A new women’s sports hub is headed to Philadelphia. The Stoop Pigeon by Watch Party PHL will open with a familiar rallying cry as its slogan: “Philly is a Women’s Sports Town.”
Watch Party PHL began nearly two years ago as a pop-up founded by Jen Leary and Lori Albright to address the lack of places in Philadelphia to watch women’s sports.
“There was so much demand for the NCAA Women’s Championship Game. It was Dawn Staley, hometown hero, versus Caitlin Clark. That was her big year, everyone knowing about her. It was a huge match,” Leary told What Now Philadelphia.
She continued, “I decided to throw a pop-up for that game, and it rocketed from there immediately. We went from monthly WNBA watch parties to throwing three to five a month for every sport you could imagine.”
Leary said they screened everything from the championship game and the Olympics to soccer, hockey, rugby and volleyball, stating, “There is no shortage of demand for people wanting to watch women’s sports, and luckily now there’s no shortage of games to watch.”
With the continued popularity of the pop-up events and the now-infamous slogan appearing on merchandise, and even worn by Aubrey Plaza, Leary and Albright decided it was time to find an accessible, central brick-and-mortar location.
The Stoop Pigeon will be located at 337–41 S. Broad St. in Center City.
“We landed on Broad St. because we bleed green. This spot is iconic to my partner, Lori, and me, just from our lives together and being in that neighborhood. You walk out our door, and to the right is City Hall, and to the left is the Super Bowl Championship parade. We couldn’t have scripted a better location,” Leary said.
Broad Street has long been the city’s gathering spot for milestone victories by Philadelphia sports teams.
The name “Stoop Pigeon” also pays homage to the City of Brotherly Love.
“Stoop Pigeon is very hyper-local Philly. Philly rides with Philly. Philly is very much a city of stoops. It’s where the community and friends gather to hang out,” she said, “and then pigeons, I love pigeons. The first pigeons that came to this country were here in Philadelphia. The Pigeon Association started here, and we wanted a cool mascot.”
The new sports hub will be more than a typical sports bar. It will serve as a family-friendly restaurant and double as a daytime co-working space with a coffee bar.
“We didn’t want to limit who was coming in. We talked about having coffee all day long, having an extensive NA menu, making it so that kids can come in, people who don’t drink can come in, and people who do drink can come in. Everyone feels equally comfortable in the space,” Leary said.
The interior will celebrate every aspect of Philadelphia women’s sports.
“We have a signed Philadelphia Rage poster by Dawn Staley and Amy Mallon from Drexel. We have a signed Natasha Cloud t-shirt, a signed Kahleah Copper ball. We have all sorts of women’s sport memorabilia that is specific to women who not only made Philadelphia great but put women’s sports on the map in the Philadelphia area,” she said.
The space will also feature a mural, a graffiti wall displaying the names of everyone who contributed through Watch Party PHL’s Kickstarter campaign, and TVs, projectors and “high-quality acoustics” to enhance the viewing experience.
Leary and Albright plan to be deliberate in their partnerships, keeping a strong focus on local offerings.
They are teaming up with Rival Bros. Coffee Bar and have worked with and will continue working with Philadelphia Sisters and Sterling Pig to release the “Philly is a Women’s Sports Town” pilsner. The food menu will feature “elevated bar fare with Philly flair.”
Leary said she is excited to get the keys to the space and continue engaging with the community.
“I can’t wait to be neighbors with everyone. It’s wild that we are leasing a space at Broad and Pine in Philadelphia. It’s crazy. I just can’t wait to be there and be a part of that iconic area. I can’t wait to have friends and family there. It’s going to be bananas in the best way possible,” she said.
The Stoop Pigeon aims to open in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in Philadelphia. Visit the website and follow on Instagram for the latest updates.
