The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has awarded a new team to Denver, the league announced Thursday. The Denver NWSL team will be the league's 16th franchise and will begin play in the 2026 season. The new team becomes Denver's first women’s professional sports team in a major national league. On Thursday, sports fans like Bill Schrum could not contain their excitement. "A lot of folks that I know have been begging for more information. The fact that we are here today and they are going to start announcing more, you are going to see a hell of a reaction I think," said Schrum. The new Denver NWSL franchise said it is finalizing plans for a purpose-built stadium for professional women’s soccer and a dedicated, purpose-built performance facility for female athletes. The team said more information about the stadium will be available as plans are finalized. The team's name, crest, colors, and brand identity will also be announced at a later date. Fans like Schrum said until this point, he was having to travel out of state to just catch a game. Right now I support ACFC in LA but I would much rather have a team here...If I'm going to be that committed, I would so much rather have it be a local team and be able to show up weekly," he said. More local videos here: https://youtube.com/@9news Subscribe to NEXT: https://youtube.com/@Nexton9NEWS Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: https://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news Twitter: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.