After a successful pop-up, The W Club has found a permanent home at The Aviary in Melbourne, offering a safe, inclusive space for fans to come together and watch women’s sport. The Melbourne women’s sports bar is also founded by two athletes – Liz Quin and Tessa Lavey.
With the number of bars in the United States alone expected to quadruple in 2025, we at Missing Perspectives have loved seeing the rise of women’s sports bars around the world. Saraid Taylor recently caught up with Liz and Tessa to discuss their new venture – and we can’t wait to visit the next time we’re in Melbourne.
The W Club reimagines what a sports bar can be— an inclusive, vibrant space where women’s sports and the people who love them are celebrated. You both return to the idea of inclusion. What is your earliest memory of being excluded?
Liz Quin: I was in Year 5, so about ten, I think, and my primary school was starting up a footy team. They asked anyone who was interested to meet in the classroom at lunch time. I was worried everyone would laugh at me but I also knew I was good enough to mix it with the boys — I’d play kick to kick with them all the time — so I went. I was the only girl who rocked up and the teacher running the program said, “Sorry, you can’t do it. We’re not having girls.” Deflated, I went to leave but one of the boys said to him, “Oh, she’s better than Paul Hodges*!” The teacher took one look at poor Paul*, who was in the room too, and let me stay. (*: Name changed).
Tessa Lavey: I’m the youngest in my family, with four older brothers. When we were growing up, they’d all have friends over and I wasn’t allowed to play because I was the girl and they were doing boys stuff, which just meant having campfires down at the cubby house, or kicking the footy. I can still remember the feeling. I just wanted to tag along.
How have these experiences shaped you?
LQ: I’m not sure if they shaped me, but maybe subconsciously I realised that if I wanted to play sports, or participate in any area of sports really, I had to be just as good as, if not better than, the boys in order to be allowed. In some ways, I still feel as though I need to prove myself — either that I understand sport, or can play it, or can coach it, just as well as a man. I want The W Club to be the opposite of that: it doesn’t matter how much you know or how experienced you are or how many games you’ve watched or how well you can play or anything like that. It’s just a place where you can watch sport surrounded by other awesome people watching sport because they love it.
TL: Yeah, I love the idea that nobody has to prove anything. You like sport, you’re welcome. You’re not sure if you like sport but you’d like to find out, you’re welcome. You don’t have to be ‘legitimate’. You don’t have to pass some kind of test. I want everyone to feel like they’re invited inside.
Where does your sense of community come from?
LQ: There wasn’t much money around between ours and all my friends’ families when I was growing up, and we really relied on each other. I learned just how much a community can rally to provide childcare, food, emotional support, friendship and help when needed. It’s given me a strong sense of service.
TL: My home. I come from a small town where everyone knows each other. There’s a deep sense of community in our sport; the netball and football clubs are orientated around families. Everyone helps each other with their kids: getting them ready, getting them fed, giving them lifts to games, giving them lifts home. Everyone’s a coach or a fan or helping out at the canteen.
What kind of child were you? What did you want to be when you grew up? Was pub-owner on the list?
LQ: I was a bit of a sensitive kid: discerning, pretty empathetic. I was very active and loved the outdoors. We were always outside playing with the neighbours until dad whistled: the sign it was time to come in for dinner. I wanted to be a barrister. Pub owner was not on the list [laughs].
TL: Um, I was shy and didn’t like attention and played lots of sport. When I was in prep, we were asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up’”and I wrote in wobbly little writing: “I want to play basketball”. I didn’t even know it was a possibility but it was what I wanted to be. And obviously it’s what I ended up doing before footy. Like Quinny, I can’t say pub-owner was on my list either, although I’m glad we’re here.
What do you love about women’s sport?
LQ: That fans are so welcoming and inclusive. There’s far less of the tribalism you see in men’s sport, I think. You go to games and there’s no aggression — there’s often a greater appreciation of the opposition, there’s mutual support. People just get around the players and each other. It’s such a pleasant live-viewing experience.
TL: That nobody is left out. Women’s sport is a place anyone can come and be themselves. It’s really diverse. Kids who might feel different, or who aren’t seeing themselves reflected in those around them, can find someone they can relate to, which gives them the chance to know they belong somewhere.
When that paperwork for The W Club was signed recently, who were you most excited to tell?
LQ: It was such a protracted process, almost everyone we know figured it had happened long ago! But it was pretty exciting to tell my loved ones – who continue to be extremely supportive – that the deal was officially, finally done.
