HILLSBORO, Ore. — There’s no team name just yet, but the expansion Portland WNBA team broke ground Tuesday on the training facility it will share with the Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League.
The $150 million project set to be built west of Portland is the first such alliance between the two women’s leagues.
Portland’s WNBA team will join the league in 2026. The team is owned by the Bhathal family, which also owns the Thorns and has a stake in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Lisa Bhathal Merage said it was important to create a space that centered the needs of women.
“I think this performance center will be changing the dynamic for women’s sports for generations to come. It’s the first dual-purpose professional women’s sport performance center in the world, and we may not see any others after this,” Bhathal Merage said. “Our view is to collaborate, involve the community and really lift up everybody by that collaboration.”
Among those at the ceremony were NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. The new training facility will repurpose buildings once owned by…
