DENVER — Why would anyone wake up to get to Denver Union Station at 4:30 a.m.?
The answer is simple:
“Premier League Mornings Live brought us here.”
Jeff Lauritz attended the fanfest on Saturday, Oct. 10 with his son, Kai, who got into the Premier League "a few years ago." He said they attended Premier League matches across the pond together last spring.
"It’s just a great atmosphere, so we’re hoping to kinda see what the U.S. does," he told USA TODAY Sports at around 5:45 a.m. MT before the sun was up.
The Denver stop of Premier League Mornings Live was held on the weekend of Oct. 10 and 11 at Union Station. It was the 13th edition of the fanfest, which was previously held in Philadelphia, Miami, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities across
the United States since 2017.
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While final attendance for the weekend in the Mile High City had not been released at the time of publication, more than 120,000 fans have been part of the previous editions.
Chris Montes was familiar with the Premier League fanfest, which is a partnership with NBC Sports. The event is a big watch party for several of the weekend's matches, has the "Premier League Mornings Live" set live on the premise, and features activations from several of the clubs and league sponsors. There's limited edition merchandise, special appearances from league legends and mascots and more.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always seen these on TV," Montes said, "so I’d always tell myself that whenever it came to Colorado, I’d love to go."
He was wearing a Chicharito Manchester United jersey. He first became familiar with the Red Devils because his brother played in a Manchester tournament in the U.S. He decided to fully commit in 2010 when Mexico's all-time leading scorer joined the club.
As soon as Montes heard that the event was coming to Denver, he reached out to his friend and Vans co-worker, Shey Vice, and they both decided to go. Vice was wearing a Chelsea kit. He first got into the Premier League "ironically" when Arsenal were the Invincibles and went undefeated during the 2003-04 season. But he felt a special connection with Chelsea and their all-time leading scorer.
"I just started watching Chelsea and I started trying to emulate some of their players rather than rooting for like (Thierry) Henry and all those Arsenal players," he said. "They had a good squad, but (Frank) Lampard is one of my favorite players of all time, so I had to support Chelsea."
They arrived at around 4 a.m. MT based on information Montes had seen on the internet about when to arrive. The Premier League said the fans who were first in line camped out as early as midnight, four hours before gates opened at 4:30 a.m.
"All the posts would be like, 'Yeah, usually 50 people or so around 4 a.m.,'" he said. "Yeah, no. ... I was expecting it to not be this crazy, but I love it. I love that soccer’s growing.”
And it wasn't only the Premier League that was represented, but the event was a celebration of the beautiful game overall. One fan donned a Diego Maradona Napoli jersey. A handful of people wore United States national team kits and others broke out their Denver Summit FC gear. The NWSL team is playing in its inaugural season and shattered the league's single match attendance record in its home opener.
Premier League Mornings Live has become self-explanatory, yet can't be put into words.
Kevin Phillips, who won the Golden Boot in the 1999-2000 season with 30 goals for Sunderland, was representing the club over the weekend. He previously attended the fanfest in Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
“You try and explain to people at home what it’s about. ‘What, you’re just watching games in the street? Outside a train station?'" he said. "But it’s not like that. You have to come and experience it.”
The latest Premier League Mornings Live fanfest followed the league’s Coast to Coast event series that happened in August during the opening weekend of the 2026-27 season. There were watch parties for clubs across the country to capitalize on the momentum from this summer's World Cup. Arsenal's activation was a watch party in Denver at nearby McGregor Square.
Michael Bridges, who was a former player for Leeds United and was representing the club at Denver's Premier League Mornings Live, spoke on what makes fans in the United States unique. He previously was a part of the fanfest in Orlando in 2023.
“It’s a lot of commitment if you’re a Premier League fan. To watch the games at the hours of the morning, it’s a hell of a commitment to do so," he said. "... I witnessed it in Orlando, you saw the impact it had, the commitment that was shown when we got up early. And to come to another place in the USA in Denver, to be sitting here, you pinch yourself as an ex-player."
Leeds was playing defending champion Arsenal as the first match of the weekend at 5:30 a.m. local time, so the Gooners had a strong representation.
Onwar Shaheer was an Arsenal fan who got to the event around 4:20 a.m.
"I haven’t been to a fanfest in the States yet," he said. "So I wanted to experience the fanfest and see how it’s ran and just be part of the environment while my team plays.”
Premier League's ties to the United States
The Arsenal vs. Leeds United match represented some of the practical ties that the Premier League has with the United States. Both clubs are among the Premier League teams that have American ownership.
Arsenal is owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. Stan Kroenke just added the Los Angeles Angels to his portfolio that also includes the Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids. Leeds United is owned by 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group, helmed by Paraag Marathe and Jed York, who also own the San Francisco 49ers.
Crystal Palace is owned by Josh Harris, Dave Blitzer and Woody Johnson, who own the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Jets.
There are also a handful of players on the United States men's national team that are on Premier League rosters. Brenden Aaronson is on Leeds United and newly appointed captain Tyler Adams is on AFC Bournemouth. The club's activation had a surfing simulator, since it's a coastal town, and an opportunity to win a signed Adams kit.
Several other clubs had activations to engage with fans and create excitement. Tottenham’s was the largest with a guy waving a massive flag out front of the patio area called Spurs House. Supporters could get a free tote bag, get a drink at the bar and socialize with fellow Spurs supporters.
