Ballhalla Travels Well: Why the Valkyries’ Playoff Game at SAP Center Is a Win for the Bay

When the Golden State Valkyries announced that their first-ever home playoff game would be played at SAP Center in San Jose instead of Chase Center, some critics called it a scheduling failure. After all, Chase is their home court, and being bumped by a tennis tournament might seem like a slight.

But that take misses the bigger story. This isn’t a downgrade—it’s a declaration. The Valkyries aren’t just a team. They’re a movement. And movements don’t stay confined to one building.

🌉 A Bay-Wide Fanbase Deserves a Bay-Wide Stage

From the beginning, the Valkyries have embraced the full geography of the Bay Area. Their team offices and training facility are rooted in downtown Oakland, in the former Warriors HQ. Their home games light up Chase Center in San Francisco. And now, their playoff debut will electrify SAP Center in San Jose.

Now that's what we call expansion. It’s how you build a fanbase that stretches from the Peninsula to the East Bay to the South Bay. It’s how you turn a regional team into a cultural force.

Jess Smith, the team’s president, put it best: “Ballhalla has never been about just one building—it’s about the incredible community our fans have created”

🗺️ This Isn’t New—It’s Bay Area Tradition

The Valkyries’ playoff relocation joins a long legacy of Bay Area teams using multiple venues to grow their reach and deepen community ties:

• Bay FC plays its home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose, but is building a cutting-edge training facility on Treasure Island. When they played at Oracle Park, they shattered the NWSL single-game attendance record with over 40,000 fans—proving that venue shifts can spark historic moments.

• The San Jose Earthquakes regularly host marquee matches at Stanford Stadium and Levi’s Stadium, drawing massive crowds for rivalry games and cultural celebrations.

• Even the Warriors played the entire 1996–97 NBA season at SAP Center (then San Jose Arena) while their Oakland venue was under renovation. That season helped solidify San Jose’s role in the region’s basketball story.

These aren’t logistical compromises. They’re strategic choices that honor the diversity and unity of Bay Area sports culture.

🤝 SAP Center: A Stage for Something Bigger

SAP Center is a beloved venue with deep roots in Bay Area sports. From hosting NCAA tournaments to being the longtime home of the San Jose Sharks, it’s a place where fans have rallied for decades. Now, it becomes the stage for a new chapter: women’s basketball taking center ice.

And let’s not forget the poetic symmetry. Just like the Warriors once brought NBA basketball to San Jose, the Valkyries now bring playoff-level WNBA energy to the same arena. It’s a full-circle moment that honors the past while building the future.

✨ Expanding the Movement, One City at a Time

By playing in San Jose, the Valkyries are welcoming new fans into Ballhalla. They’re showing that women’s sports deserve the biggest stages, wherever they are. And they’re proving that Bay Area sports are symphonic.

This playoff game is more than a logistical workaround. It’s a celebration of how far the Valkyries have come and how far they’re going. It’s a chance for San Jose to shine, for fans to rally, and for the Bay Area to show the world what unified, inclusive, electrifying sports culture looks like.