Saw this over the weekend from Michaela Althouse at PhillyVoice (one word, not two):

Watch Party PHL, a community of women’s sports fans, is looking to open its own bar in Philly in 2026 that would show only women’s sports on its TVs. 

Group leaders Jen Leary, Lori Albright, Fawn McGee and Megan DiTolla launched a GoFundMe on Thursday with the goal to raise $50,000 to get the project started. 

Leary said the business will be open seven days a week, functioning as a coffee shop in the mornings and as a bar in the evenings, and will feature an event space, studio for live podcasting and beers from local breweries, including Love City, Dock Street and Yards. While it won’t have a large food menu, Leary said they will be selling soft pretzels from Center City Pretzel Co. and bring in local vendors and food trucks for events. 

Organizers don’t have a space yet, but they’re looking at spots in Midtown Village and Center City. 

Checking out the GoFundMe on Monday morning, they’ve raised about $8,100 so far. They’re putting together “our investor model and founding member packet,” according to an update from Leary, who mentioned on Instagram last week that there have been a lot of requests for watch parties. She wasn’t sure if there would be enough to continue the momentum after the WNBA season, but there was, which is the genesis of this bar effort.

The fundraiser blurb says this, in part:

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Philadelphia’s first-ever women’s sports bar, Watch Bar Philly. From morning to night, this will be a hub where fans can unite, starting with coffee in the morning and the latest women’s sports news, and culminating in evenings filled with local brews and passionate cheering for their favorite women’s sports teams, sending a clear message to leagues like the WNBA and NWSL: Philadelphia is ready to be the premier destination for women’s sports.

To bring Watch Bar to life, we’re launching our initial fundraising phase (50K), focusing on essential startup costs like legal, accounting, and consulting services. Your contribution, no matter the size, will directly help us build this groundbreaking space. 

Yeah listen, there’s been some buzz for women’s sport on the back of the first Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese WNBA season. The Sixers and Comcast-Spectacor are teaming up to bid for an expansion team. We don’t have an NWSL team and it’s been almost 15 years since the Independence folded, but women’s soccer does have a following, especially in the LGBTQ community. There was always a sizable Gayborhood contingent that was into the USWNT and Women’s World Cup and all of that. There’s probably enough interest to make this work if they can find the right spot and the right investors. On the surface, you would think, “well, we don’t have any pro women’s teams in town,” so what’s the point? But I think that is the point. If there’s a community that’s generating enough interest to open a women’s sports bar, then there’s probably enough larger support to add expansion WNBA and NWSL teams. And no, Mike from South Philly won’t give a shit about any of this, and wouldn’t waste a second watching the WNBA, but Mike from South Philly isn’t in the target demo anyway.

Here’s a link to the fundraiser if you wanna check it out: Watch Bar Philly: Philadelphia’s First Women’s Sports Bar