DENVER — Throughout the season, Pitchside has introduced you to fans of all ages who've connected with this club and are proud to call the Denver Summit their home team. For this last episode, there's one fan who knows a historic moment when he sees one.
Connor Berry is in his 11th year teaching at Northfield High School, where he was first hired as a football coach and then discovered his passion for teaching social studies. Not only does he have a passion for teaching the past, but also for his home teams.
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“Teaching history is amazing. The history of sports is amazing,” Berry said. “Seeing all of that sort of change and shift and address is really, really cool.”
Not only are his classroom walls covered with history maps but also posters of his favorite teams. The orange and blue of the Denver Broncos are easy to spot, but so is evergreen for the Denver Summit.
Throughout this inaugural season, he has been proud member of the 14ers, which are the official volunteer-led independent supporters for the Denver Summit.
The story of his fandom starts with his family. Berry recalled going to a watch party to cheer on the national team with his little girls and ended up meeting a group supporting the start of Denver Summit FC.
“It's been really, really cool bonding experience and then when the team was announced, it was just like the excitement got ramped up. They got to come with me to the groundbreaking of Centennial stadium. We got to go to the announcement of the team. It was just like, it's been one amazing thing after the other,” Berry said.
Now, living through this historic moment is even more special with Berry sharing it with his three little girls. Besides all the sports gear in the classroom, he also has several photos of his family in memerable Denver Summit moments.
“It's a moment in time that will be remembered and to have been around for it and to be living through and experiencing the change and the shift has been awesome,” Berry said. “I’ve been trying to take pictures of every event we've been at, take pictures like framing my kids with the groundbreaking in the back, so that it's like 20 years from now I'm going to give you this picture and you're going to remember this.”
The Summit’s excitement is also shared by his students with many wearing merchandise for the team. Senior Elizabeth Harrison is planning to play soccer in college and was ecstatic at the news of the Mile High getting a professional women’s team.
“It was really nice to see all these people coming to support women and that women's sports are just as big as men, especially in the U.S., soccer is not as big as in Europe. It's becoming a lot bigger,” Harrison said.
While it may just be their first season, there is no doubt excitement is building all throughout Colorado for the Denver Summit and leaving a lasting impact. The 14ers are putting on a block party on Nov. 14 celebrating the community they’ve built.
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
** game played at DICK's Sporting Goods Park
other home matches scheduled to be played at Centennial Stadium