Australia’s first ever sports bar dedicated to women has closed its doors over the new year, saying it had struggled to stay afloat amid a tough economic climate.
On January 2, The Ladies League in Sydney’s bustling suburb of Darlinghurst posted a message on social media, describing the decision to shut was made “with a heavy heart.”
“Unfortunately, it is outside of live games that we felt the struggle as much as many other hospitality venues in this economic climate. While we knew going in cost living pressures have impacted how patrons spend, this is something we wanted to do for women’s sport visibility,” the Ladies League said.
“We knew we had a fantastic product on offer, but unfortunately, as a small business, we couldn’t hold on any longer to try any new approaches. We had full belief we would not be in this position at this early stage.
“We hope this doesn’t discourage anyone from opening a similar concept in the future. The support we felt from the community was amazing. It’s unfortunately a hard reality of how people are choosing to spend their money at this stage.”
The bar went on to thank everyone who had visited the venue or showed support online during its four-month long operations.
“We have nothing but gratitude for everyone that supported us and apologise for this result.”
Founder and owner, Rose Valente, 34, launched the bar in August 2024, telling Women’s Agenda she has wanted to open a bar designed for women for them to come together and enjoy watching women’s sports.
“I thought it would be sick,” Valente said in an interview last year. “I just thought it a really cool thing to do, and I thought it was needed as well.”
“There’s nowhere really that you can gather as a group of women, or for people who support women’s sport,” she said. “When you walk into a pub, it’s nearly impossible to have a women’s sport game on.”
She made it clear from the outset that all genders were welcome at the bar.
“Men, women, you don’t have to identify as anyone — this is literally just a place where anyone can watch women’s sport. Our sole purpose is to support women’s sport. We want to help support women’s sport, and we want to help roll it.”
The news has shocked and saddened supporters, many of whom reacted to the Instagram post with their own comments.
“Absolutely gutted,” one user wrote. “I LOVE everything you’ve been doing for women’s sport and just so sorry to hear this.”
“I only got to visit for one night and felt so safe being surrounded by other passionate women supporting their teams,” wrote another. “Truly devastated to hear this. I hope one day we see something similar again, theres not enough venues like yours in this city! 😞 best wishes to your future endeavours.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” one user wrote. “For creating such a warm and welcoming environment, for having the guts to give it a go. Much love to you and all the staff. The memories created there will last a lifetime.”
Sad reality
The bar’s surprise closure comes as small business continue to struggle amid tough economic conditions and the high cost of living. According to CreditorWatch’s Business Risk Index (BRI) Australian business closures reached a record high of an average of 5.04 per cent in October last year. Months prior, it released a report, warning that up to one in 13 small hospitality businesses could be closed, bearing the cost of the country’s economic crisis.
“The major challenge for businesses in the food and beverage services industry is their exposure to the discretionary spending of consumers, which has dried up as cost-of-living pressures mount,” the report stated. “Hospitality businesses have also struggled to manage cost pressures, such as power prices and cost of ingredients, as well as labour shortages.”
Many small businesses in Australia have suffered from labour shortages, staff costs, and the rising cost of living.
Equally discouraging regarding The Ladies League closure is the fact that more media coverage has seemed to report on its closure than when it launched.
Hopes and dreams
When Rose Valente opened the doors of The Ladies League in August, she and her team of sport fans had “a hunger for a female perspective.”
“We were a group of people who all just came together and worked on our passion,” Valente said. “We made it as our hobby, it was our passion. So the content we would put out was just really good.”
Valente had initially operated a blog under the same name, a place for her to write what she wanted to write about women’s sport.
“When you watch the men’s game, and watch the panel, and it’s different now, but at the time, it would be three men on the panel, and then you’d have either Mel McLaughlin or Tara Rushton on the sidelines,” she explained. “The women would just have a few minutes of air time, and they were just there to assist.”
“I knew there were some women who were fantastic at what they do, capable of having those [panel] positions.”
The bar was a physical manifestation of the original blog. When she decided to turn her platform into a venue, she was met with a lot of discouragement.
“People told me this is a gamble, this is risky, everyone considered me high risk,” she said. “But I have so much faith in this. The women’s sport community is so strong, it’s so wholesome, it’s so supportive.”
Sadly, it appears that the platform will return to its online capacity — for now. But Valente will go down in history as the owner of Australia’s first sports bar dedicated to women. That’s no small feat, and we’re eagerly awaiting her next move.
Picture: @theladiesleague/Instagram