Bay FC soccer club to build training facility on San Francisco's Treasure Island
Bay FC, the Bay Area's National Women's Soccer League team, announced plans on Tuesday to build a training facility on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
The team said the eight-acre training facility will feature a 20,000-square-foot clubhouse and three practice fields. Construction will begin in 2025 and the facility has a scheduled opening in 2027. The facility is designed to complement existing and planned youth recreational activities on the island, Bay FC said.
At a press conference Tuesday morning at Treasure Island with Bay FC executives and city officials, San Francisco Mayor London Breed hailed the project as another success for the burgeoning island neighborhood.
"This is so incredible to see women's sports take it to the next level and to see people get so excited," said Breed. "This is not necessarily where legends are born this is where legends will be made."
San Jose native Brandi Chastain is co-founder of Bay FC and someone who is forever etched in sports history with her iconic celebration clinching Team USA's World Cup in 1999.
"We didn't see other women playing team sports in big stadiums, so we made this out of nothing," said Chastain.
The announcement comes as infrastructure around the island continues to expand.
Developers said 1,800 of the 8,000 planned homes have been completed, as city leaders tout its growth.
"It is laying the foundation for what Treasure Island will be where there's housing, office space, sports and entertainment and restaurants, parks and open space," said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Isle House, a 250-apartment structure which opened this month, is where the team made the announcement.
Brady Stewart is CEO of Bay FC. She doesn't know how many players or staff will choose to live on the island in the coming years, but it's becoming a more viable option.
"We want them to have a lot of living options. That's one of the great strengths of Treasure Island, is the location for us," said Stewart.
Nearly 300 acres of parkland are also in the works. Several public parks have opened recently, in a district some are calling a 'new mini-city'.
"I love it that every time I'm here there's some new building that's up and a new place to go. This is a really happening place. People are going to start noticing this is a great place to be," said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey.
For Chastain, Bay FC's new home is also a growing opportunity to inspire a younger generation of soccer players.
"You have to be brave, proactive, and courageous. That's really what I think Bay FC's underlying story is really about," said Chastain.
The project won't have any public funding involved.
Bay FC currently practices at San Jose State University and plays home games at PayPal Park, sharing the space with the San Jose Earthquakes. The team says it's happy with the current arrangement but will eventually want its own stadium.
The facility plans are pending approval of a lease from the city's Treasure Island Development Authority and the Board of Supervisors.