The Toronto Tempo has announced plans to develop a $100-million practice facility at Exhibition Place.

The facility will be located just outside the Princes’ Gates and near Coca-Cola Coliseum, where Canada’s first Women’s National Basketball Association team will play its home games, starting in early May. Unlike any other WNBA teams’ practice facilities, the Tempo’s state-of-the-art venue will serve as a year-round public recreation centre.

“This performance centre is about building the foundation for sustained excellence,” said Tempo General Manager Monica Wright Rogers. “Our players deserve a world-class environment that supports every aspect of their development, and our community deserves access to spaces that inspire the next generation. This facility will be both.” 

In return for a proposed long-term lease on city-owned land, the Tempo will build two full-size indoor basketball courts and dressing rooms; outdoor recreation amenities, including two outdoor courts and a mini-pitch, new park space and public washrooms while being responsible for the facility’s maintenance and improving “long-lasting items,” said the city, which will not invest in the development project.

Under lease terms still requiring council’s approval, the city will secure 2,200 hours of annual access for community programming that will include the use of the gym, training spaces and multi-purpose rooms.

“The lease terms set a new Toronto record for community access compared to comparable agreements in other locations,” said the city in a news release.

The project will redevelop an underutilized city-owned parking lot.

“We’re partnering with the Toronto Tempo to turn an underused site into a world-class facility that serves both professional athletes and the public,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “With year-round access to recreation, new park space and inclusive programming, this project delivers real benefits for residents while strengthening Toronto’s leadership in women’s sport.”  

The project will be designed by internationally recognized architecture firm HOK, with landscape design by NAK Design Strategies. The city said the project reflects the city’s commitment to design excellence. The city contends that revitalized site will enhance connectivity between nearby communities, Fort York, The Bentway and the waterfront.

For decades, many women’s teams at the amateur, professional and international levels have received the short shrift when it comes to accessing high-quality training, dressing-room and permanent playing facilities. The Tempo’s project is a strong indication of how far women’s sports have come in recent years, their increasing global popularity and, in particular, the WNBA’s financial stability and strength as well as its high revenues and the league’s large growth potential.

The Tempo is owned by Toronto-based Kilmer Sports Ventures, owned and headed by Larry Tanenbaum, a legendary sports entrepreneur and real estate investor who owns a minority stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment through his company. Tanenbaum’s various roles have included serving on the National Hockey League’s board of governors while representing the Toronto Maple Leafs, which he co-owns through his stake in MLSE.

Pictured: Future Toronto Tempo practice facility at Exhibition Place.

Rendering: Toronto Temo