It’s a great time to be a women’s sports fan in the Bay Area. Here’s how you can get involved.
Sep 1, 2026
Updated 12:56 pm PT
Want to get involved in supporting Bay Area women’s sports? There’s never been a better time. (Darren Tu/KQED)
When she moved to the Bay Area a few years ago, Rindala Alajaji swiftly became a San Francisco Giants fan. She loved going to Oracle Park to see the team — and was especially appreciative of how inclusive and queer-friendly the games felt to her.
But that changed for Alajaji this year when, at a June Pride Night celebration, three Giants players protested the theme by decorating their hats with Bible verses often cited by anti-gay conservative Christians. One player refused to wear the rainbow-branded hat altogether.
“I didn’t really think it would impact me as much as it did because it was kind of silly,” she said. “I’ve lived in Florida, where there’s a lot of bigots and homophobes that like to throw Bible verses at you, but I think, it being in San Francisco … It just felt like a slap in the face.”
Jump straight to what to know about:
- Supporting women’s basketball in the Bay Area
- Getting into women’s baseball in the region
Alajaji added that she also felt let down by the lukewarm reaction to the controversy from the team’s management. She hadn’t watched a baseball game since.
Then came the Aug. 1 debut of the Women’s Pro Baseball League — the first such league in 70 years — with the San Francisco Firebells as one of their founding teams. And then Alajaji fell in love with baseball again.
“The captain is a queer woman, and there’s a lot of queer players and fans. And it’s a beautiful contrast,” she said.
For people like Alajaji, it’s a great time to be a women’s sports fan in the Bay Area. Women’s professional teams have been dominating the local scene in the past few years — the Bay Area was even deemed the “No. 1 women’s sports city in the U.S.” by The New York Times — and even more leagues are establishing franchises in the region.
“We’re witnessing the crazy history right now,” said San Francisco’s Ozzy Palacio, sports reporter and managing editor of the San Francisco State University student paper Golden Gate Xpress.
And as a longtime women’s soccer fan, “it’s super awesome to be at the epicenter of it here in the Bay Area,” Palacio said.
‘That passion for community’
In addition to the Firebells, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced in May that it will be expanding to San José’s SAP Center. In July, a new pro volleyball team unveiled its name — the San Francisco Signal — and logo.
And for many people in the Bay Area, the Golden State Valkyries’ inaugural season last year has been their gateway to sports in general. The Valkyries boasted consistent sold-out home games with an electric crowd, fan favorites and a Coach of the Year win for Natalie Nakase.
“It’s drawing this interest from thousands and thousands — dare I say, hundreds of thousands of people — that never felt like they were able to be interested or involved in the sports world before,” said Palacio. “And that’s because they never had a way to see themselves through it.”
“Like, the Valkyries games are queer as fuck,” Palacio continued. “It’s awesome.”
And it’s not just basketball. Soccer secured new fans thanks to the hype from local games of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup this summer.
“People are, like, ‘Guys, can we keep hanging out on weekdays once the World Cup is over?’” recalled Palacio, who is primarily an SF Nighthawks supporter. “There’s that passion for community through sports.”
Finding connection — and a voice
Local businesses are also betting big on the women’s sports community. The Bay Area’s first women’s sports bar, Rikki’s, opened in the Castro District last year and already has a reputation for being a major place for fans to gather.
Two other women’s sports bars are also slated to open in the future — one in Marin later this year and another in Oakland in 2027.
The fact that several of these women’s teams arein their exciting early stages also gives them more of a voice, Palacio argued. They said that many major women’s sports teams are run by people who ultimately “want to make money off of you.” But because these newer teams are so “fresh,” they continued, “they still need to listen to their fans.”
“I don’t think a lot of people coming to sports through these major women’s sports teams are realizing that they have a lot of agency and a lot of choice in what the team does,” as opposed to men’s sports teams, Palacio said. “Their input is still very important at this stage.”
That kind of voice has been apparent among Valkyries fans, who have rallied at a basketball game to show appreciation for coach Nakase and player Gabby Williams’ expression of support for transgender women in the Women’s National Basketball Association, as the league has become a target of conservatives.
“In the world and sports right now, there is just too much hate, too much hate speech. I would highly suggest that people continue to lead with love,” Nakase said, as quoted by The Bay Area Reporter.
Want to get involved in basketball and baseball fandom in the Bay Area?
In the spirit of finding community and connection in real life, keep reading for a primer on how to support women’s basketball and baseball teams in the Bay Area — and where you can gather with other fans locally.