Fans could make their own trading card at Crystal Palace's booth. Aston Villa had the Europa League trophy on display for fans to take photos with. There was also an opportunity to take a photo with the Premier League Trophy.
The brand partners got in on the fun. EA Sports had an area where fans could play EA Sports FC 27, the latest edition of the popular video game series formerly known as FIFA. Rezzil, a virtual reality company, had an activation where fans could do a header drill.
Denver reacts to Manchester City guilty of financial infractions
Throughout the weekend, the “Premier League Mornings Live” set was on site directly in front of the brick building of Union Station. Fans were delighted to interact with Rebecca Lowe and USMNT legend Tim Howard, who had a stint with the Rapids.
The big news in the Premier League is that Manchester City was found guilty of more than 100 charges for violating the EPL’s financial policy. The verdict came out during the international break and this weekend was the first time Manchester City, and all the clubs, would be playing since the news broke.
At the beginning of the "Premier League Mornings Live" broadcast on Saturday when the sun had yet to rise, fans booed loudly when Lowe introduced the topic for conversation. When a commentator said a possible penalty is that City could be banned from the league, the crowd cheered.
There was a solid contingent of Arsenal supporters at Premier League Mornings Live bright and early on Saturday morning.
— Victoria Hernandez (@LadyViii) October 12, 2026
When Rebecca Lowe introduced the topic of the Manchester City scandal, the crowd booed loudly. pic.twitter.com/5WclkHVfDh
Ben Tarver and Gabriel Aguilar had a clever response to the news. They arrived at around 4:40 a.m. and brought with them hand-made signs utilizing popular Oasis songs to mock the Enzo Maresca-led club. Tarver’s said, “Wonderwallet: Today’s gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw the book at you” in reference to Wonderwall, which was the England national team’s World Cup anthem this summer. Aguilar’s said, “Sham-pagne Supernova,” a spin off “Champagne Supernova” mocking the “sham” contracts that Manchester City created to dodge infractions.
Momentum from World Cup present at Premier League Mornings Live
Jeff wore a Manchester City jacket to show his support despite the controversy. He explained how he and his son chose to support the Citizens in the first place.
"The age old tale, somebody that really annoyed him at school was a Man United fan, so we went with the rivals," he said.
Kai is also a big fan of Erling Haaland. The Norway striker captured hearts across the globe this summer at the World Cup because of his penchant for scoring and because of his lighthearted personality.
"I loved it a lot," he shared, "especially since we’re also Norwegian.”
The World Cup was held for the first time in three countries this summer. The United States, Mexico and Canada shared hosting duties and the tournament broke records for viewership and attendance. With 182 participants in the World Cup, the Premier League was the league that had the most players in the tournament. After the competition, several players switched teams to join or leave the league, but stars like Haaland and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka remain.
Ledley King, a former Tottenham captain, was representing the club over the weekend and could tell the energy from the massive tournament lingered.
"You can still feel the atmosphere, the love for soccer over here," he said. "I remember the previous World Cup, I think it was ’94 in the U.S. and it really took a big boom after that. And hopefully, after the last World Cup, we’re gonna see a surge again in people playing soccer, girls and boys. So it’s a great time to be here in the moment.”
Former Premier League player David Meyler was representing newly-promoted Hull City, the club who upset Manchester United during opening weekend. He shared his thoughts on the World Cup, inserting a lighthearted jab that was an opinion widely shared by the football community.
“It was a big spectacle. It was amazing. I enjoyed watching it. I mean, you get to see the best players," he said. "Obviously, the hydration breaks weren’t great.
"But besides that, no, I think the tournament was a huge success and then even staging over the three countries and having that exposure in these areas is just incredible.”
Smaller clubs have opportunity to grow at Premier League Mornings Live
While globally known clubs like Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea were well represented at Premier League Mornings Live, the event was a chance for the little guys to shine, too.
Shola Ameobi played for Newcastle United, his hometown club, for more than a decade. He is now Head of Corporate Affairs for the Magpies and was among the legends interacting with fans at Premier League Mornings Live. He explained on Friday how David Hopkinson, who became CEO in 2025, is embracing opportunities like this to bring the club success on and off the pitch.
“We have to make sure that what our CEO has coined Newcastle 2.0 has a clear strategy and a plan of how we’re gonna bridge that and it’s gonna take everyone along with our fans and our fans around the world globally as well," he said. "That’s one of the things we wanna do really is sort of have more of a global footprint and impact and I think that’s gonna be, that’s one of the key strategies for us. Certainly the U.S. market is a huge part of that and that’s why we’re out here."
Brian and Bree Lopez were soaking in the atmosphere on Saturday morning while wearing Fulham gear.
"They’re a small club, but we have a loyal following here," Brian said. "There’s a few guys around, so yeah, we just love it. Every Saturday and Sunday morning, waking up for match day.”
They got to the fanfest around 6 a.m. local time with Fulham's match against Ipswich Town set for an 8 a.m. kickoff.
“We heard some people showed up last night at like midnight, but I don’t know, a little crazy," he said.
The couple became Cottagers when they visited Brian's brother in the United Kingdom and attended a Fulham match at Craven Cottage. The stadium was literally built around a cottage and has been in use since 1896.
"You immediately fall in love," Brian said.
"You’re an absolute fan from the get-go," Bree added.
And, thanks to Premier League Mornings Live, they could continue engaging with their club even if they are an ocean away.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Premier League Mornings Live became must-see soccer fanfest event
