The Chicago Sky are still not ready to move into their new practice facility in Belford Park.
On Friday, Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca told reporters that the facility is still under construction and will not be open for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season.
Pagliocca also announced that the Sky will practice at Wintrust Arena for the remainder of the season, saying:
We have made a decision that we will remain at Wintrust to practice for the rest of the season. We met with the team. There’s value
in practicing where you play. And without the facility being at a 100 percent completion, I feel like it’s best to make sure when we go in, we go in giving them the experience that we wanted them to have from Day 1.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson issued a statement criticizing the Sky’s ownership for continued delays in opening the facility.
Situations like this and franchises that operate like the Chicago Sky are why the union was laser-focused on securing provisions in the CBA that required minimum standards for team facilities and staffing. The players need and deserve consistency in the facilities that they use every day-their health and safety depend on it.
After 20 years in this league, it is long overdue for Chicago’s ownership to recognize how to properly resource and support professional (women) athletes.
It’s time for the league and the teams to hold each other accountable.
The facility is now scheduled to open in November 2026, in time for the 2027 season.
In October 2024, the Sky broke ground for a $60-million, 80,000-square-foot practice facility near the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park. Construction issues, bad weather, budget increases ($38 million to $60 million) and an increase the facility size from 40,000 to 80,000 square feet have caused delays. The facility was expected to be open in 2025.
During media day before the 2026 season, Pagliocca announced that the facility would be ready by the summer.
In the meantime, the Sky have been practicing at the Flames Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago before practicing at Loyola University. Previously, the Sky had practiced at the Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, IL.
In contrast, other WNBA teams, such as the Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty and Seattle Storm, have state-of-the-art facilities.
The Sky’s facility is expected to have two full-length basketball courts, a large weight room, private parking, a kitchen and a player’s lounge.
