New restaurant Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix to feature women’s sports

Co-owner Audrey Corley cited increased interest and viewership numbers for professional women’s sports as part of the reason she decided to create Title 9 Sports Grill.

Audrey Corley has successfully run Boycott Bar in Phoenix since 2017, and Dahlia Tapas Tequila & Wine since 2023. Now she’s dipping her toes into a new venture: a bar focused on women’s sports.

“I like to watch the Phoenix Mercury a lot,” Corley told The Copper Courier. “But it was always hard to find games on [at bars] and to find that support that you want.”

The Sports Bra in Portland, which mainly airs professional and amateur women’s sports, was her inspiration for creating Title 9 Sports Grill. .

Title 9 is scheduled to have its grand opening sometime between late January and mid-February. It’s taking over the former location of Short Leash Hot Dogs at 4221 N. Seventh Avenue in Phoenix’s Melrose District.

Title 9 is co-owned by Kat Moore, who cofounded Short Leash.

“Phoenix has never seen a space like this,” Moore said in a statement. “And we’re here to celebrate women’s sports with front-and-center coverage, a welcoming atmosphere, and a menu that honors the athletes we admire.”

Title 9 will have women’s sporting events on televisions throughout the restaurant, and a menu that features classic bar fare like wings, sliders, salads, and more. The menu will also have vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options.

The drink menu will exclusively have beers, ciders, and spirits from female-owned breweries and distilleries, according to a press release.

Another feature of the bar will be a trophy room. Corley encouraged all local women athletes to bring any of their trophies or ribbons to the bar, and they’ll be proudly put on display.

Corley cited increased interest and viewership numbers for professional women’s sports as part of the reason she decided to pursue something like this.

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“People are starting to value women athletes and the game a lot more right?” she said. “On all levels. In soccer and hockey at all levels, the women’s game is getting more valued now.”

The National Women’s Soccer League had a 295% increase in viewership in 2024 from its 2023 season. The Professional Women’s Hockey League set a world record for attendance in 2024 at a women’s hockey game, according to NPR.

The biggest women’s professional sports league, the WNBA, saw a massive increase in its viewership in the 2024 season. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who broke records left and right during her rookie season, is a large reason for the 155% increase in viewership from the 2023 season.

Corley said her time as a basketball player at Phoenix College and coach at South Mountain Community College kept her interest in the sport over time.

“It was one of the things that changed my life. It changed my habits, and it set me in this direction I needed to be on to be successful,” she said.

Corley said even though Title 9 Sports Grill is focused on women’s sports, that doesn’t mean patrons won’t be able to catch Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, or Arizona Cardinals games there. And,everyone is welcome, regardless of sex or gender.

“We want to have the vibe that you’re supporting women’s sports and young women athletes, and even our [local] youth,” Corley said. “We want to be a place for the community to come together, or to be a place where a dad and his daughter can come watch a game.”