As the WNBA season tips off, the next generation helps reimagine women’s sports facilities
The 2026 WNBA season is in its first week, marking the league’s 30th season of women making their own space in one of the nation’s most dominant sports.
In recent years, the league — alongside the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) — has seen a dramatic rise in viewership and brand recognition, signaling an evolution of women’s professional sports from a niche market to mainstream culture.
For their talent, passion and versatility on and off their respective playing fields, more women athletes are becoming household names. As a result, more investors are pouring money into the ecosystem needed for the continued expansion of women’s professional sports. That’s where design steps in.
From arenas and stadiums to media and technology, sustaining the rapid growth of women’s sports requires scalable infrastructure.
Women’s leagues need right-sized, energetic venues designed for today’s audiences but with room to grow and flexibility for multiple uses. They need high-quality, high-performance training centers, locker rooms and amenities tailored to women athletes.
Recognizing the importance of equity and retention, women’s facilities that include childcare and family spaces, mental health care centers and inclusive environments will help keep talent in professional leagues.
So, what does that look like?
As part of Intentional Sports’s Intentional HER: Women & Girls in Sports Day, CannonDesign hosted a workshop with 30 young girls in Chicago to design women’s sports stadiums of the future. With various tools and materials within reach, the young athletes immediately took ownership of their stadiums, many naming it after themselves or something important to them.
As they worked, many girls mused about how they wanted sports to be fun and what that meant for their dream stadium. After the workshop, we created AI renderings of their models to bring their vision to life. Watch a video recap of the event below.
Testimonials
Women’s professional sports will continue to grow exponentially if we’re intentional about designing an infrastructure that advances performance, visibility, equity and community.
By partnering with organizations, institutions and leagues to design facilities and environments that match the ambition of women athletes and fans everywhere, our team is fueling “wins” both on and off the playing field.
