Score! Two New Women’s Sports Bars To Open In NYC
Athena Keke’s and Wilka’s give GO a look into their soon-to-open sports bars.
Athena Keke’s in Clinton Hill and Wilka’s Sports Bar on the Lower East Side will be the spots to fill up on cider, eat some tasty snacks, and get rowdy while cheering on your favorite teams with a community of women’s sports fans.
Co-founders of Athena Keke’s, Claudia Capriles and Alexandra Murray (shown above), met in 2015 at a restaurant in the East Village where Murray worked in the front of house as a head server, and Capriles in the kitchen. “We were romantically involved by 2016 and we’ve been together since,” says Murray, smiling towards Capriles.
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,” Murray tells 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, one of the first bars dedicated to women’s sports, opened in Portland, OR in 2022. Side Peace Sports Bar in Houston, TX and Watch Me! in Long Beach, CA followed soon after, capitalizing on the growing popularity of women’s leagues.
Murray and Capriles always knew their women-focused sports bar 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,” Murray tells GO. 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 saying, “Sports!” or on a green beer koozie yelling, “Aw! C’mon, ref!” In the past three years, Capriles and Murray have hosted over 20 events and watch parties in bars across Brooklyn, most in collaboration with Women’s Sports Rally.
They have built a strong community of women’s sports fans, who have finally found a safe and inclusive environment. Now, after years of searching, Murray and Capriles are set to open a bar of their own later this year. Creating equal viewing opportunities for women’s sporting events is a win for the athletes and fans, who are often left out of the traditional sports bar scene.
“Everyone’s excited to have a space where they can know the game will be showing,” says Capriles. “I’m happy to know you don’t have to call, just know the game will be on.”
While they’re still in early renovations, Murray and Capriles gave GO a sneak peek into what could become of Athena Keke’s.
“We’re trying to figure out the best way to organize the space, nice and comfortable, but also good for your watching experience,” explains Capriles. Some fun visual plays on Athena Keke will definitely make an appearance! You might be able to order some Bolivian-inspired snacks while browsing a cozy bookshelf of queer literature, all while women’s sports are being streamed.
If Manhattan is more your scene, look no further than Wilka’s Sports Bar, which has just secured a prime location and large space off Bowery and Stanton Street. The owners are keeping many details hush-hush for now, but it’s sure to make a big splash when opening day arrives.
“We want to help grow women’s sports, invite everyone in, and become fans with us,” says Wilka’s co-owner Melissa Ng. The bar plays on the Polish word “wilk,” meaning “wolf,” and is sure to carve out a space on the Lower East Side for women’s sports fans, who, in a way, support their teams like a wolf pack.
Wilka’s has also hosted watch parties, some in collaboration with local New York sports teams such as the Brooklyn Football Club and the streetwear clothing brand TOMBOY. The sports bar plans to utilize its new space to host more of these events. The bar is also open to hosting book signings, podcasts, and anything in the growing industry of women’s sports.
While there is no projected opening timeline yet, Ng gave GO some teasers of what patrons could expect to see when entering Wilka’s.
“We don’t want to be a typical sports bar. Sure, we’ll have 20 TVs and will show all the sports, but we also really want to have some true fun with it. We will have a bookshelf area where we’ll have books written by women athletes, biographies, etc.,” explains Ng. “My business partner and I are both putting ourselves into the space. We want to make it feel homey and a chill place to hang out, watch women’s sports, and get some fresh eyes on the industry. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, we want everyone to come in, have fun, and hopefully leave as a fan of women’s sports.”
While the pop-up watch parties are already exciting for Athena Keke’s and Wilka’s, we cannot wait for them to open their permanent spaces. Because of hard work, dedication, and a love for women’s sports, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to be a part of these much-needed environments very soon.
Keep your eyes peeled for some special announcements on Athena Keke’s and Wilka’s Sports Bar’s Instagram pages—@athenakekesnyc and @wilkasnyc, respectively—and let’s keep supporting these spaces for women’s sports!
