A female sports bar project in Montreal

A sports bar exclusively dedicated to women’s sport could see the light of day in Montreal in 2025. This is the project of entrepreneurs Catherine D. Lapointe and Caroline Côté, who took advantage of the launch of the second season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF ), last Saturday, to test the waters in nomadic mode.

A text from Mathieu Massé

For one evening, the Pub Pit Caribou, on Rachel Street, was transformed. Customers who passed through the door instead entered Nadia, a sports bar whose mission is to promote the broadcasting of women’s sports exclusively.

If the concept already exists in Portland, Oregon, and Toronto, in particular, this is the first initiative of its kind in Quebec. For Catherine D. Lapointe, the time is ripe for such an establishment.

We feel that women’s sport is booming, she says. In the women’s sport ecosystem, what is missing at the moment is a place for amateurs.

According to her, several initiatives exist to encourage female players and leagues and the television offering is also booming.

We said to ourselves that through all of this, we want to offer a space that can give priority to fans and emphasize how we watch sport. What are broadcast codes? How can you be a female sports fan?

A tribute to the Montreal Games

The two women decided to pay tribute to the gymnast Nadia Comaneci by naming their future establishment Le Nadia. Former gymnast in another life, Catherine D. Lapointe recalls that in 2026, it will be the jubilee of the Montreal Olympic Games, where Nadia Comaneci made her mark.

They hope that Le Nadia will have a permanent address to celebrate this anniversary.

The Nadia will be in a nomadic world at least until next summer. Discussions are underway with several districts, according to the two entrepreneurs, who are currently working more on testing customers and better understanding what they want to offer them.

A hockey pool to create belonging

For their first event, Catherine D. Lapointe and Caroline Côté took advantage of the launch of the LPHF season to broadcast the match between the Victoire de Montréal and the Ottawa Charge. A hockey pool was organized for the occasion.

We made a free and very simple fantasy poolsays Catherine D. Lapointe.

By her own admission, she herself is not the biggest hockey fan. She is more focused on diving or gymnastics, but making her own selection of LPHF players already makes her want to follow them to see if her choices will be wise.

It will allow me to really take an interest in the LPHF, she said. Even if I don’t know the statistics, even if I’ve never done that, a pool allows you to find a way to be interested in it. There, I have my players, my dream team and it makes me want to follow them all season.

While waiting for the match to start, discussions are going well over pints of beer or non-alcoholic cocktails.

Jeff and Bastien chat while leaning at the bar. Not so long ago, there just wasn’t any women’s sport on TV, they showed the front darts of women’s sportsaid Jeff, laughing. He is happy to see that times are changing.

For Sarah, at the next table, it’s pure enthusiasm.

I’m so excited and I’m so happy to be able to be here to celebrate with lots of people watching women’s sports.she exclaims.

Even if she is not a big hockey fan either, she is already charmed by the concept proposed by Le Nadia. I can already see myself with my soccer team and it becoming a bit like our headquartersshe says, a big smile on her lips.