Athena Keke’s, A Queer Women’s Sports Bar, Is Coming To Clinton Hill
The owners of Athena Keke’s sat down with GO ahead of their opening this Spring.
Berry Park was alive the night the New York Liberty won its first championship against the Minnesota Lynx. The bar, known for its rooftop with dazzling views of the Manhattan skyline, was having a watch party on the inside. Liberty fans gathered, donning shades of seafoam green as they watched the game from a projection screen. Hands flew into the air, yells bounced off brick walls, and beers clanked beneath a hanging banner that said “Athena Keke’s.”
The watch party was one of many events hosted by Athena Keke’s. Come late spring, the queer women-owned, Brooklyn-based organizer will graduate from pop-ups and open its doors as the first queer women’s sports bar in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
Couple and co-founders Claudia Capriles and Alexandra Murray met in 2015, working at a restaurant in the East Village, where Alexandra worked in front of the house as a head server, and Claudia in the kitchen. “We were romantically involved by 2016 and we’ve been together since,” smiled Alexandra while turning towards Claudia.
The idea of a bar came to them in 2019 when they were trying to find a place to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Orleans.
“We just couldn’t find a place to watch them,” Alexandra told GO. “And then we were like, ‘That’s the idea.’ It should be a bar that prioritizes women’s sports. It didn’t really become real until we were back here [in NYC] and saw one of the first articles about The Sports Bra.”
The Sports Bra, the first-ever bar dedicated to women’s sports, opened in Portland in 2022. Since then, there’s been a growing list of women’s sports bars. Side Peace Sports Bar and Watch Me! are some newly opened examples. These women-focused sports bars are becoming more and more essential as the athletic industry transforms. A recent report from Parity and SurveyMonkey found that “seven out of 10 people now watch women’s sports.” In Sponsor United’s latest Women In Sports Marketing report, sponsorship deals in women’s professional sports have increased to 22%.
“I definitely fell away from sports until recently. There wasn’t as much opportunity to watch [women’s sports]. So I was very excited to re-embrace it.” added Alexandra, to which Claudia laughed, “’Til I forced you to watch all the games?”
Alexandra and Claudia always knew their idea would be named Athena Keke’s. “One of the first things we did was we joked about the name, Athena Keke. That was always there because it’s our cat,” laughed Alexandra. Athena Keke has played an influential role in the bar’s colorful funky visuals and merchandise, where the cat can be spotted in the form of a sticker yelling “Sports!” Or on a green beer koozie yelling, “Aw! C’mon, ref!”
Over the past three years, Alexandra and Claudia have hosted over 30 events and watch parties across Brooklyn, some in collaboration with Women’s Sports Rally and Working Families Party. They have built a strong community of women’s sports fans, who have finally found a safe and inclusive space. Creating equal viewing opportunities for women’s sporting events is not only a win for the athletes but also for the fans, who are often left out of the traditional sports bar scene.
With a strong community base on their side, Athena Keke’s was officially ready to take the next step and secure a bar of their own. In January, they found the ideal spot in Clinton Hill. The challenge? Dealing with New York City real estate.
“Landlords, especially after COVID, are very particular on who they want to lease their places to,” explained Claudia. “The other thing too was the idea. They were like, ‘Women’s sports, so niche, right?’ Like, ‘Is that really in the market? Is that really gonna work?’ I don’t think it helped that it was two women business owners.”
They were able to secure the right space by meeting directly with the owner, along with the help and guidance of friends in the industry who own restaurants.
“We’re trying to figure out the best way to organize the space, nice and comfortable, but also good for your watching experience,” explained Claudia. Some fun visual plays on Athena Keke will definitely make an appearance! Alexandra and Claudia gave GO a few sneak peeks into what could become of Athena Keke’s. You might be able to order some Bolivian-inspired snacks while browsing a cozy bookshelf consisting of queer literature, all while women’s sports are being streamed.
“I’m really excited to take this community aspect and bring it to a space we have thoughtfully designed and curated. The food is ours, the beverages we made, we’re very confident about them,” said Alexandra.
“Everyone’s excited to have a space where they can know the game will be showing,” added Claudia. “We get a lot of DM’s for different things, even when we’re not throwing a watch party, people are like, ‘Ok, where can we go? Who is showing it?’ And then it’s this whole game of calling bars back and forth, and being like ‘Hey, are you showing this game?’ We’ve been doing this for so long now that it’s annoying. I’m happy to know you don’t have to call, just know the game will be on.”
Keep your eyes peeled on Athena Keke’s Instagram for more updates as it gets closer to late spring. In the meantime, attend one of their watch parties, and let’s go women’s sports!
