Golden State Valkyries Win Their First WNBA Championship

Sports Golden State Valkyries Win Their First WNBA Championship By Sunset Beacon on November 10, 2026 • ( Leave a comment ) Team’s Bar Network Shows Westside Support By Daniel Archuleta In their second years of existence, the Golden State Valkyries have reached the pinnacle of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). A 68-63 win over the Atlanta Dream on Halloween night clinched the franchise’s first ever WNBA championship. They became the fastest North American (NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB/WNBA) professional expansion team since 1967 to win a championship. This championship run from Golden State has brought a wave of new energy to the Bay Area. Their violet color scheme now shouts loud across the Bay Area that one is wearing it as a nod to the team. Before the championship trophy was raised, the Valkyries have been hard at work to create its profile for all fans. Home games inside Chase Center, which is dubbed as “Ballhalla,” have become the hottest ticket in the Bay Area sports scene this season. Every game in their first two seasons sold out, setting new attendance records across the league. The fun only continues inside Ballhalla. Both in-arena hosts Jaime Coffee and Ari Waller keep the energy levels high. Fan giveaways such as the Sephora parachute drop keep people engaged, even when there is a break in the action. “It’s an exciting time for women’s sports in general of course, and then in just (the Valkyries’s) second year to make it to the finals is super exciting,” said fan Katherine Crowley. “I’m just loving that the team has such a positive energy around it.” Crowley has been tuning into many games this season with her family. Aside from that, she has also noticed an uptick in Valkyries gear across San Francisco, a trend that has exploded over the past two months. As the Valkyries made their run to the WNBA Finals, not every fan was able to make it to Ballhalla. The Valkyries Bar Network was created by the team to encourage fans to “bring Ballhalla energy to your local neighborhood all season long.” Spanning San Francisco, 26 bars are a part of the Valkyries Bar Network, with a major hub on San Francisco’s West Side, in the Inner Sunset and Haight-Ashbury districts. The Red Tail Beer and Wine Bar is the lone establishment in the Valkyries Bar Network west of the Panhandle. Located on Irving Street near Seventh Avenue, they have shown every game this season, which can be a struggle for many bars being that some games are telecasted exclusively on a streaming platforms (as opposed to cable television) and that they are at varying times – like the 9:30 a.m. sixth game of the Finals. Connor Frederick, one of the owners of The Red Tail, said more and more people have come out to support the Valkyries as their season has progressed. “What’s been really nice is seeing the folks that were coming in the early end of the season to the games that didn’t carry as much weight as they do in the playoffs, still coming by and having this become their lucky spot to watch the games,” Frederick said. Frederick said how nice it is to build and foster a new community for people to come out to support a new local sports team. He said he nderstands the importance of The Red Tail’s role. The Green Heron on Haight Street is the sister bar for The Red Tail. They are also a part of the Valkyries Bar Network. They stated on their website that they will show every playoff game on a big screen with the sound on, a firm commitment to all that the Valkyries hold priority. Wes Wakeford, owner of The Green Heron, says the turnouts for Valkyries playoff games have been “amazing.” He compares it to about the same amount of people who came for FIFA World Cup matches over the summer. Wakeford said that they were one of the first establishments to become a Valkyries Bar Network member and that they have been a great partner. The team provided T-shirts ahead of the WNBA Finals in order for The Green Heron to distribute to fans who came out to watch. Similarly to his business partner Frederick, Wakeford sees the community being built for these big games. “We had some fan groups that were in when (the Valkyries were playing) away games, and there’s a contingency that were becoming pretty regular attendees for the watch parties at The Green Heron,” Wakeford said. “We’ll be expecting to see them again. So we’re just trying to stay fully staffed, make sure everything is really super prepped and that we’re ready to handle as much business as possible.” Due to the Atlanta Dream’s arena conflicts in the WNBA Finals, Valkyries fans had to adjust as two games were rescheduled to 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning as well as 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning. The latter game was embraced by The Green Heron, as they opened their doors at 9 a.m. for a possible championship-winning game. Even though the Valkyries lost that game, the unusual early weekday morning start united the fanbase. With two seasons and a championship under their belt, the Golden State Valkyries have not only planted their flag, they have established an identity in San Francisco – one that westside fans are embracing. Share this: Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like this: Like Loading… Related Categories: Sports Tagged as: championship , Golden State Valkyries , Sports , Sunset Beacon , Sunset District , wnba