On the 2025 NFLPA report card, the Arizona Cardinals got slapped with a D- for their training room. And yes, they also got a flat-out F for the weight room and an F- for the locker room. That’s as bad as it sounds. The writing has been on the wall for a while. Owner Michael Bidwill (who also pulled a D- in the ownership grade) has been catching heat from players and fans the past few offseasons. The result?

On Tuesday, September 30, the Cardinals announced the update in their plans for the new training facility. In simple terms, the Arizona team is moving its practice facilities from Tempe to North Phoenix. The team recently confirmed. The new facility will be built at Paradise Ridge in north Phoenix, west of Scottsdale Road and north of the Loop 101.

As per the team’s official site, the new facility that spans more than 250,000 square feet will serve as the hub for both football and business operations. It will anchor a 217-acre mixed-use site, with the Cardinals’ portion covering 30 acres. The project is slated for completion in 2028. Considering the poor grading from the players, we all saw it coming.

“Our goal has always been to provide our players and coaches with the best possible environment to prepare and perform at the highest level,” the team owner said in a statement. “As we evaluated our options, it became clear that we needed more space than what was available at our current location or elsewhere in Tempe.

“We are deeply grateful to the City of Tempe for its incredible support over the past three decades and for its continued partnership. And we are just as excited to welcome this new chapter in our team’s history.” For the time being, the Cardinals have been training at Dignity Health Training Center in Tempe since 1989. It is 14 acres and 156,000 square feet.

What else from the Arizona Cardinals’ latest announcement

According to the Cardinals’ team writer, Darren Urban, the team bought the property for $136 million over the summer. As for the architecture firm, Rossetti, a leading sports architecture firm known for partnering with several teams on their new facilities, will be working with the Cardinals on the design.

“The Arizona Cardinals’ new headquarters and state-of-the-art practice facility is an exciting, welcome addition to our city’s Headquarters Alley,” said Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego in a statement. “I’m grateful for this game-changing investment and the energy this project will bring to our community.” Per the Cardinals’ official site, the new facility will have:

• Three outdoor grass practice fields
• An indoor fieldhouse with a full-size turf field
• An expanded and modernised locker room,
• A state-of-the-art weight room,
• Strength and conditioning spaces
• Sports medicine and athletic training areas,
• Meeting rooms,
• Player lounge.

As things stand, upgrading the team facilities has definitely been a talking point for the past few seasons. The team has already opened a new office space for business ops in 2024. On top of that, the Cardinals have also made significant updates at the State Farm Stadium. The reasoning was simple: Many believed the team was behind the league. Fast forward to now, and the Cardinals will move to a new building in 2028.