Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, the principals of RAJ Sports, are building a dual-sport women’s performance center for the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and the WNBA expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026. The training facility will be the first in the nation to house teams from both U.S. leagues.
The privately financed project will cost more than $150 million. Phase one is a $75 million, 12-acre facility that has been designed by stadium architecture firm Populous.
Karina LeBlanc, the EVP of Strategic Growth for RAJ Sports and former general manager of the Thorns, said the performance center fulfills her longstanding dreams of improved resources in women’s sports. “You’re walking into a building intentionally built for women, with the idea of how do we get these high performers to continue to level up,” she said in a video interview.
The performance center will take over a former Nike office complex in suburban Hillsboro, Ore. It will feature a 17,000 square-foot gym with two full-sized basketball courts and two full-sized soccer pitches and an outdoor training zone. The center will also include a wealth of amenities for recovery: an active pool, massage rooms, individual hyperbaric chambers and warm and cold plunges.
LeBlanc said conversations with Populous were focused on making sure the new grounds were designed with women in mind. “A lot of buildings are made, but how do you bring the intention and the purpose of being for women so that when you walk in, you have this sense that on the outside, it’s strong and bold and inside, it’s warm,” LeBlanc said. “Little things like that may not seem like a big deal, but for athletes, it makes them feel like they belong.”
In January, Angel City, the NWSL’s most valuable franchise, moved into its own practice facility at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Once the temporary practice field for the Los Angeles Rams, the new site include a full soccer pitch, multiple locker rooms, a hydrotherapy room, a children’s playroom and many more amenities. On Amazon Business’ Re-Cap Show, Angel City forward Christen Press joked that “the space is built for big NFL boys. And that means it is really spacious for us petite girly-girls.”
For Portland, both teams will have dedicated dressing rooms created in a spa-like setting. There will also be a 5,000 square-foot strength training facility that will include a yoga/pilates room. A full-time chef and a full-time nutritionist will be on hand, and the facility will feature family rooms and team rooms.
For LeBlanc, who moved into her current role with RAJ Sports in October after three years in the Thorns’ front office, bringing the two franchises under the same roof means players can commiserate when it comes to the ups and downs of being elite female athletes.
“I remember the Olympics … and I love my teammates,” said LeBlanc, who won bronze at the London Games as a goalie for Canada in 2012. “But I could go eat lunch with my teammates, or on the right there were Serena and Venus [Williams].”
The city of Portland has a long history supporting women’s sports. Its first pro women’s soccer team launched in 2001, and the Thorns were later one of eight inaugural NWSL franchises when the league debuted in 2013. The club has always drawn one of the NWSL’s highest attendances, including ranking third with an average of 18,725 fans per game at Providence Park in 2024.
On the basketball side, the city landed one of the early WNBA expansion franchises when the Portland Fire were founded in 2000, though the franchise folded in 2002 after three seasons.
“And this is what’s uniquely Portland; this is personal,” LeBlanc said. “You walk through the stands and people talk about how inspiring these women are. The city celebrates its own, it celebrates and understands the role we’re playing in the bigger ecosystem of women’s sports.”
Practice facilities have played a significant role in the increased valuations of WNBA teams in the last few years. The Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury have developed their own training headquarters, while several other WNBA teams are in the process of doing the same. When the league selected Portland, Golden State and Toronto for expansion franchises, all three ownership groups announced plans for multimillion practice venues.
Merage and Bhathal’s purchase of the Thorns came after longtime owner Merritt Paulson (who also owns MLS’ Portland Timbers) was pressured to sell the team when the club’s role in the NWSL’s systemic abuse scandal came to light. The Bhathal family bought the Thorns for a then-record $63 million in January 2024. Portland, which ranks sixth in Sportico’s NWSL franchise valuations at $92 million, has since added several minority investors, including Phoenix Suns co-owner Sam Garvin.
Later that year, the Bhathal siblings paid a reported $125 million expansion fee to bring the WNBA back to Portland for the 2026 season.
