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The Bhathal family has had a busy year, purchasing the NWSL’s Portland Thorns last January and picking up a WNBA expansion franchise in Portland in September. Now, the family is investing further in the two teams, announcing plans to build a $75 million dual-team training facility that will accommodate both teams.
In a press release from the Thorns on Thursday, the team outlined plans for the ambitious complex, which will be designed specifically for female athletes. The performance center will include two full-sized soccer pitches, a practice gym with two full-sized basketball courts, a strength training facility, dressing rooms for each team with “spa like” amenities, dining room with a chef and nutritionist, rooms for players’ families and more.
The Bhathals plan to spend $150 million or more on the project, which is set to take place across several phases; the first of these phases will be the training facility. Long-term, the Bhathals plan to turn the campus into a center for women’s sports performance and recovery, per the release.
$150 MILLION PORTLAND TRAINING CENTER ⚽️🏀
The Portland Thorns and Portland’s new WNBA franchise revealed a first-of-its-kind dual sport women’s performance center focused on advanced training, recovery, and wellness tailored for female athletes 🥀
📸 @thornsfc pic.twitter.com/xaPH8Kr9Ke
— The Women’s Game (@WomensGameMIB) February 6, 2025
The facility will be created with RAJ Sports, the sports investment wing of the Bhathal family’s investment firm, RAJ Capital. RAJ Sports also holds ownership stakes in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and minor league baseball’s Sacramento River Cats. The firm is operated by brother-sister duo Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage; Bhathal Merage is the controlling owner and governor of both teams, while Bhathal is an alternate governor.
“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” Bhathal Merage said in the press release. “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.”
In building the facility, RAJ Sports will repurpose a former Nike office complex west of Portland, which it says is part of its “commitment to sustainability.”
Portland’s WNBA franchise will join the league alongside expansion franchise Toronto Tempo, with both team beginning play in 2026. The Portland team does not yet have a name or branding.