AFS Advises NWSL in Denver Expansion

ArentFox Shiff served as legal counsel to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the transaction awarding an expansion team to the City of Denver.

Denver secured rights to Team 16 and is the fourth expansion team in the past two years. The new team is set to begin play in the 2026 season alongside BOS Nation FC, the NWSL’s Team 15.

“As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base, and Denver is the perfect match,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman in the organization’s press release. Commissioner Berman also highlighting the importance of the new team’s plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility.

The investment group, led by Rob Cohen (of IMA Financial Group), includes Project Level, a newly formed fund dedicated to women’s sports led by Mellody Hobson (of Ariel Investments), and former Washington Commanders President Jason Wright, FirstTracks Sports Ventures (led by Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz), Neelima Joshi and Dhiren Jhaveri, and Molly Coors.

The AFS team included Stephen P. Hanson, Hunter T. Carter, Mike Ragan, Olga Bogush, Ben Leese, Andrew Ross, Felicia A. Xu, and Emily P. Caylor.

From coast to coast, ArentFox Schiff boasts one of the country’s most experienced and diverse sports law practices. The group regularly advises leagues, teams, venues, operators, sponsors, and brands across all major professional and collegiate sports throughout the United States and internationally. The AFS team’s experience covers nearly every type of commercial transaction in the sports industry, including a rapidly expanding and preeminent focus in the development and implementation of initial naming rights and founding sponsorship programs, as well as the negotiation and finalization of key foundational operational agreements such as management agreements, ticketing agreements, food and beverage agreements, pouring rights agreements, and more.

The Sports group has key experience beyond the more traditional practice areas in burgeoning new sectors of the sports industry, such as the interplay with private equity, fantasy sports, gaming, e-sports, and blockchain and artificial intelligence applications. The Sports group also represents some of the most well-known athletes, agencies, and artists, as well as advertising agencies and startup companies, on a broad array of sports-related engagements.

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