TL: My parents. We live far away from each other but they’ve always backed me in everything I’ve done and it’s special to share things with them. They mean a lot to me.
Who’s someone you wish you could have told?
LQ: Heather Anderson — Headsy — would’ve absolutely loved The W Club. She was a great mate and always had a habit of showing up, sometimes out of nowhere, and I know she would’ve shown up for this. She would’ve just been so thrilled about it but not just because it was a women’s sports bar … I could’ve opened a fish and chips shop and she would have been pumped for me. She was just so happy for anyone who was doing something they loved. She was one of the most supportive people you could come across.
TL: My brother. Tim would’ve thought it was amazing. He would’ve been the first one to offer to come down and try all the beer. And my grandma. I can hear the first thing she’d say: “How’d you pay for that? If you need some money, you just let me know.” And then she would’ve said: “But that’s great, darling.” I wouldn’t mind being able to tell my Aunty Jenny too, because she watched so much of my sport. She travelled constantly to see me play and was always figuring out how to watch when she couldn’t get there. It was really hard to access even though it was professional sport — it wasn’t very visible — so Aunty Jenny was constantly trying to put a plan together. “We could do this,” she’d say, “and then this.” Find the link to the stream, work out if you needed to have an account, try to have it working for grandma, find a time to watch it with the rest of the family. She just would’ve thought The W Club was the best thing ever.
On a recent post, a commenter said ‘… although I know that as a male this club isn’t for me, l’m so happy that there is a place for women to socialise safely.’ The W Club responded with appreciation for his empathy but said the pub is for everyone and anyone who loves sports and that you’d be excited to see him in soon.Who taught you fairness? Why is fairness important to you?
LQ: I don’t know there’s anyone I can point to as a clear example of fairness for me, but I feel like I’ve always been able to recognise unfairness quite easily. It’s become a core principle of The W Club: I don’t want to mirror what we’ve been up against for so long. I want us to be part of a movement where everyone can feel welcome — and then in turn welcome others.
TL: Golly, that is a big question. I think fairness should be important to everybody. My grandma was always a fair person; she treated everyone with respect and was always willing to help someone else in their moment of need. That’s how I try to be.
Do you think being ‘only for women’ is a common misconception people might have about The W Club?
LQ: Yes, but it’s inaccurate. Our aim is to build a space where women feel safe, but that doesn’t inherently have to exclude anyone else.
TL: We’re also not just showing women’s sport. We’re prioritising women’s sport, we’re not going to let women’s sport be ignored, but we want to expand who gets to access sport generally. For lovers of men’s codes, who might not feel safe attending the game, or watching at ‘regular’ pubs, we want The W Club to provide that fun, secure environment.
When someone says nobody watches women’s sport, what do you hear?
LQ: I hear someone displaced from reality.
TL: Yeah, I hear my own giggle. Because it feels ridiculous anyone is still saying that. Women’s sport has been up against almost total invisibility for so long and despite that, there’s still so many fans. We invite anyone claiming nobody watches women’s sport to come down and see it up on the televisions with everyone sitting around together … watching.
What has been the most memorable piece of feedback so far?
LQ: We’ve had so many people say basically the same thing — that they love the feel of the place. That they’re just really grateful something like this exists now.
TL: A woman from a local community team was in a few days ago. She said it was so nice to be in a sports bar where other patrons weren’t approaching her and making comments. It felt like she had found her space, she said. That it was so nice to feel safe. So maybe that one.
Who are you most excited to see access The W Club?
LQ: Definitely older women. I feel such a sense of satisfaction that we all have this joint now — because it doesn’t feel like it belongs to Tess and me, it belongs to everyone who ever yearned and worked towards making a place like The W Club a possibility.
TL: Maybe other athletes? And their families? It makes me think of Aunty Jenny, because I love the idea that someone could say to themselves: cool, we can get a whole bunch of family and friends together and host a watch party for our sister, our cousin, our wife, our neighbour’s favourite player, in a really awesome public space, instead of struggling to find a spot that might even consider showing something other than men’s football.
Do you have any memories of spending time in a pub as a kid?
LQ: Not really, but I spent a lot of time around community football clubs which feels almost like the same thing?
TL: I have enough for you [laughs]. I spent a bit of childhood at the Lalbert pub, eating hot chips and a box of Tic Tacs for dinner, sleeping under the pool table. Our local pub was a place for everyone. There were lots of laughter, kids were everywhere. It was an opportunity for families to get together outside of work and enjoy each other’s company. Dad could have some beers with his friends, or mum could have an ouzo coke with hers; it got them both a night off cooking, it got us a lot of playing on the indoor playground. I look back and I really enjoyed those times.
