Chicago’s women’s professional basketball franchise plans to build a $38 million practice facility just southwest of the city as its league gains unprecedented attention.
The WNBA’s Chicago Sky disclosed plans to build the facility, which it is calling Sky Town, in Bedford Park, Illinois, near Midway International Airport. The site is 10 miles from Wintrust Arena, the South Loop venue where the Sky plays home games.
The plans come at a time when the WNBA has attracted significantly more ticket sales with the drafting this year of Caitlin Clark, a former college player who is setting records as a rookie with the Indiana Fever based in Indianapolis.
Called Sky Town, the Chicago Sky practice facility will include two WNBA-regulation courts as well as a film room, player lounges, training room, chef’s kitchen, locker rooms, beauty stations and a content creation studio, according to a statement from the team.
The more than 40,000-square-foot facility, expected to be completed by December 2025, will be built in a partnership with the village of Bedford Park, according to the statement. It also includes community partnerships with the Obama Foundation and the YMCA of Metro Chicago, which can use the facility as part of those organizations’ youth programs.
The facility “will raise the bar on athletic performance, set the standard for player amenities, and support our players with exceptional resources built exclusively for them,” Nadia Rawlinson, Chicago Sky co-owner and operating chairman, said in the statement. “Living in downtown Chicago will also give Sky players the opportunity to experience all of the benefits of our world class city. We thank Bedford Park who stepped up to be part of the first of its kind public-private partnership for a WNBA practice facility and to bring this transformational vision to life.”
The announcement by the Sky comes after the owners of Chicago’s NBA team, the Bulls, unveiled plans for a $7 billion, mixed-use development around their United Center arena. That project will be joint venture with the owners of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, who co-own and also play games in the 30-year-old arena on the Near West Side.
The new WNBA facility will be built on land next to the Wintrust Sports Complex at 5499 W. 65th St. That facility has courts for sports including basketball, volleyball and pickleball.
The Sky's principal owner is Michael Alter, second-generation owner of local commercial real estate development firm Alter Group.