Bay Club To Offer In-Facility Training Hubs for WNBA Players

January 29, 2026

As strike or lockout concerns grow, luxury fitness operator Bay Club is opening 29 West Coast locations to WNBA players through the union’s new global training hub initiative

With the threat of a strike or lockout looming over the WNBA, numerous fitness hubs are swooping in to support players in need of training facilities in the off-season, or if they lose access due to the labor dispute. That list now includes Bay Club, a West Coast-based operator of luxury sports, recreation and active lifestyle centers.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the labor union for the WNBA, announced the creation of WNBPA Player Hubs, a global network of training facilities offering athletes access to courts, weight rooms and recovery spaces.

In addition to universities and several international training centers in Spain, Bay Club is welcoming professional WNBA players to utilize 29 locations across the West Coast in cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Many of our associates and leaders are former athletes, and we understand firsthand how critical consistent access to training and recovery is — not just for performance, but for confidence, well-being and long-term success,” said Bay Club Company chief marketing officer Tracy Cioffi.

“Supporting WNBPA players with facility access is a natural extension of Bay Club’s commitment to investing in women’s sports and standing behind the athletes who help shape future leaders,” Cioffi added.

The hubs arrive as the union awaits the WNBA’s response to its latest proposal in December, which included a request for roughly 30% of league and team revenue and a $10 million-plus salary cap, Sports Business Journal reported.

Historically, it’s not uncommon for WNBA players to have to find their own places to train, recover and stay in shape for competition when they can’t access team facilities.

“We reached out to facilities across the country and around the world, and the response has been overwhelming. … These hubs are about standing together and making sure every player has what they need to stay ready and keep doing what they love,” said senior vice president of player relations at the WNBPA, Jayne Appel Marinelli.

Bay Club is also offering off-season employment opportunities for players seeking additional work during the lockout period.

Elsewhere on the West Coast, universities such as Stanford, Cal-Berkeley and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, are opening their facilities, in addition to Bay Club.

As for players on the East Coast, there will be training and recovery options at the WNBPA headquarters in New York City, as well as in Brooklyn and at Manhattan University. Exos’ human performance centers will also be available in Alpharetta, Georgia, Gulf Breeze, Florida, Phoenix and Plano, Texas and the Embassy, a high-end performance training facility in Málaga, Spain. Athletech News