Can’t find a space for your favorite team? Palacio recommended you organize one yourself — and try to connect even beyond the season.
“If you asked El Rio, ‘Hey, can we do a fucking women’s basketball comedy night?’ I’m sure they would say yes,” they said, referring to the legendary venue in Mission District.
Remember: In addition to the booming professional sports scene, the Bay Area is home to several top-notch college sports programs. Those games are an excellent place to show ride-or-die support of women’s sports and watch young players as they become future stars.
(And if you want even more information on other noncollege women’s sports teams and where their fans gather in the Bay, look for our next guide to hockey, soccer and rugby team fandoms in the region.)
Supporting women’s basketball in the Bay Area
What should I know about the professional sports team?
The Golden State Valkyries are a WNBA team that debuted just last year. They usually play at Chase Center — aka Ballhalla — in San Francisco.
If you do buy tickets to a game, be sure to get there a bit early to secure any freebies the venue hands out. For more tips, KQED has a thorough guide on navigating the Chase Center during basketball games.
The Valkyries’ schedule lists different ways to stream each game, but you can usually watch live on KPIX 5 or on platforms like Peacock, Amazon Prime Video or WNBA League Pass.
The WNBA regular season runs from the end of April to the end of <a href="https://comicvibe.com/11-best-african-films-and-tv-shows-to-watch-in-september-2026/” title=”11 Best African Films and TV Shows to Watch in September 2026″>September. The Valkyries recently secured a spot in the playoffs that follow.
And if you need yet another reason to get into the league? September will bring the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, with Nakase serving as the U.S. team’s assistant coach. And next summer, San Francisco will host the WNBA All-Star Game at Chase Center, featuring top players in the game.
Other major highlights: Violet, the Valkyries’ mascot with adorable glasses and an amazingly snatched waist.
What other Bay Area women’s basketball teams can I support?
The Women’s Premier Basketball Association has a host of Bay Area-based teams so localized that you have a good chance of finding a team from your actual place of residence.
Where does the women’s basketball community hang out?
The WNBA already has a pretty passionate base, and it’s only gotten bigger since the Valkyries’ inaugural year. KQED has published a comprehensive guide on navigating WNBA fandom for super-new basketball fans.
And more good news: The fandom is pretty easy to participate in IRL. Sports journalist Maya Goldberg-Safir, who writes about the WNBA in Rough Notes, published a very thorough map of Valkyries fandom spots throughout the Bay Area, including reliable bars that air women’s sports, parties, women’s/queer pickup basketball, and local groups like the ValQueeries and the People’s Watch Party.
What are some publications or podcasts I can follow to learn more about women’s basketball?
Supporting women’s baseball in the Bay Area
What should I know about the professional sports team?
First off, it’s a great time to get into women’s baseball: The first women’s professional baseball league in 70 years debuted in August.
The San Francisco Firebells are one of the first four teams making up the Women’s Pro Baseball League, along with Los Angeles, Boston and New York. The team is named after Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock Coit, who, according to the team’s self-description, “famously leapt into action to help San Francisco volunteer firefighters battle a blaze on Telegraph Hill.” (And yes, Coit Tower was named after her.)
“It has been so, so cool to be able to watch women play a sport that I love so much,” said Firebells fan Gil Lait of San Francisco.
The six-week season will run until early September. But here’s the major catch for WPBL fans: All of the teams will be playing their games in Springfield, Illinois. You can watch these games live on ESPN or streamed on ESPN+, but there are plans to play in home cities next year, too.
“It feels like a small group, but it’s definitely a mighty group,” Lait said of the crowd watching WPBL games at Rikki’s and at Mother, a Mission District lesbian bar.
“That’s what I love so much about the baseball community and women’s sports, in general,” they said. “There is really a space for people to learn.
“We’re not gatekeeping who can be the best baseball fan.”
Are there other Bay Area women’s baseball teams I can support?
If you’re looking to support the future of baseball, there’s the SF Bay Sox Girls Baseball for players ages 6 to 18. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department calls it “the largest girls baseball program currently operating in the U.S.” One of the program’s alumni, Sebastopol’s Kaija Bazzano, made it onto the roster for the Firebells.
Where does the women’s baseball community hang out?
There aren’t any dedicated women’s baseball rec leagues, but the San Francisco Gay Softball League has multiple divisions, both co-ed and women/nonbinary.
For beginners, Lait recommends Fall Ball, where teams are mixed-gender and have a more social feel. Those seeking a more competitive environment may want to play during the spring.
Rikki’s Bar is also airing the WPBL games.
