Key Points
- The first designated women's sports bar is opening in Sydney.
- Ladies League will have multiple screens showing live women's sports and replays.
- The bar is for everyone over 18, not just women.
Women's sport is more popular than ever in Australia and, for the first time, a permanent space has opened to watch it nonstop.
The Ladies League bar opens in Sydney on Friday, and while its theme is women's sport only, anyone is welcome to visit, owner Rose Valente told SBS News.
"It's not just a women's space. Women's sport is our niche but we're open to anyone," she said.
The first bar of its kind in Australia, the Ladies League will have multiple screens showing live women's sports and replays from midday to late.
Decorations include women's jerseys lining the walls, pride flags and the Alex Chidiac bench — sponsored by the Matildas midfielder.
Valente said her experience in media and hospitality proved to her that Australians like watching women's sports, but they are rarely prioritised at sports bars.
"You go to any bar and it's hard enough to even watch the A League Men's, never mind if you ask them, 'Can I watch the A League Women's?' ... They've got absolutely no idea what channel that's on," she said.
Valente said that while Matildas games are shown, women's cricket, basketball, and netball screenings are unheard of.
"I knew there was a demand for a space with like-minded people who are there specifically to watch women's sport," she said.
Last year, the Women's World Cup generated unprecedented levels of support for women's football.
The , including a record TV audience of 11.15 million for their semi-final clash, with an average figure of 7.13 million across that match.
Valente said she chose the Oxford Street location for its proximity to stadiums and connection with the LGBTIQ+ community.
Lined with gay bars and queer spaces, Oxford Street is an important location for the community and the site of annual Mardi Gras parades.
"I'm very aware that the demographic is going to be very queer, and I'm doing everything I can to make sure that that, you know, that community is well represented, well looked after and that they know that it is a safe space," Valente said.
"If you don't gel with that community, then this probably isn't the space for you because this is a space for anyone that is supportive."
Valente started the Ladies League website in 2017 as a passion project, aiming to provide a platform for female sports writers in a typically male-dominated field.
When she decided to launch the bar, she asked friends if she should transfer the name to the new venture, and they said, "Yes, definitely".
"Ironically, it kind of works better in this context ... we're saying we're only showing ladies leagues," she said.
Valente said staff would be open to showing major men's sporting events such as the AFL grand final or Socceroos games, but it would be ad hoc.
The bar's opening comes as the Paris Paralympics are underway, and the AFL women's season starts this weekend.
In the United States, women's sports bar The Sports Bra opened in Portland in 2022 and is "thriving" two years later, according to its owner.
