The Chicago Sky announced in July that they will be breaking ground on a brand new practice facility set to be completed by December of 2025 and ready for use for the 2026 WNBA season.

“It was one of the best joys I’ve had since being a part of the franchise. This has been a promise we made to our players, to our fans, to the city, to really deliver on this for our players,” Sky co-owner and chairman Nadia Rawlinson told Marquee Sports Network.

A project a year-and-a-half in the making, the practice facility will be located on the Southwest side of the city in Bedford Park, just 20 minutes away from Wintrust Arena in South Loop.

“We wanted to be close to where we played at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop and also some of the neighborhoods where some of our fanbase comes from: the South and West Sides, that’s really important to us,” Rawlinson said.

The Sky currently practice at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, Ill – a park district facility. This new practice facility now allows the team to house their players in the city and close to downtown, allowing for ease of travel for players, coaches and team personnel.

The Sky partnered with the Obama Foundation and YMCA of Chicago to help build the brand new facility that will be near the Wintrust Sports Complex at 5499 W 65th St. The facility will have state of the art amenities that will “rival any team that’s out there,” – Rawlinson said – such as beauty stations, two regulation size courts, training and recovery rooms, film rooms and more.

The Sky also want to continue to give back to the city of Chicago by also having a clinic at the practice facility that will be open to players as well as the public. While the facility will be used by the team during the WNBA’s 5-month season, it will also be home to their community programming, youth camps as well as events for their season ticket holders.

The team is planning for a groundbreaking ceremony this offseason and to start work shortly after that.

To hear more from Rawlinson, watch the exclusive interview above.