The Indiana Fever are heavily investing in their players, and that could soon pay off with some high-profile free-agent signings.
The Fever announced a $78-million, 108,000-square-foot state-of-the-art training facility on Thursday, set to begin construction in August and open ahead of the 2027 WNBA season.
Year-by-year, team-by-team, subpar WNBA facilities are going away. Granted, Indiana already had a good facility ahead of this announcement: the Fever had dedicated space within Gainbridge Fieldhouse, including a court, weight room and locker room that was renovated in 2020.
But other teams haven’t been so lucky. The Chicago Sky, who are also building a practice facility, currently train in a public recreation center on the city’s north side. The Connecticut Sun, who are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, share their gym space with the tribe’s activities.
At one point during the 2024 playoffs, the Sun had to share their space with a child’s birthday party. And the team’s outgoing free agents weren’t happy about it.
Indiana Fever news: Indiana Fever to build $78 million state-of-the-art training facility, opening for 2027 season
“It’s normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better,” Alyssa Thomas, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, told The Next following practice. “We’re (a) professional team. We’re competing for playoffs. And yeah, to have to share your court with a two-year-old birthday party, ultimate disrespect. … We need more, we need better to compete at the highest level.”
After the Las Vegas Aces became the first team to open a dedicated training facility in 2023, it became something of an arms race with WNBA teams to open bigger and better facilities.
Now, when negotiating with free agents, it’s become a selling point for teams who have these kinds of state-of-the-art facilities. The teams that don’t have a facility publicly in the works, like the Connecticut Sun, are going to fall behind in the free-agency game.
Forward Nneka Ogwumike, who signed with the Seattle Storm in 2024 after 12 years with the Los Angeles Sparks, said the Storm’s brand-new practice facility that opened ahead of the season was one of the selling points in her free agency.
“Being around people that are like, ‘This is yours and this is what you deserve,’ it was a rare feeling that I hadn’t felt before,” Ogwumike said, according to The Next. “And when I was able to see it and when I was able to hear (General Manager) Talisa (Rhea) talk about it, I realized that it was something that should be a priority on my list because we’re elite athletes.”
The Mercury opened their practice facility during All-Star Weekend in Phoenix last July, and the Chicago Sky plan to open their facility in December 2025 — just ahead of the free-agency boom in 2026. Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper has already started recruiting with the new practice facility down in the Valley, posting photos and videos of the state-of-the-art facility and commenting ‘@free agents.’
These facilities, really, are long overdue. At the very least, they bring the WNBA up to par with the college teams these athletes came from.
“In college, there’s state-of-the-art facilities that you practice in and train in,” Chicago Sky DeShields said in August, according to The Next. “As you get better, you shouldn’t have less access.”
At the most, it’s a destination and a negotiation point during free agency. New, amenity-driven practice facilities are becoming what players expect in this league, and for good reason.
The Fever have thought of everything, from training to development to lifestyle. There will be two regulation-size courts, strength and conditioning equipment, a yoga and Pilates studio, full-service kitchen, private outdoor courtyard, mental performance spaces, and a spa with massage, infrared light therapy, sauna, steam, heat studios, float tank, hydrotherapy pools. It will also have a childcare center, podcast and content creation studio, and a hair and nail salon.
“It’s huge,” Fever guard Lexie Hull told Scott Agness over Zoom following an Unrivaled practice on Thursday. “I think it shows the dedication that the organization and the city of Indianapolis is really pouring into our team. I think it’s going to be great for our team to be able to attract some really great free agents.”
The Fever’s facility, at 108,000 square feet, will be the largest of the new WNBA facilities by a wide margin. The next largest facility is Las Vegas, which is 64,000 square feet. The price tag of $78 million will be the second-most expensive behind Phoenix’s $100 million facility.
It will open at a crucial time for the Fever in terms of retaining their own players. Aliyah Boston will exhaust her rookie contract following the 2026 season and be a restricted free agent going into the 2027 season, and Caitlin Clark will be in the final year of her rookie contract.
The facility also comes at a perfect time for the free-agency boom in 2026. Most players out of rookie contracts will be free agents in the 2026 offseason out of anticipation for the new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players’ union, which is set to be renegotiated ahead of the 2026 season.
The new CBA will likely revitalize player salaries, so most players are not signing past 2025 in order to take advantage of the higher pay as soon as possible.
That means the Fever will need to be very active in free agency — and this practice facility will help immensely.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever: How new practice facility can draw top free agents
