Title 9 is at least the seventh women’s sports bar to open in the U.S., per X Marks the Spot, and there are at least another 13 in the works. It owes its existence to Corley’s uniquely fiery character and a chance meeting that forged her dream team. Melrose neighbors team up If Corley hadn’t found her way back to sports, she may never have opened Title 9 or anything else. After she was no longer eligible to play, Sawyer offered her an assistant coaching role. Corley quips she paid for that job, recalling that her first paycheck was $3.52. The money didn’t matter. “I did it for the love,” Corley says. “I loved my team, I loved my coaches, I loved being part of something. I think what it comes down to for me is you’re part of something bigger than yourself.” That first year of coaching was rough. She was the co-worker who suddenly got promoted. That didn’t sit well with some of her teammates, but as players moved on, she found better footing as “Coach A.” What she lacked in technique, she made up for with charisma. “I’d probably make you think you could walk through that wall,” she says. “I brought that energy to you, of believing in yourself.” Corley coached – at two-year colleges and an elementary school – for a decade. She cut down nets and made runs deep into tournaments, but ultimately had to survive on her side hustles. While she coached, Corley tended bar and ran the roaming dance party that would become the brick-and-mortar Boycott. These were two aspects of her life that she tried to keep separate. Late nights don’t exactly mix with morning shootarounds. When Boycott was a roaming event, Corley could shape it to her schedule. Usually. “There were some times I was burning it at both ends,” she says. The night before the team had to travel to a tournament, Corley hosted a Boycott night. She finished at 3 a.m., went home, showered and headed to the airport for the 6 a.m. flight. Despite the grind, Corley says her time coaching helped her as a restaurateur. Faith Brenneman has worked with Corley at every bar and restaurant she’s run, including Title 9. She considers Corley a mentor who has coached her up the hospitality ladder. “She definitely has pushed me to be better,” says Brenneman, who has gone from bartending to management. “She wants to put us in situations that bring us to our full potential.” That started with Boycott, which opened on Seventh Avenue just north of Glenrosa Avenue in 2017. About a year later, Corley got new neighbors about a block south of her bar – Kat and Brad Moore’s Short Leash Hot Dogs. Starting with a food truck in 2010, the Moores served gourmet hot dogs topped with unconventional ingredients like caramel corn and peanut butter. Brad’s mom, Markita Moore, recalls them surprising her with the truck at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. “Anything they take on, they take on with an attitude to be successful,” she says. “They go into it not just with their feet, they go into it with everything.” The Moores’ novel menu drew a cult following that led them to open a perma- nent spot on Roosevelt Row in 2013, adding brioche doughnuts. When the Moores arrived in Melrose, their fans followed and they gained new ones with a bright, dog-friendly atmosphere and deca- dent eats. Corley and Kat Moore quickly connected over the Melrose Street Fair and their mutual appreciation for good food and drinks. They soon discovered another common interest: sports. Brad previously played soccer professionally, including for the former Arizona Sahuaros. Moore likewise grew up playing soccer. A first-team center midfielder from the age of 4, Moore was offered a scholarship at Duke University that she ultimately declined. “There was nothing in my head that said I could make it as a soccer player,” she says. “So I just went in another direction.” Like Corley, Moore still bears scars from her playing days, including the two metal plates and 14 screws in her left arm from a coed soccer game, which was also her second date with Brad. The lessons she learned on the pitch endure, too. “I’m a good distributor,” Moore says. In restaurants, that has translated to planning and process. Moore admittedly doesn’t seek the spotlight and endearingly refers to herself as a great support person, or “the girdle.” Those traits set her apart from Corley, who’s allergic to paperwork. But comple- mentary skills define championship teams. Brad says he couldn’t be prouder of Moore for stepping out from behind the scenes to open Title 9. “Short Leash was such a great run for us,” he says. “The restaurant business is so unique because it involves so many different things, and my experience with her, is she’s so good at so many of them.” As the neighbors got to know each other over the years, they talked about collabo- rating. Then the pandemic took hold, and their attention turned to survival. Over time, other opportunities emerged. In 2023, Corley opened her first restaurant, Dahlia Tapas, Tequila & Wine. It became one of Phoenix New Times’ best new restaurants of the year and remains among our Top 100 restaurants. In 2024, the Moores announced they had sold the Short Leash concept. The new owners decided not to take over the restaurant in Melrose. As they considered what to do with the building, Moore says she thought of Corley, who suggested a tavern celebrating women’s sports. Moore loved the idea. Kat and Brad Moore launched Short Leash as a food truck in 2010. The couple grew the gourmet dog shack into a permanent restaurant that also served brioche doughnuts. (Short Leash Hotdogs) The cocktails at Title 9 are classics named for iconic athletes and the owners. (Allyson Stewart) Title 9 is at least the seventh women’s sports bar to open in the U.S. since the first debuted in 2022. There are at least another 13 in the works across the country. (Allyson Stewart) Patrons have donated sports memorabilia, trophies and medals that decorate the foyer of Title 9. (Allyson Stewart) Game On from p 17 >> p 20
