Explore Portland’s latest multi-purpose sports facility, key infrastructure updates, and practical insights for sports planners seeking top-tier event destinations
Sports facility investment continues to accelerate across the United States, with several recent projects showing how teams, developers and community partners are rethinking training, recovery, youth sports and event infrastructure.
The biggest sports facility investments are no longer focused only on competition space. New projects are being designed around athlete performance, sports science, recovery, community programming, youth development, media visibility and year-round event use.
From Portland’s first-of-its-kind women’s performance center to new WNBA training spaces, MLS academy facilities and nationwide youth-sports developments, these projects point to a larger shift in the sports facility landscape.
Maximize your event potential by uncovering top trends and venue updates in sports facility news.
RAJ Sports Plans $150M Women’s Performance Center in Hillsboro, Oregon
In a major investment for women’s sports, RAJ Sports has announced plans for a performance center in Hillsboro, Oregon, that will serve both Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and Portland’s WNBA franchise. The project is designed as a first-of-its-kind dual-sport women’s performance center, built specifically around the training, recovery and lifestyle needs of female athletes.
The facility is planned across 12 acres and will ultimately include a 63,000-square-foot shared training center. Features include two full-sized soccer pitches, a 17,000-square-foot practice gym with two full-sized basketball courts, a 5,000-square-foot strength training area, recovery lounges, hyperbaric therapy, active recovery pools and red-light therapy.
The project is being built in phases at a total cost exceeding $150 million. The first phase is planned as a $75 million, 12-acre facility scheduled for completion in 2026, aligning with the start of the NWSL and WNBA seasons.
For sports planners and facility developers, the Portland project is notable because it does not treat women’s teams as secondary tenants in repurposed spaces. Instead, it places female athlete performance, wellness and belonging at the center of the design.
Planner takeaway: The Portland project shows how purpose-built women’s sports facilities can set new expectations for training, recovery, team culture and long-term athlete support.
Golden State Valkyries Raise the Bar for WNBA Facilities
The Golden State Valkyries have also moved quickly to establish a dedicated high-performance environment. The Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland provides players and coaches with 31,800 square feet of training and development space, including two full-size basketball courts, additional court space, a locker room, weight room, training room, hot and cold pools and a dedicated player lounge.
The facility previously served as the headquarters of the Golden State Warriors from 1997 to 2019 and has now been transformed into a dedicated WNBA performance home. It was designed by Populous and built by DPR Construction.
The center also has a community-facing role. The Valkyries have described the space as both a performance center and an Oakland hub, with youth basketball programming, camps and clinics expected to be part of the facility’s broader impact.
This investment reflects a broader shift in professional sports: women’s teams are increasingly receiving dedicated spaces built around their own competitive and operational needs rather than adapting to facilities originally designed for men’s programs.
Planner takeaway: The Valkyries’ facility reinforces a key trend in women’s sports infrastructure: dedicated training environments can support recruitment, performance, brand identity and community programming.
San Diego FC Opens a First-of-Its-Kind Performance Campus
San Diego FC’s Sharp HealthCare Performance Center and Right to Dream Academy has opened on a 28-acre campus in El Cajon on Sycuan tribal land. The site includes a 50,000-square-foot performance center, five full-sized soccer fields, renovated buildings and residential space for academy athletes.
The broader 125,000-square-foot campus is designed to serve both the club’s first team and academy teams. It includes three natural grass fields and two synthetic turf fields, along with spaces for student housing, academic programming, staff offices and guest accommodations.
The academy model is also distinctive. San Diego FC has stated that the residential academy will serve male students in grades six through 12, while the club will also create a non-residential girls pathway, making it the first MLS club to develop emerging female talent in that format.
For sports facility planners, the project is important because it connects professional soccer development, youth academy programming, education, housing and community engagement in one campus environment.
San Diego FC’s performance campus stands out because it combines first-team training, academy development, student housing, education and five full-sized soccer fields on one site.
