AUSTIN, Texas — As women's sports continue to gain popularity throughout the U.S., some entrepreneurs are opening bars with a unique twist.
This fall, the ATX Women's Sports Pub is making its way to Austin as a dedicated place to watch all women's sports.
Co-founded by Debra Hallum and Marlene de Plessis, the pub will offer a designated location to support professional female athletes in a space typically dominated by men's competitions.
The owners believe their pub, welcome to all visitors, will create a space to celebrate women's sports where they might otherwise be overlooked.
"Very early on, I realized that girls' sports were not viewed as important as boys' sports or it wasn't even taken seriously," de Plessis said in a video. "You can go into any bar or pub and it will be very, very hard to find a TV showing women's sports, so we want to change that."
Currently, there is no physical location for the bar, but Hallum and de Plessis are attempting to raise funds to execute their plan. So far, the duo has collected more than $9,300 of their $250,000 goal, and they have until Sept. 10 when the campaign comes to an end.
Per their fundraising website, all donations will contribute to finding a permanent location, adding renovations, providing livable wages for future employees, constructing historic representations of women athletes and more.
Austin isn't the first city to introduce a women's only sports bar. In 2022, The Sports Bra opened in Oregon, paving the way for other locations to follow.
Rough and Tumble Pub, located in Washington, opened that same year, and others have welcomed new customers since.
Hallum and de Plessis stated they took inspiration from bars such as these, and they are excited to bring their vision to the Texas capital.
"We believe Austin deserves this," Hallum said in a recent video.
Want to learn more? Visit here.