The Chicago Sky broke ground Wednesday for their new practice facility that will be located in Bedford Park, Ill., a suburb just southwest of the city of Chicago. The $30 million facility will start construction shortly with a goal to have it finished by the end of 2025, making it available for the first time for the 2026 season.

“It is a momentous day. It is something that feels so great,” Sky co-owner and operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson said. “It was a goal I’ve had since joining the franchise. The fact that we’re doing it now in 2024 with the goal of completing this by the fall of 2025 is pretty extraordinary. Today’s a good day.”

The Sky have currently been practicing out of Sachs Recreation Center – a park district facility located in the northern suburb of Deerfield, Ill. The franchise will continue to practice out of Sachs until the new facility is built.

The lack of having their own practice facility has been a focal point in the struggle to bring in big name free agents. With this ceremony and announcement, the team hopes that this move shows that the franchise is heading in a positive direction to continue to grow with the WNBA while providing top class facilities to support their players.

“I think it’ll positively affect free agency,” Rawlinson said. “From all of our early indications, it’s been really positive. We’ve talked about what a difference maker this will be. I don’t think it is the only thing but it is a table stakes thing that is nice to have, especially when there’s only a few teams in the league that will have the dedicated practice facilities for us, by us.”

Not only will this facility help in bringing in new faces to Chicago, but it also provides a consistent place with 24-hour access for players to get a workout in, get shots up early or other basketball activities without restrictions. General manager Jeff Pagliocca knows the importance of what this facility can bring in not just free agency but also player development.

“In the current situation, we have good availability at Sachs, but when you want to go back maybe at 2 o’clock in the morning or 5 a.m. and you want to knock out some work or bring in your people to get some work in, that opportunity is going to be there now,” Pagliocca said. “There’s players that want to work. They want to shoot. They want to get back in the gym every single night. They have their schedules, and it’s just going to be an incredible asset to people to get that extra work in.”

What that Sky roster will look like for the 2025 season and moving forward still remains to be seen. Chicago is still without a head coach after letting Teresa Weatherspoon go at the end of September. There will also be an expansion draft in December with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries for the 2025 season with free agency to begin after the new year.

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