"Pretty cost-inefficient" - WNBA fans react to Atlanta Dream's major announcement about venue upgrade after moving Caitlin Clark's road opener

Ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, the Atlanta Dream announced Wednesday that they were changing the venue of their home opener against Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever. However, there have been talks about the team moving to a more permanent home in the future, including building a new arena that could seat more fans.

In an interview with Front Office Sports on Wednesday, Dream president Morgan Shaw Parker said the team is actively exploring its options, including a new deal at an existing arena or possibly building its own upgraded stadium.

"We are seeking opportunities to either partner [with an existing stadium] or build our own," Shaw Parker said.

Per the FOS report, the Dream are looking to own an arena that can hold 12,000 to 14,000 fans. As Caitlin Clark and others continue to make the game more popular, other teams might join the Atlanta Dream in making venue upgrades.

Fans took to Reddit to voice their opinions on the news and the idea that the Dream could be considering a long-term move instead of just for their opener against the Indiana Fever on May 22. They shifted the game from their current home, the Gateway Center Arena, which can hold 4,000 fans, to the 16,888-seater State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks.

While Atlanta is open to building its own facilities, one fan pointed out that undergoing that whole process instead of just sharing with the Hawks doesn't make much sense.

"It seems like building a new facility for the Dream is pretty cost-inefficient," one fan stated. "...plus, they'd have to manage it for the rest of the year."

"That's confusing when they literally just posted this about having 'invested significant resources and energy into making Gateway Center Arena the most unique home-court experience in the WNBA'," another fan pointed out.

"I was hoping they could be a bit more flexible with moving games (Sky and Aces) to State Farm knowing the demand those games had last year," one fan commented. "Plus Paige is going to Dallas and I saw hundreds of fans climb trees in the snow to see her 2+ hours after a game."

"They need to get the fans to watch first, they cant even fill up their 3500 seat arena," another fan said.

"Can’t they play where the hawks are at?" asked one fan.

"Are there any other realistic existing options in the city other than State Farm? Some decent college arenas?" another asked, posing a different solution.

Caitlin Clark's popularity sold out the Fever's preseason game in less than an hour

Caitlin Clark's popularity is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, so the WNBA might need to get creative with where it holds their games. The Fever announced that their first preseason game would have a special venue: the Iowa Hawkeyes' arena, where Clark dominated in college. Tickets for the contest on May 4 sold out in 45 minutes as fans rushed to secure their spots.

Since her time as an Iowa Hawkeye, Clark has attracted national attention thanks to her dynamic play. The large crowds she draws to most of her games have helped propel the women's basketball world onto a national stage.

After the recent announcement that the Dream will be changing the venue of their home opener, the latest change that Clark's fandom has seemingly caused, the second-year pro has earned a new nickname from the basketball community: Caitlin "Scheduling Conflict" Clark. Needless to say, the WNBA is happy to comply if Caitlin Clark continues to pack the house at her games.