News
February 6, 2025
Populous Partners with Portland Thorns and WNBA Expansion for First-of-its-Kind Training Facility
A new era for women’s professional sports is taking shape in Portland, with Populous leading the design of a groundbreaking dual-sport performance center for the Portland Thorns FC and the city’s new WNBA expansion franchise.
Populous and RAJ Sports, the sports investment platform for the Bhathal Family, announced plans for a groundbreaking women’s performance center serving both Portland Thorns FC (NWSL) and the city’s new WNBA expansion franchise.
Designed as a facility that champions innovation and athletic excellence, the performance center will feature a first of its kind elite training core, elevating the standard of athletic development by integrating cutting-edge training, advanced recovery, and holistic wellness with lifestyle elements specific to the needs of female athletes in a collaborative multi-team setting.
“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.”
Advocating to drive change in women’s sports, our team at Populous is committed to helping female athletes optimize their performance by designing training facilities that honor their unique needs and talents. Our local office rooted in the Portland community, combined with our team of experts across the country, are thrilled to work in concert with the Portland Thorns and WNBA expansion franchise to design this new, purpose-built training facility.
From recovery lounges and hyperbaric therapy to active recovery pools and red-light therapy, every detail is crafted to maximize performance, accelerate recovery, and sustain peak excellence. Built with intention, it will foster an environment of interaction between both teams while embracing the importance of family, community, and the evolving needs of female athletes.
“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.”
With the resounding success that the Portland Thorns have had in the NWSL, the city is eager to welcome the newest WNBA franchise to our community. For our team based in Portland, it’s exciting to work alongside both organizations, creating a world-class training facility that will help pave the way for their future successes.
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
Committed to sustainability, RAJ Sports will repurpose an existing suburban office complex in Hillsboro, Oregon, just west of Portland that was previously occupied by Nike to minimize environmental impact. The project, a collaboration with Workspace Property Trust is 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.
The campus, which is envisioned to be the global epicenter of women’s sport, will be built over multiple phases at a total capitalization in excess of $150 million and will consist of the performance center for the Thorns and WNBA teams along with future uses, with the goal of creating a peak performance and recovery innovation center focused on the female athlete. The first phase announced today is a $75 million 12-acre state-of-the-art facility.
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