The Chicago Sky received an update on the team's 80,000 square foot practice facility this week — and it sounds like the team and their supporters have a lot to look forward to.
When it opens, the new Sky practice facility will be the largest in the WNBA (the Indiana Fever plan to open their own updated 108,000 square foot practice facility in 2027). Though it was originally planned to be around 52,000 square feet, the expanded space will allow the franchise to best support the team's roster.
The increase in size has been the most significant contributor to the facility's construction delay. The practice facility was originally meant to open in December 2025, and is now slated to open up its doors in the spring.
“This now, especially for the WNBA, is table stakes,” Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Sky, told the Sports Business Journal. “What once was sufficient has now become ho-hum, so let’s figure out how we can stay ahead of the curve for the benefit of players. That was the predicate for expanding these conversations; what else can we add, how do we make this even better than what we initially imagined?”
The Chicago Sky's new facility cost $60 million
The new $60 million practice facility is certainly an investment for the team's ownership group. It comes at a crucial time for the league as CBA negotiations continue; investing in a larger facility that can better serve players is a major step in the right direction.
The facility is also a community investment. Most of that $60 million price tag has been footed by the village of Bedford Park (the Sky signed a 30-year ground lease guaranteeing the team will have exclusive rights to the new facility).
Improved practice facilities are part of the current negotiations. The union has expressed a strong interest in having standards for such facilities built into the new CBA when it is signed, a step toward creating a more equitable experience for all players in the league.
The WNBA and WNBPA have been locked in CBA negotiations since the agreement signed in 2020 expired in October 2025. A new deal must be reached before league business can resume ahead of the 2026 season. This includes expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, the largest period of free agency in league history, the WNBA Draft, and training camp for all of the league's teams.