Jen Leary founded Watch Party Philly — a queer-run effort to cultivate community around women’s sports — in an attempt to find her own sense of community. Since launching a year ago, she’s helped thousands of people develop new connections by bringing them together for hangouts during live games.
Now the organization is raising money as a first step toward giving its city-wide gatherings a permanent home.
Leary dreamed up the idea to go for a brick-and-mortar location, which they’re calling Watch Bar Philly, just a few weeks ago while she attended a retreat with leaders from across the country who are creating spaces for people to watch and enjoy women’s sports. Part of their gathering was a session on building solidarity and a national ecosystem that will grow energy around the movement.
“When I came home, I just knew I had to do it,” Leary said. “I was so inspired.”
In her excitement, she woke up one night and immediately sent a DM to Alexandra Niedbalski, a longtime women’s sports advocate who lives part-time in the Philadelphia suburbs. Leary is hopeful that over time, Niedbalski and other major players will support Watch Bar Philly. Niedbalski and her partner, comedian Wanda Sykes, have played an active role in the city’s efforts to become the newest home of a WNBA team.
Watch Party has also played an important part in efforts to bring a WNBA to Philly, most notably in its ability to demonstrate that fans are already here and ready to welcome an emerging team. Watch Party attendance averages between 150 and 300 per game depending on the sport and has soared to 650 in the past.
Leary intends for Watch Bar Philly to be more than just a drinking spot.
In the mornings, it’s a place for sports enthusiasts and local journalists to grab a cup of coffee and locally-baked pastries while they flip through their favorite magazines or get some work done. TVs will be set to the Women’s Sports Network when games aren’t on. The space will double as a museum to display artifacts and memorabilia. Leary dreams of a dedicated space to record podcasts and host panels.
“There’s so much lost history in this city,” said Leary, explaining that the city is home to one of the most elite women athletes in history — including basketball’s Ora Washington — and one of eight first national women’s soccer teams, the Philadelphia Charge.
“There’s all these teams who — even though they didn’t succeed, they paved the way in this city,” she said. “And so we really want to highlight them.”
Ideally, Leary hopes to find a location in the Midtown Village area because it’s convenient for those traveling from South Jersey, Delaware and other Philadelphia suburbs. This new brick-and-mortar doesn’t mean Watch Party’s current partnerships will fade away. Leary hopes a permanent location will act as a central hub.
To make it happen, the Watch Party team launched a GoFundMe and is looking for investors big and small to collaborate. The goal is to raise $50,000 to put toward start-up costs, and it’s well on its way — earning over $10K in its first week.
“We have the following, which makes us feel more confident that this will work,” Leary said, adding that the group’s current attendees are diverse.
Although women’s sports often draws a queer crowd, there’s a misconception that these events wouldn’t appeal to broader audiences. People of all walks of life — as long as they’re respectful of marginalized community members, Leary noted — are welcome to come out and have fun.
“Everyone watches women’s sports, right?” Leary said. “So everyone is our demographic.”
Although Watch Bar will be a hub for women’s sports, it will also be a safe space to catch an Eagles game, said Leary — who is a semi-professional tackle football player turned firefighter.
“Our community — they tell us how important it is to them to have this community, this safe space,” said Megan DiTolla, one of Leary’s business partners.
“Watch Party’s promise to our community is to provide a safe space for our folks to show up as their authentic selves,” she underlined. “That’s our promise.”
“Sports are really important to me — and they have been throughout the course of my life, my community builder,” said DiTolla, who played varsity sports in high school and noted that sports gave her confidence and community when she struggled to develop that on her own. “It’s where I’ve really been able to build community in all the new places.”
She signed up for a rec kickball team to make friends when she first moved to Philadelphia and has since participated in darts, flag football, pickleball and other rec teams plus has served on the board of LGBTQ+ sports clubs — all as a way to find her people. Watch Party is the other side of the same coin — serving as a space for people, even those who don’t identify as athletes, to connect as fans.
The group is hosting its next major event on Saturday, April 6 — with a viewing party to watch the NCAA women’s basketball championship game at Lucy’s Bar (1720 Chestnut St) at 3 p.m. Immediately following, a one-year anniversary party — with a photo booth, cupcakes, games and a DJ — will be held at Stir Lounge, the venue that hosted Watch Party’s first event last spring.