DENVER — Is there room for another sports championship in Denver? That's what the city's newest professional football team is hoping for.
The Colorado Spartans, part of the National Arena League, played their first season at Blue Arena in Loveland. Now, for their second season, they will move to the Denver Coliseum, where they plan to stay for the foreseeable future.
Team owner Tony Thompson said there is room for another championship in Denver.
"For those who remember John Elway with a team called the Colorado Crush, they won a championship back in the day, and that was exciting times. It has now been laying dormant for 10 years, and I feel like Denver's ready for an arena football team. So that's what we're hoping to bring," said Thompson.
Thompson played college football at South Dakota State and had a brief stint in the NFL.
"I was trying my best, but it's super hard to make it into the NFL. So I always tell people, 'Yeah, I never made any kind of roster. I never played on Sundays but, you know, I definitely gave it my all for a couple of years to try to make that happen.' And then I really stepped away from football and I realized, 'Hey, no NFL teams are calling. My time has passed,'" said Thompson.
Thompson did get another chance to play football for an arena team. In his third year, he had an injury that required season-ending surgery. That's when he became interested in starting his own team.
"I wanted to be involved in arena football as much as I could, and I loved the fan interaction," he said. "I always just love the fact that our players interact and sign autographs. In my day, they called me the strongest man in the league. I put kids up on my shoulder to take pictures. I mean, I'd have a line of 50 kids I gotta take pictures with. But I loved it. That was the fun part about it. So to these little guys, we're their heroes."
Arena football is played on a smaller field than the NFL and the sidelines are replaced with padded walls. Players are also encouraged to interact with the crowd.
The hope is to create high-scoring games, exciting plays, and a fun experience for fans.
"Our players score a touchdown, jump over the wall, sit with you in a crowd, eat some popcorn and jump back over. That's the really cool, fun, exciting thing," said Thompson. "The fan experience, that is the main difference of NFL to arena football. We have high-caliber athletes that we're bringing in. We got a couple of guys who were on the NFL roster, and you got near-NFL talent playing in an arena."
The Denver Coliseum will host seven Colorado Spartans home games beginning March 2025. Denver Coliseum venue director Tad Bowman said it'll be quite a transformation to the arena but nothing new.
"The Coliseum is very versatile and can really host any number of activities. So it should be no problem to get arena football set up inside. They'll be able to use the dasher wall that we have for our hockey setup. It should be a great setup for the Spartans," said Bowman.
Bowman is excited to enjoy the Spartans as a fan, as well.
"I was at the old McNichols Arena when there was a minor league hockey team that came in, the Grizzlies, and they won their championship in the first year. And the next year, when the Avalanche played there, they won the Stanley Cup Championship. So I'm looking forward to the Spartans winning the national arena league championship in their first year," said Bowman.
Arena football is also a cheaper entertainment option compared to an NFL game. Tickets for a Spartans game will start at $25.
"We have a family four-pack for $100. So you can bring your whole family for $100 to a professional environment. I want you to come say, 'Hey, that was really fun. Let's do it again next weekend,'" said Thompson.
To stay up-to-date on ticket sales, you can check out the Colorado Spartans website.
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