Portland Thorns, Fire Open First-Ever Joint Women’s Sports Complex
The $150 million training facility features two soccer pitches, two basketball courts and more
Portland continues to set the standard for women’s sports. The Kaiser Permanente Performance Center officially opened this past weekend, becoming the nation’s first training facility shared by a pair of professional women's teams in different sports, the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and the WNBA’s Portland Fire.
Both the Thorns and the Fire are owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. As the only joint owners of an NWSL and WNBA team, RAJ Sports keeps the advancement of women’s sports at the forefront, this time creating a state-of-the-art facility which elevates athletic development through a female lens.
“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,” Bhathal Merage said. “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 new facility creates a more permanent home for both teams. The Thorns currently train and play their matches at downtown Portland's Providence Park. The Fire practices at Portland State University, though the squad also held training at the Moda Center and multiple spots at the Nike campus in Beaverton.
The new $150 million training center, which sits on 12 acres of land in Hillsboro, Ore., was repurposed from a facility formerly owned by Nike, and reconstruction began in the fall of 2025.
Amenities for the 63,000 square foot performance center include two full-size soccer pitches with an outdoor training zone, a practice gym featuring two full-size basketball courts, a dynamic strength training facility with an outdoor turf zone and a yoga/Pilates room, a dining hall, meeting rooms and more.
“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 Thorns and USWNT forward Sophia Wilson. “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.”
The opening of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center was part of a celebration of women's sports known as Epicenter Week, presented by Raj Sports and Nike. The program featured the Women's Global Sport Summit with panel speakers including U.S. Soccer’s CEO and Secretary General JT Batson as well as USWNT alums Tobin Heath and Lauren Holiday.