Planner takeaway: San Diego FC shows how future soccer facilities may function less like isolated training grounds and more like full development campuses.
Sports Facilities Companies Expands Youth and Amateur Sports Infrastructure
On a national scale, Sports Facilities Companies announced plans to open or break ground on 12 facilities across the United States in 2025. The projects are intended to expand youth and amateur sports opportunities while supporting local economies and community growth.
The 2025 project list includes several facilities relevant to sports planners. Kentucky Sports Factory in Madisonville, Kentucky, opened as a flexible multi-use sports complex, with the facility listing 90,000 square feet of space, six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, 22 pickleball courts and a 60-yard turf field.
In New Lenox, Illinois, Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex has emerged as a major Midwest youth-sports destination. The $70 million, 100-acre outdoor complex includes 22 youth baseball and softball fields, nine full-size baseball fields, two batting cages, 11 multi-sport fields, concessions, a welcome center, a playground and 1,300 free parking spaces.
Other SFC-linked projects include WYO Sports Ranch in Casper, Wyoming; Woodman’s Center in Janesville, Wisconsin; Burlington Pickleball in North Carolina; the Davis Center in New York City’s Central Park; SCHEELS Sports Park at Legacy Pointe in Springfield, Illinois; Paducah Sports Park in Kentucky; and several planned groundbreakings.
For destinations, this wave of investment shows how youth and amateur sports remain central to facility development. The strongest projects are being built not only for local recreation, but also for tournaments, hotel demand, visitor spending and community identity.
Planner takeaway: Youth and amateur sports facilities are being designed as economic development tools, with field count, flexibility, concessions, parking and surrounding amenities becoming central to the planning model.
What These Sports Investments Signal for Planners
These projects vary by sport, market and audience, but they point toward several shared trends in sports facility development.
The most important shift is that modern sports facilities are becoming more specialized and more multi-dimensional at the same time. Professional teams want spaces tailored to athlete performance. Youth-sports operators want venues that can support tournaments, camps and community programming. Cities and destinations want projects that generate economic activity beyond game day.
For sports planners, the key trends include:
- Purpose-built facilities for women’s professional teams
- Recovery, wellness and sports science as core design elements
- Training campuses that combine athletics, education and housing
- Youth-sports complexes designed around tournament tourism
- Flexible multi-use spaces for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, soccer and turf sports
- Community access as part of the facility value proposition
- Facilities that support media, brand visibility and fan engagement
The next generation of sports facilities is built around full-event ecosystems. The best projects serve athletes, coaches, families, fans, sponsors, local residents and destination partners throughout the year.
For sports planners evaluating future venues, the lesson is clear: do not look only at field counts or square footage. Ask how the facility supports athlete experience, recovery, operations, family flow, programming, media, sponsorship and community use.
FAQ
Why is Portland’s new women’s performance center important?
The Portland facility is important because it is being designed specifically for women’s professional soccer and basketball teams. It reflects a larger shift toward purpose-built infrastructure for female athletes rather than shared or repurposed training space.
What should planners learn from the Golden State Valkyries facility?
The Valkyries’ performance center shows how a dedicated team facility can support training, recovery, player development and community engagement. It also demonstrates how existing sports infrastructure can be renovated for new women’s professional teams.
Why are youth-sports complexes attracting so much investment?
Youth-sports complexes can serve local athletes while attracting tournaments, hotel stays and visitor spending. That combination makes them appealing to cities, counties and private partners looking for both community and economic impact.
What makes a modern sports facility more competitive?
A modern facility is more competitive when it supports the full event experience, including athlete training, recovery, family amenities, media needs, concessions, parking, technology and year-round programming.
How are sports facilities changing for professional teams?
Professional facilities are becoming more specialized, with greater attention to recovery, nutrition, analytics, privacy, wellness and team culture. For women’s teams, new projects are also correcting long-standing infrastructure gaps.
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