The Sky’s top brass came to practice Tuesday, easels in hand. Principal owner Michael Alter and team president Adam Fox gathered the team to reveal designs of the new practice facility under construction in -Bedford Park.
It’s good timing. The season ends next week, and much of the roster is headed for free agency. Ariel Atkins, one of the biggest swing pieces, told the Sun-Times last week it’s too early to talk about her future. Maybe a glimpse of a 40,000-square-foot building with multiple courts, a training room and a commercial kitchen will nudge the conversation.
The Sky first announced the project last summer with a December 2025 target. Then came delays when the footprint was expanded, partly in response to player input. Fox now expects the final cost to land in the “low 40s,” up from $38 million initially.
“We really think we’re not only built for today, but to the point of being prepared for five, 10, 15 years down the road,” Fox told the Sun-Times in mid-August. “There’s going to be available space to continue to evolve as things come up.”
No new timeline was provided Tuesday, though coach Tyler Marsh reiterated “everything should be in motion before the start of next season.” As of mid-August, the exterior was in place, but work on the interior had not begun. For now, the team is still practicing in a public recreation center — a setup that makes the Bedford Park facility an obvious leap forward.
The sooner the better. One of the most consequential free-agency periods in league history arrives in 2026, when nearly every veteran will hit the market. Walking players through a gleaming new gym is a stronger pitch than showing them renderings on an iPad.
Marsh knows the value. In his eyes, practice facilities have shifted from “amenities” to “necessities.” He saw it firsthand with the Aces, who raised the bar in 2023 with a $40 million facility funded by new owner Mark Davis.
Though facilities will eventually become a commodity in a hypergrowth league, not everyone has met the standard. If the Sky stay on schedule, they’ll jump ahead of the Wings, Sparks, Sun and Dream — all still practicing in shared spaces. Their building would also be newer than the NBA-caliber complexes already in place for the Lynx and Mystics.
But the arms race is accelerating. After buying the Mercury in 2023, Mat Ishbia greenlit a $100 million facility the next year. The Tsais, who own the Liberty, are planning an $80 million build for 2027.
The gap comes down to capitalization. Alter is a successful businessman. Ishbia and the Tsais are billionaires.
Still, the new facility will be a major jump from the Sky’s current digs. It’s a tool they can use to recruit — in this free agency and the ones after it.
In the short term, one thing works in their favor: All WNBA timelines might be delayed. The league and players still need to settle a new collective-bargaining agreement, and they’re far apart. If talks drag, the offseason calendar will shift — free agency included. And the longer it drags, the more time the Sky have to finish construction.
So when it’s time to make their free-agency pitch, they can walk players through the real thing — no easels necessary.