The Portland Thorns and Portland WNBA announce $150 million state-of-the-art training facility

"The campus, which is envisioned to be the global epicenter of women’s sport, will be built over multiple phases at a total cost in excess of $150 million." - Portland Thorns FC

Credit: Portland Thorns FC

The day has finally arrived.

Since 2013, the Portland Thorns players, coaches, and staff trained at Providence Park, but never had a real training facility — until now.

The Portland Thorns and Portland WNBA have announced plans for a first-of-its-kind dual-sport women’s performance center that will serve both teams.

RAJ Sports will repurpose an existing suburban office complex in Hillsboro, Oregon which was previously occupied by Nike. By doing this, they minimize environmental impact.

The campus will be built over multiple phases at a total cost in excess of $150 million. Billed as “the epicenter of women’s sports”, the performance center for the Thorns and WNBA team was created with the goal of being a peak performance and recovery innovation center focused on the female athlete. The first phase announced today is a $75 million, 12 acre facility designed by world-renowned architecture and design firm Populous.

According to the Oregonian’s Ryan Clarke, “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.”

“It’s an exciting time for our Club, and as players we are thrilled to be getting a first of its kind, dedicated women's performance center," said Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson (formerly Sophia Smith). "This 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."

Credit: Portland Thorns FC

Clarke also added that the team met with Lisa Bhathal Merage and filled out surveys to provide their input on the state-of-the-art facility.

“When 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” said Lisa Bhathal Merage. “Building 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’s 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.”

The 12-acre performance center will feature the following:

• 63,000-square-foot training facility

• 17,000-square-foot practice gym, featuring two full size basketball courts

• Two full-sized soccer pitches with an outdoor training zone

• A 5,000 square-foot, dynamic strength training facility featuring top of the line equipment, an outdoor turf zone and a yoga/pilates room

• Elite training core program, integrating strength and conditioning, sports science, and sports medicine

• Dedicated dressing rooms for the WNBA and NWSL teams with amenities designed for the female athlete in a spa like setting

• Dining room with a full-time chef and nutritionist, offering performance-focused meals and refueling stations throughout the facility

• Dedicated rooms for player’s families

• Team meeting rooms and social media content rooms

• Private player parking and player entry for convenience and security

Credit: Portland Thorns FC

The project is a collaboration with Workspace Property Trust, an innovative development approach to adaptive reuse.

“Workspace Property Trust is proud to have developed a solution that enables the transformation of this traditional office environment into a top-tier training facility for the Thorns and Portland’s future WNBA team,” said Tom Rizk, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Workspace.

This is the biggest day in the history of the Portland Thorns. New governors Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal have delivered on their promise to bring a state-of-the-art facility. The players, coaches, and staff finally get their well-deserved and long-awaited state-of-the-art facility.

For more information, please see the Portland Thorns press release.

Credit: Portland WNBA

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Will this be a massive boost in potentially bringing back Sophia Wilson (née Smith) and Sam Coffey? Hopefully, because they deserve to see this facility and everything it has to offer.

There’s no doubt Portland Thorns will be a destination for future players, coaches, and staff.