The Portland thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League and the WNBA team as an animation of the city will train together in a new performance center in a very first alliance of its kind between teams from the two leagues.
The two female teams belong to the Bhathal family, who also has a participation in the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. The 150 million dollars campus, which would open before the start of the WNBA 2026 season, will reuse an installation formerly held by Nike on 12 acres in Hillsboro, a city just west of Portland.
The amenities will include the changing rooms and the salons for the two teams, two football fields and an additional outdoor training area, a gym that will include two basketball courts, packaging, packaging and rehabilitation zones, Cinemas, a dining room and team offices.
Portland received an extension team last September. Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, owns and operates the team. They paid $ 125 million for the franchise.
Karina Leblanc, executive vice-president of Raj Sports’ strategic growth, said that Bhathal Merage has set up listening sessions with athletes in the design of the installation, which was announced on Thursday.
“My generation that played this sport can look at this and be like:” Wow is better than our dreams. “The athletes are at the center of this. Managing Director.
Portland had a WNBA team, the fire, from 2000 until it was folded in 2002. This franchise has an average of more than 8,000 fans when matches were played at Rose Garden. The new franchise will play in the same arena, now known as Moda Center.
The Bhathals bought thorns earlier last year for $ 63 million. Portland was one of the founding teams of the NWSL in 2013.
The Thorns train and play their matches in downtown Portland Providence Park.
Although some WNBA teams share training facilities with NBA teams, it is the first time that a pair of female teams, in different sports, will train together.
“The fact that this happens here in Portland is simply fit, because it is a city where we have the siege of the biggest brands, we have the best athletes in the world, and now we will really bring in the Best athletes from the two largest North American professional sports sports, “said Leblanc. “It’s momentum. It’s a movement.”
