Australia’s first women’s sports bar make the ‘heavy’ decision to close down: ‘It’s a hard reality’
The Ladies League in Sydney has closed its doors for the final time. (@theladiesleague/Instagram)
Australia’s first women’s sports bar The Ladies League has made the “heavy” decision not to re-open its doors in 2025.
The Ladies League in Darlinghurst, Sydney first launched in August 2024 on the ever-busy Oxford Street, but it announced it would be closing for good on New Year’s Day (1 January 2025).
The Ladies League positioned itself as a safe space for those in the LGBTQ+ community, especially for lesbian and queer women customers.
“Women’s sport is sort of intertwined with a queer community, and a lot of players and supporters are queer. We’re kind of going with the philosophy of — we’re for everyone,” owner Rose Valente previously told Women’s Agenda before opening.
However, the owner announced to patrons via Instagram “with a heavy heart” that they could no longer continue to run the adults-only drink and dining venue, which has been cited as the country’s first women’s sports bar.
“As a women’s sports bar, we excelled,” the post began. “Anyone who attended a Matildas, Sydney FC, Grand Final etc game day at our venue, knows what a show we can put on.
“Unfortunately, it is outside of live games, that we felt the struggle as much as many hospitality venues in this economic climate.”
The post continued: “While we knew going in [that] cost of living pressures have impacted how patrons spend, this is something we wanted to do for women’s sports visibility.
“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.”
Valente said that the team “had full belief we would not be in this position at this early stage,” and added that the venue’s staff “has nothing but gratitude” for customers and supporters.
“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,” Valente added. “Thank you each and every one [of you] who has visited us or showed support online.”
The venue’s closure comes during a difficult time for businesses in the country. In the years following the pandemic, business failures have reached a record high of an average of 5.04 per cent in October 2024, as per CreditorWatch’s Business Risk Index.
If this story has affected you, call QLife on 1800 184 527 from 3 pm-midnight 7 days a week for LGBTQ+ peer support or referral on sexuality, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships.
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