The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Print Edition
Letter to the editor submissions
Have a strong opinion about something happening on campus or in Fort Collins? Want to respond to an article written on The Collegian? Write a Letter to the Editor by following the guidelines here.
Follow Us on Twitter
From the Rockies to the Races: Why College Students Are Joining the Celebrity-Packed  Kentucky Derby
From the Rockies to the Races: Why College Students Are Joining the Celebrity-Packed Kentucky Derby
April 24, 2024

The Kentucky Derby, often celebrated as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” transcends mere horse racing to become a staple of American...

Professional sports are headed to Northern Colorado

Graphic illustration depicting a crowd of silhouetted people (like in a sports event) with a banner above reading "Colorado Professional Sports Coverage."
(Graphic Illustration by Jake Dunaetz | The Collegian)

The new Future Legends Complex in Windsor, Colorado, will welcome two professional teams to its facility starting in 2022 — The Orem Owlz, a baseball club in the Pioneer League, and a newly formed pro soccer team.

The complex and the professional competitions it will host are roughly 20 minutes south of Fort Collins, likely making it a frequent future destination of the Colorado State University and greater Fort Collins community.  The new programs coming to Northern Colorado will look to enrich the local sports communities and allow interested fans to experience localized professional competition.

Ad

The Owlz, formally located in Orem, Utah, announced their move to Northern Colorado — becoming the NoCo Owlz — to join the eight-team Pioneer League. The Pioneer League is a new partner league of the Major League Baseball Association.

Northern Colorado is the heartbeat of sports and outdoor recreation.” — Jeff Katofsky, Owlz Owner

According to 9News, the league will begin its season on Memorial Day weekend and will finish in September. The five-month season is striving for a 92-game season depending on COVID-19 restrictions, with the Owlz planning on hosting 46 home games at the Future Legends Sports Complex.

The complex, while open for the Owlz this year, will fully open to the public in 2022. The Owlz owner, Jeff Katofsky, helped pave the way for the development of the complex. According to ballparkdigest.com, Ryan Spilborghs, a former player for the Colorado Rockies and a key investor in the project, helped turn the Future Legends Sports Complex into a reality. The complex has 10 baseball diamonds, 12 soccer pitches, a 64-team dorm and will host many adult and youth tournaments.

The other club preparing to call Future Legends Complex home is the newly formed third-tier pro soccer team. The United Soccer League’s League One will welcome the Northern Colorado Football Club. The Katofsky family are majority owners of the NoCo FC and Future Legends ownership group.

USL1 will have 12 teams for the 2021 campaign but will add three other clubs in the next few years.

NoCo FC lacks an official logo and team name but is in the works. The football club will allow the community to aid in name and logo selection.

“Northern Colorado is the heartbeat of sports and outdoor recreation,” Katofsky said. “We could not have chosen a better place to bring professional soccer and baseball and could not be more proud and humbled to be welcomed into this community.”

Tyler Meguire can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @TMeguire.

Ad

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

When commenting on The Collegian’s website, please be respectful of others and their viewpoints. The Collegian reviews all comments and reserves the right to reject comments from the website. Comments including any of the following will not be accepted. 1. No language attacking a protected group, including slurs or other profane language directed at a person’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social class, age, physical or mental disability, ethnicity or nationality. 2. No factually inaccurate information, including misleading statements or incorrect data. 3. No abusive language or harassment of Collegian writers, editors or other commenters. 4. No threatening language that includes but is not limited to language inciting violence against an individual or group of people. 5. No links.
All The Rocky Mountain Collegian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *