A new queer sports bar is coming to Brooklyn with a mission to help lovers of women's sports build community.
Athena Keke’s, named after owners Claudia Capriles and Alexandra Murray’s adopted tabby cat, is scheduled to open this summer at 222 Greene Ave. in Clinton Hill.
The two owners met in 2015 while working in the restaurant industry in the East Village. After a trip to New Orleans during the 2019 FIFA World Cup, the duo noticed that not many bars offered them the opportunity to watch all the women's games, especially of teams outside of the United States.
After toying with the idea of becoming business partners, and even considering opening a wine bar, the partners landed on the idea of opening a sports bar in New York City to fill their ever-growing desire to see women represented in the sports bar scene.
While searching for a location, the duo hosted watch parties alongside Women’s Sports Rally, a social club for women’s sports enthusiasts, that attracted hundreds of participants each session.
“We're at a point where everyone's a little stressed and times are hard,” Murray told BK Reader. "So, if we can do something that also feels good and like we're helping in some way, I think that it really just makes everyone feel a little better.”
The pop-up watch sessions grew beyond just watching games. Capriles and Murray also worked with community organizations, including the Working Families Party, to host political events so their members could better understand a candidate's political platform and polling options.
With women’s sports becoming more popular, especially locally with the New York Liberty winning the WNBA championship in 2024, the owners say people are more inclined to come to an inclusive bar if it's available to them.
The pop-ups have most certainly attracted sports lovers, but also have included those who just like the community.
“Combined with the level of community that just naturally happens with women's sports and the level of care and shared values, for the most part, is really making this moment so special,” said Murray. “[It] just makes people feel less alone and like something cool and bigger can come out of it.”
When the bar officially opens this summer, the owners hope to continue to build the same inclusive community they had during their pop-up sessions. While traditional sports bars are normally dark, the owners want their space to feel warm and inviting, they said.
“It's like the anti-sports bar sports bar,” Murray said. "[It’s] like a totally different take on experiences we've had, and hopefully people will like it.”
