Her Court
Audio By Carbonatix
Kristen Carli is a self-described die-hard Phoenix Mercury fan. When trying to watch her Merc’ or another WNBA game at a sports bar, she’s run into an issue women’s sports fans know all too well: The field of TV screens is only airing men’s sports. If you can find someone to change the channel, you’ve got to be ready with which network or channel the game is on.
“If you ask sometimes to change the channel, sometimes that’s even met with resistance,” Carli says.
When Title 9 Sports Grill opened in Phoenix’s Melrose neighborhood last year, it proved there was a local appetite for women’s sports bars, Carli says.
“There’s really a demand to be able to watch women’s sports everywhere,” she says. “I think we want more of them.”
She and her husband, Anthony, hope to bring a second women’s sports bar to the Valley in 2027. They’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 to open Her Court in Old Town Scottsdale. The crowdfunding response will be the “proof of concept” to share with lenders to secure funding.
“Then the ball will get rolling towards building out the space,” Carli says.
Courtesy of Kristen Carli
‘It’s definitely a movement’
Carli has watched momentum grow around women’s sports and spaces that cater to their fans.
Take Carli’s favorite sport, basketball. The WNBA’s game attendance and viewership have increased rapidly over the past several years. Last season was the most-watched in history, ESPN shared. This season, a record 216 of the WNBA’s 330 regular-season games will air on national broadcasts.
When Title 9 opened in 2025, it was one of a handful of women’s sports bars in the country. Now, 27 women’s sports bars are open across the U.S., with at least 16 more in the works, per X Marks the Spot, which highlights these spaces.
“It’s definitely a movement,” Carli says.
At Her Court, the TVs will show professional women’s basketball, hockey, volleyball, soccer and golf, along with collegiate matches and international competitions like the Olympics. Akin to Title 9, women’s sports will take precedence over men’s sports, but that won’t stop Her Court from airing major games, such as the Super Bowl.
Though the Carlis have not yet secured a location, they envision a space with bar and table seating, a private room for events, a “Team Store” with Her Court and women’s sports merch and an athlete wall that pays homage to notable female players.
“The name says it all,” her husband, Anthony, said in a press release announcing the crowdfunding campaign. “Her Court, because women’s sports have earned every inch of this space. Old Town is ready for it. The Valley is ready for it.”
The sports bars in Old Town more often lean into bro-fueled tropes in sensory-overloading, multi-story spaces. The Carlis, who live in Scottsdale and work in healthcare, point to the area’s appeal to both young professionals and tourists as a driver for launching their passion project there.
“I think what we want to make clear is that anyone can be a women’s sports fan,” Carli says. “If you want to watch women’s sports, you are welcome.”
The Her Court crowdfunding campaign will run for a month. Carli hopes her new concept can be a springboard for more women’s sports bars.
“We’re on the same team,” she says. “Every women’s sports bar that opens makes it easier for the next one.”