The w in The W Club is described as standing not only for women but for welcome: you want everybody, regardless of their gender, or age, or culture, or any other characteristic specific to them, to feel like they can belong inside. How do you create a space that prioritises safety?
LQ: We considered the types of things people need to feel safe, to feel like they belong, and started there. Location and accessibility were really important to us; we wanted to ensure people felt equally physically and socially safe when they visit. I think if we had thought ‘we want a women’s sports bar’ and then designed everything around the sports, we’d end up with a soulless venue that didn’t achieve inclusion, or a positive experience for viewers.
TL: And that sense of safety is created through our staff, through our culture and environment, through leadership. Quinny and I pride ourselves on being interested in all different types of people and perspectives. A big part of that is being open to criticism and to growing, not pretending to know everything and not trying to be perfect. I think that’s massive. Continuing to adjust. Welcoming challenges. Believing there’s always room for improvement.
You’ve both come from high performance backgrounds — how has that level of intensity measured against undertaking this project?
LQ: Oh, buying a pub is probably not even in the top 10 of intense experiences I’ve had [laughs]. I don’t think I found acquiring a location for The W Club stressful so much as frustrating and perplexing. Aspects of the contract negotiations and commercial obligations were the antithesis of every process I’ve learned in my career so far, but it was a welcome learning experience.
TL: Elite sport did not prepare me for onboarding suppliers, calculating total numbers of kegs, and paying staff! I didn’t think I was ever going to be here! I didn’t know what to expect! But it did teach me other stuff, especially about myself, that is helpful. I want to learn. I want to improve. I’m willing to do hard things — like buying a pub, like understanding a whole new business, like trying to create a community that people believe in and want to join. Quinny’s the same: we both have the mindset that, between us, there’s not much out there that’s not solvable.
You’re sitting inside the Aviary in Abbotsford, new home of The W Club — what’s the first game of sport you’re turning on? Who are you barracking for? What meal are you ordering?
LQ: AFLW, round one. Co-owner Tess. Chef’s pie of the week.
TL: Well, the Opals just won the FIBA Asia Cup for the first time in Australia’s history, so the replay of that. Barracking for them, obviously. Ordering spicy tomato gochujang pasta (with no prawns). Also, hot chips. Also, a secret menu item for the vegetarians, but if you want to know what it is, you have to come in and ask.
If you could invite any three guests into The W Club, who would they be?
LQ: Jeez. I’m terrible at these kind of questions.
TL: I want to invite everybody.
You have to choose three.
LQ: Fine. Minjee Lee. Karrie Webb. Stanley Tucci.
TL: I’m going to cheat by choosing three … couples. Penny Taylor and Diana Taurasi. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. Renae and Joe Ingles. Plus any of their kids are welcome in too of course.
You both speak a lot about The W Club being constructed on the backs of those who’ve come before … how do you want to add to this legacy?
LQ: I want The W Club to be the line between the past — recognising the pioneers who got us here, the women who were excluded from supporting their teams and playing their sports, the ones who insisted on our right to participate — and the future — where a bar that prioritises women’s sport is not newsworthy because women’s sport being on all the time is normal. I can’t wait for The W Club to just be the place you go to catch a home and away round match between two teams and have a fresh pie and a beer … or a cocktail or a coffee or a sparkling water and it’s not out of the ordinary.
TL: Every weekend kind of adds to the legacy with women’s sport. Every match is a significant event, because for so long we weren’t able to compete — and in some parts of the world that’s still the case. I think we contribute to the history just by trying to celebrate as many codes, as many games, as many athletes, as we can … and not ever taking credit as if we’re doing something first, or on our own, but finding a way to give that credit to all who deserve it but don’t always get it.
‘Good luck,’ was a different comment left on your announcement post, ‘that strip is dead’ — to which somebody else responded immediately: ‘Just watch the power of women in community, my friend.’ What’s the best way to support The W Club?
LQ: Come in and have a meal! And when you come in, bring some friends.
TL: We talk about that a lot at the Tigers: turning up for each other. And that can be in all different ways. In this case, if you can’t physically come in, buy merch. Represent us. Tag us in posts. Share stories. Talk about The W Club. Give us feedback. Any contribution to this community is really valuable.
Top photo source: The W Club