The 11 Bxl: First pop-up bar for women’s sports in the capital enjoys successful run

If you love women’s sport then The 11 Bxl - Belgium’s first sports bar for girls – is the perfect place to watch it.

But you need to be quick, as, following a very successful week, the pop-up bar launched to coincide with FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin (4-13 September) closes this Sunday.

The mecca for women’s sport kicked off with an opening party on 3 September, followed by a family day and an evening “for the queer community to come together and celebrate women and queer sports”.

This Friday 11 September is sports club day – where women can come to the bar and discover the possibilities for women’s sport in Brussels and also where to find a new club. The day ends with a kicker tournament.

The festivities continue this weekend with a closing party on Saturday. Sunday is the last day to chill and watch women’s sport at this relaxed and resolutely female friendly bar situated in Place Rouppe, in the heart of downtown Brussels.

This well overdue initiative is the brainchild of Colombian sustainable mobility expert Juliana, who is passionate about basketball and tennis and exploring new sports like bouldering, as well as French offshore engineer Maéva, a former triathlete, basketball player and fanatical football fan. 

“The 11 Bxl started with basketball, friendship, and a slightly crazy (but much-needed) idea: to create the place we wished existed as women’s sports fans – Belgium’s first sports bar dedicated to women's sports,” explain the two sports fiends.

They met in Brussels through an informal basketball group bringing together women from all over the world, and: “between games, practices and post-match conversations, they realised they shared more than a love for basketball.”

But the pair kept running into the same problem: “Where do you go to watch a women’s game? Where can you experience women’s sport with the atmosphere, excitement and community it deserves?”

When they realised that all too often the answer was nowhere, instead of continuing to look for a place, they decided to create one. The concept is three-fold and provides: Visibility - women’s sport deserves the best screens – not a midnight rerun; Inclusion - a safe and welcoming space, designed for everyone; Sharing - the energy of a real crowd, one match after another.

“That’s how The 11 Bxl was born: a space where women’s sports are always on, where fans can come together, and where watching sport can also inspire you to get involved – whether that means finding your next sports club, joining a community, getting back into a sport you love, or trying something completely new,” they say.

It may soon be the end for this pop-up bar, but Maéva and Juliana are determined to find a perfect and permanent venue for women to watch female sport, telling Bruzz: “Support for this is amazing.” For now, there is still time to check The 11 out, and catch the last games of the Women’s World Basketball Cup at the same time.