{"id":388439,"date":"2026-01-05T03:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T03:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/388439\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T03:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T03:00:31","slug":"portland-thorns-and-wnba-team-unveil-plans-for-joint-practice-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/388439\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland Thorns and WNBA team unveil plans for joint practice facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portland Thorns<\/a> and future Portland WNBA<\/a> team have a new home.<\/p>\n

A first-of-its-kind, joint practice facility is expected to open by early 2026 and will serve both the NWSL and WNBA team, owners and operators RAJ Sports announced Thursday. The initial phase of the 12-acre Hillsboro facility \u2014 located off NE Aloclek Drive and NW Evergreen Parkway \u2014 will cost roughly $75 million to build, repurposing an office complex previously occupied by Nike.<\/p>\n

Work on the soccer and shared portions of the facility should be complete in time for the Thorns to use the space ahead of the 2026 season, with the WNBA-specific portions of the building aiming to be ready before the yet-to-be-named team tips off its inaugural season in summer 2026.<\/p>\n

In total, RAJ Sports plans to invest more than $150 million into the multi-phase project \u2014 beginning with a 63,000-square-foot training facility designed specifically for women athletes. The ownership group led by Lisa Bhathal Merage purchased the Thorns<\/a> for an estimated $63 million in January of 2024, and paid the WNBA $125 million for an expansion franchise announced in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we acquired the Portland Thorns and the Portland WNBA franchise, our family committed to investing into the Thorns, the WNBA franchise, and the Portland metro region,\u201d Bhathal Merage, governor of both teams, said in a news release. \u201cBuilding an innovative training facility that provides the best possible environment for our athletes across professional soccer and professional basketball will be a game changer for women\u2019s sports. Our goal is to create the most inclusive and welcoming environment for our athletes, staff, supporters, fans, partners and community as we strive to be an elite organization on the field, on the court, and in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thorns\u2019 and WNBA team\u2019s facility will include a 17,000-square-foot basketball gym featuring two full-sized courts; two soccer pitches along with an outdoor training zone; a robust strength training facility, outdoor turf zone and yoga\/pilates room; sports science and sports medicine areas; dedicated dressing rooms for each team in a \u201cspa-like setting,\u201d with amenities focused on female athletes; a shared dining room with full-time chef and nutritionist; a family room, team meeting rooms and social media content creation rooms.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn artist’s rendering shows planned soccer fields at the future training facility of both the Portland Thorns and Portland’s WNBA team. The facility is expected to open in 2026.Courtesy of RAJ Sports<\/p>\n

Thorns players met with Bhathal Merage and filled out surveys providing their input on the facility\u2019s design and amenities, team executives said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time for our club, and as players we are thrilled to be getting a first of its kind, dedicated women\u2019s performance center,\u201d Thorns forward Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith<\/a>) said in the news release. \u201cThis kind of high-performance training facility allows us to elevate every part of our game, becoming better and more well-rounded athletes. Having a space designed specifically for female athletes gives us yet another leg up on the competition and will be vital to our future successes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll probably shed a tear\u2019<\/p>\n

Former Thorns general manager Karina LeBlanc, now the vice president of strategic growth development for RAJ Sports, said Bhathal Merage\u2019s focus on this project \u2014 one that never got off the ground under the Thorns\u2019 previous ownership<\/a> \u2014 was evident from the moment she and her family took the reins of the franchise last year.<\/p>\n

Adding the WNBA team into the mix and creating a first-of-its-kind, dual facility was a welcome addition that will pay dividends for both professional teams, LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLisa\u2019s very first thing when we started this was, how do we make this about women?\u201d LeBlanc told The Oregonian\/OregonLive. \u201cEverything has to be intentional and about women. This family group in RAJ Sports has been vision clear in what they want to do, and this kind of high-performance training facility is to elevate every part of the game. Not just on the field but off the field. And make everyone feel like they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBlanc imagines a scene similar to one she experienced at her second Olympics as a goalkeeper for the Canada women\u2019s soccer team. She walked into the Olympic village dining hall, ready to have lunch with her teammates, when she spotted Serena and Venus Williams at another table. The opportunity for her to speak with the Williams sisters \u2014 and connect with other world-class athletes \u2014 was incredibly valuable at that point in LeBlanc\u2019s career and life, she said.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn artist’s rendering shows planned basketball courts inside the future training facility of both the Portland Thorns and Portland’s WNBA team. The facility is expected to open in 2026.Courtesy of RAJ Sports<\/p>\n

The Thorns and WNBA players should have the same type of opportunity every day in their facility, LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a player years ago, I was surrounded by like-minded women who wanted to do great things, something bigger than ourselves,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cNow, you get in that space, and the athletes are going to feel that sense of belonging and meaning. You get staff in there with the business office, too. You will walk through there and see what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBlanc added that the facility will be a place for Thorns youth academy players to train as well, and will play host to children\u2019s sports camps and numerous other community events in the coming years. RAJ Sports indicated in its news release a desire to also create a \u201cpeak performance and recovery innovation center focused on the female athlete\u201d on the campus.<\/p>\n

A 2021 analysis revealed that women accounted for just 34% of overall participants in studies from major sports science and medicine journals, with just 6% of studies focusing exclusively on female athletes. Those numbers are part of RAJ Sports\u2019 motivation to develop the innovation center.<\/p>\n

The training facility itself is just the beginning, and a moment LeBlanc said she couldn\u2019t have imagined during her days as a professional athlete. But this is now the standard as both the WNBA and NWSL experience unprecedented and rapid growth, and Portland seeks to be on the cutting edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I walk into the building, I\u2019ll probably shed a tear,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cThe Portland Thorns changed the trajectory of women\u2019s soccer in this country. The WNBA team, before we even have a name, by the end of this past summer we had over 8,000 season-ticket deposits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a city where it\u2019s personal. We are about to do groundbreaking things.\u201d<\/p>\n

— Ryan Clarke<\/a> covers the Oregon Ducks<\/a> and Big Ten Conference for The Oregonian\/OregonLive. Listen to the Ducks Confidential<\/a> podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n