Indiana Fever break ground on practice facility: 'The kind of moment we dreamed about.'

INDIANAPOLIS — Stephanie White remembers when the Indiana Fever announced their new logo for the first time.

It was December 1999, and White had been picked by the Fever in the expansion draft two days earlier. The Indiana native stood with Fever president Kelly Krauskopf and Pacers and Fever owner Herb Simon as the organization unveiled the logo, and spoke at the event that marked a new era for the WNBA.

Now, nearly 26 years later, White is in a different role with the organization as the head coach of the Fever. And she spoke at another event that marked a new era for the Indiana Fever: the groundbreaking of their state-of-the-art practice facility, slated to open in March 2027.

“This moment is really hard to put into words,” White said at the groundbreaking. “I think back to the day we stood in the Artsgarden and announced our logo for the very first time to now, and what this moment means for our franchise, our team, and for all the women whose shoulders we stand on that paved the way.”

This practice facility, which will sit at the intersection of Maryland and Alabama streets downtown, is indicative of how far women’s basketball has come since the league began in 1999.

When the Fever started their franchise in 2000, they had to hold open tryouts to round out their team. Multiple teams folded in 2003 when the WNBA went to an owner-based model instead of a league-owned model.

Even three years ago, the Fever didn’t have a dedicated space in Indianapolis. Because of renovations to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022, Indiana was displaced to Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse and sometimes the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on the state fairgrounds. In 2023, upon Indiana’s return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they put up bounce houses behind one of the baselines to entice families to come to Fever games.

The Fever drafting Caitlin Clark changed a lot of things for the franchise — Gainbridge Fieldhouse has been filled nearly every game in 2024 and 2025, and even away teams in smaller arenas have moved their games to bigger spaces for the Fever.

Now, they not only have a renovated (and typically full) Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but they’ll also have a brand-new practice facility that will be the largest in the league once it’s finished.

“This is the kind of moment we dreamed about from Day 1,” White said. “In the early days of the WNBA, we knew to truly grow the game and give it the platform it deserved, it took bold vision, it took deep belief from leaders like the Simon family, who saw the bigger picture, and today that vision is becoming a reality.”

The Fever building a practice facility follows a recent trend in the WNBA. The Las Vegas Aces were the first to open a dedicated practice facility in 2023, and the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury followed in 2024. The New York Liberty, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings have all announced practice facilities that will be built as well.

In this day and age of the league, it’s what organizations need to do to attract — and keep — top talent.

As an organization, Chicago has long been criticized for holding its practices at the Sachs Recreation Center, which is a gym that’s open to the public. So, the Sky are fast-tracking their practice facility to open before the 2026 season. Connecticut, which practices in a gym owned by the Mohegan Tribe and had to practice on a half court during the playoffs last year because of a birthday party, had a mass exodus following the 2024 season with all of its top players requesting trades or leaving in free agency.

“It was clear as the league is growing and player needs are evolving that we needed something dedicated,” Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said after the groundbreaking. “Some of these facilities had started to pop up, so in talking to Herb and the Simon family, (minority owner) Steven Rales, it was clear that this was just the right next step for where we were in the league.”

The practice facility will have two practice courts and multiple strength and conditioning areas including a spa with recovery suites, hydrotherapy pools, infrared light therapy, saunas, and mental wellness area. It will also have a full kitchen and outdoor courtyard for players, along with a hair and nail salon, podcast studio, and child care spaces.

“It’s a place that they can call home year-round,” Fever president Kelly Krauskopf said. “I want them to come in and this is their home away from home and spend time, train, recover, they’re not going to be looking for anything else. There’s therapy treatments, other places to work out, I mean, this is all-inclusive.”

Pacers Sports and Entertainment is funding the $78 million to build the 108,000 square-foot practice facility, and it will be owned by the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board upon its completion.

That falls in line with other sports facilities in the city — the Pacers’ and Colts’ practice facilities, along with Gainbridge Fieldhouse, is on land owned by the city’s capital improvement board.

“With this new facility, we will support these brilliant female athletes,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said. “That’s why we in the city are proud to have supported this project, and why we are thankful for Pacers Sports and Entertainment for their investment that makes all of this possible.”

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever break ground on dedicated practice facility

Indiana Fever break ground on practice facility: ‘The kind of moment we dreamed about.’

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