Utah Royals FC announced expansion and remodeling plans for the creation of a team-specific training site at Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman during a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.
The academy will undergo expansion and remodeling to create the Royals' 12,260-square-foot facility. It will continue to be a training home for Real Salt Lake , Real Monarchs and the two RSL Academy boys teams, according to the team's announcement .
The site is expected to be completed by the start of the National Women's Soccer League's 2024 regular season, which will be this iteration of the Royals' first season.
The facility was designed with players in mind, both Royals head coach Amy Rodriguez and Royals, RSL and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith emphasized during Thursday's press conference. Smith didn't disclose the financial specifics of the project but it will be a multimillion-dollar endeavor, per the team's announcement.
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"I'll just say that at the core of who I am, as a former player in this league, I want to do right by the players and I want to provide them the greatest sports and life experience that they they can achieve," Rodriguez said. "And I think that we have that here in Salt Lake City and with this new training center. ... Like I mentioned earlier, the possibilities and the potential of our players is going to be endless."
Rodriguez says the project will allow the Royals and RSL to have equal, top-notch facilities. Some of the features in the Royals' facility will include a hydrotherapy room, a family room and a mother's care room to "fulfill all the needs of our athletes," Rodriguez said.
"During the creation process of this training center, the players' holistic view was very carefully looked at and thought about," she said. "We just want every player to feel comfortable here, have everything at their fingertips so that they can perform on the field. And at the end of the day develop great players out of Utah."
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The team will continue to prepare for the NWSL expansion draft in December and the NWSL entry draft in January.
The Royals will pick first in the first round of the entry draft and second in the expansion draft, the Deseret News previously reported. Bay FC will also be entering the league next season and will pick first in the expansion draft.
Rodriguez is looking for "humble and hardworking" players in her goal of bringing home an NWSL championship in the club's first season.
"I love good people," she said. "I want hard workers. I want champions on and off the field. How I coach is similar to how I played, which is very intense, demanding (and) organized, but hopefully that comes with wins and a lot of fun."
