of the season and must see that continue over the next 19 games, starting with Kansas City. The Current bring one of the strongest attacking games in the league, led by Temwa Chawinga, who is second in the league in goals with seven in eight games played. 

• During media availability this week, Summit defender Kaleigh Kurtz joked she may play longer than she thought she would because of the new performance center. While it was likely a joke, I wonder if more facilities like Denver’s could prolong players’ careers. I would lean toward yes.  

What I’m seeing

• Gotham FC beat the Kansas City Current 2-0 on Friday to win this year’s NWSL Challenger Cup. The annual single-game matchup was between the 2025 NWSL champions (Gotham FC) and the 2025 NWSL Shield winners (Kansas City). 

• The international break has included some surprising league moves, especially for Angel City. Angel City parted ways with its head coach, Alex Straus, while one of its top midfielders, Kennedy Fuller, is headed to Bay FC. However, Kansas City Current and USWNT forward Ally Sentnor is headed to Angel City on an $850,000 transfer, according to ESPN. 

• In other NWSL transfer news, Chelsea FC star forward Sam Kerr has officially signed with Gotham FC after 6 1/2 seasons with the English club. Kerr, the NWSL’s all-time leading regular-season goal scorer, signed with the club through 2030 after three previous seasons with the former Sky Blue FC from 2015-17.

What I’m hearing

• Team captain Lindsey Heaps arrived in Denver on Wednesday following her European season with OL Lyonnes, as seen in a video on the Summit’s social media. The forward’s debut with the Summit is unknown, but coach Nick Cushing said he is eager to get started. 

• Denver’s game against Kansas City on Friday will be a homecoming for Kansas City head coach Chris Armas, who coached the Colorado Rapids for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Cushing told the Summit players that although they may know Kansas City better than Armas, he knows Armas better from playing against him over the years. 

What they’re saying

“To have two fields in incredible condition and be able to look at our stadium while we practice gives us energy every day. This facility gives us every opportunity to be the best we can be. It gives us a no-excuse culture.”

— Cushing on the Summit’s new CommonSpirit Performance Center