The grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center now home to the Portland Thorns and Fire.Naji SakerOn Saturday, August 22, RAJ Sports and Kaiser Permanente opened a state of the art performance center built, designed, and centered around women. RAJ Sports, who owns the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and WNBA’s Portland Fire, alongside Kaiser Permanente, invested over $150 million to build the facility that now serves as a practice, training, and medical center for their elite athletes.The outside of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, the home of the Portland Thorns and Fire.Naji SakerThe facility built by Populous, located just under 15 miles outside of Portland in Hillsboro, Oregon, is a 100,000-square-foot facility that includes two full-sized soccer pitches and an outdoor training zone. The facility also contains a 17,000-square-foot practice gym featuring two full-sized basketball courts, a 5,000-square-foot strength and performance center with industry-leading equipment, outdoor turf training space, and a dedicated yoga and Pilates studio, outfitted with the latest Nike Strength and Lifetime Fitness equipment.The Portland Thorns practice field at the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center has both synthetic turf and grass pitches.Naji SakerMORE FOR YOUHowever, what is even more striking about the practice pitches and courts is the intentionality, as the pitches have both full synethic turf and grass, and the basketball courts were constructed with the same hardwood surface that is used at Moda Center. These decisions were made so that the players could replicate practices to their game home environments.Additionally, the center has a full-service dining room led by a full-time chef and nutritionist, a full medical staff, designated family spaces, with many created specifically for new mothers, team meeitng rooms, executive offices that overlook the courts, and content creation studios.Lashify, the Fire’s official eyelash partner, sponsored the player lounges a place where players can relax throughout the day, preparing or recovering from practice, and training,Naji SakerAccording to Sheri Privitera, Senior Principal at Populous, the team kept coming back to the question, “What does it really mean to design for women?” Privitera continued, “The answer that continually surfaced was that it was in the details. It’s the thoughtfulness behind every decision and how those decisions come together that ultimately make the design successful.”Nuna, a global baby gear brand, was named the Official Baby Gear Partner of the Thorns and Fire and as part of the partnership, Nuna is behind the two Nuna Mother’s Rooms in the facility and a new parenting space for players from both teams.Naji SakerFurther, Privitera explained, “There are many details throughout the facility that intentionally respond to the female athletes using it. A few examples include the strength expressed by the building’s exterior, the warmth of the interior, full height toilet partitions for privacy, comfortable players lounges, a mother’s room, family spaces, and private dressing rooms.”This deliberate and purposeful design can be seen in the simple, modern, and clean aesthic, that was centered on prioritizing spaces that would be welcoming for the athletes to where every inch of the facility could be perceived as a second home. As noted by Privitera, “Many of these decisions may not stand out individually, but together they create an environment where the athletes feel comfortable, supported, and considered.”The Portland Fire practice courts at the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center.Naji SakerKaiser Permanente Performance Center Designed Around Women AthletesThe Kaiser Permanente Performance Center marks a shift in how women athletes are supported, replacing the long-standing model of adapting women to existing facilities with one designed around their health and performance from the start.This was noted at the ribbon cutting and unveiling ceremony, by Karina LeBlanc, Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth at RAJ Sports, "This is a dream where our young next generation, they believe what’s possible because when they walk through the doors, they finally have resources that are made for her.” Lisa Bhathal Merage, Governor of the Portland Fire and Thorns, and managing partner of RAJ Sports speaks to the crowd at the unveiling of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center.Naji SakerThe sentiments of the carefully curated nature of the facility were echoed by RAJ Sports Governor, Lisa Bhathal Merage, “When we first imagined the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, what it could be, we weren’t just thinking about a practice facility. We were thinking about the people who would walk through those doors every day.”She continued, “What would the ideal environment for women athletes look like? The answer is every inch of this facility was designed with purpose and intention, taking into account performance, nutrition, recovery, longevity, and overall wellbeing of our players. Each detail is a reflection of our belief that our athletes deserve the best of what’s possible when we invest and support women's sports.”The sentiments of Bhathal Merage were reiterated by Wendy Watson, President of Kaiser Permanente Northwest, but she also mentioned the impact of a facility like this for the greater community, and next generation of women and girls. Wendy Watson, President of Kaiser Permanente Northwest addresses the crowd at the opening of the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center.Naji Saker“As incredible as this building is, I actually think the greatest impact may be beyond professional sports. I keep thinking about a 10 year old girl who will walk through these doors someday. And maybe she will look out at the pitch and imagine herself wearing a Thorns jersey. Maybe she’ll walk onto the court and imagine herself playing for the Fire. Maybe she’ll see one of our physicians and say, ‘I could do that.’ Or maybe she’ll see one of our coaches or trainers or leaders and imagine a future that she never thought was possible”, said Watson.She continued, “What’s most important is that she sees possibility. This doesn’t just help today’s extraordinary athletes meet their full potential, it changes what the next generation believes is possible. And that is something worth celebrating.”The event also included speeches from the Senator Jeff Murphy, and Beach Pace, the Mayor of Hillsboro, alongside Bella Bigsby and Bridget Carleton of the Portland Thorns and Fire. Kaiser Permanente Performance Center Focused on a Multi-Discipline ApproachSport science research has overwhelming been centered and focused on men, as only 6% of all sport science research has women as the focal point. Thus, it is not surprising that in the last decade, there has been a call from medical staffs, professionals, and research to extend work and specifically focus on the training, nutrition, and performance of women athletes.This is imperative now as leagues consider work-load management and season schedules up against young players leaving college and entering the professional ranks, athletes returning from injury or motherhood, or the stark number of ACL injuries that have plagued the WNBA and NWSL.For example, it was not until recently that researchers noted the impact of the menstrual cycle on the uptick on ACL tears that happen at a rate twice as often as men.PORTLAND, OREGON - AUGUST 22: Caiya Hanks #7 of Portland Thorns FC controls the ball during the NWSL match between Portland Thorns FC and Denver Summit FC at Providence Park on August 22, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Amanda Loman/NWSL via Getty Images)NWSL via Getty ImagesThus, the holistic care and health of the women athletes is priortized at Kaiser Permanente Performance Center. Specifically, as the facility is built to house two different professional teams, it is designed for collaboration and a holistic approach at every level of the medical and training staff including their team physicians, athletic trainers, nutritionists, and physical therapists. According to Drs. Jacqueline Brady and Melissa Novak-Ott, this is a signigicant advantage, and allows the team to work across sectors to care for their athletes. Brady noted that by having their own space in the performance center, this allows more comfortability and autnomy in the their care as athletes. She signals how important that is to being able to diagnose issues early, and begin the road to recovery and return to play faster. PORTLAND, OREGON - AUGUST 23: Emily Engstler #21 of the Portland Fire reacts after making a three point basket during the second half of the game against the Washington Mystics at Moda Center on August 23, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)Getty ImagesShe said, “I think we as a medical specialty, if you think back to just a couple few generations ago, women weren’t allowed to cross half court playing basketball because they might jostle their reproductive organs. Somebody show me the data on that. And I think it’s really important to assume positive intent with that. Everybody sort of means well trying to protect our women athletes, but I think we're especially prone to setting limits before we help them see what's possible or recruit them in their own recovery.”She continued, “So it’s important in this world for me not to come in with my list of research articles, and my textbooks, and my timelines and impose my way, is the right way from the jump. And I think that’s something that the athletes taught me early in practice. What we are trying to do is foster the athlete's ability to read her own body again and trust her own body.”Novak-Ott echoed Brady explaining, the importance of this multi-faced approach and care team, “When you're taking care of a female athlete, that multidisciplinary care is what takes us to the next level.”She expanded stating, “Thinking about what Kaiser Permanente is doing and what we have built here, there’s a piece of this community, and there’s a piece of bringing in that multidisciplinary care. For our professional athletes, we have that set up, that team, so that we can all collaborate so closely together and learn from each other. This is the most humbling career anyone could take, taking care of other people and learning from everybody’s experiences together. I think is really amazing, and just acknowledging that women athletes are important.”Kaiser Permanente Performance Center Could Set a New Standard for Women’s SportsThe walkway and main entrance leading into the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center.Naji SakerThe Kaiser Permanente Performance Center represents more than a new home for women athletes. It signals a shift in how the sports industry thinks about performance, health, and facility design.Built by RAJ Sports in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the center puts women athletes at the center of the equation, bringing sports medicine, performance training, and a multi-discipline approach together in one environment. For an industry that has historically asked women to adapt to systems and spaces designed around men, that change is significant.The bigger question now is whether the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center becomes a blueprint for what comes next. As women’s sports continues to grow, so too does the need for facilities that recognize women athletes are not simply competing in a different version of men’s sports. They have distinct performance, health and recovery needs, and those needs deserve to shape the spaces built to support them.Follow me for more sport business and women’s sports content and news on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.