A brand new sports bar in Swindon old town has opened and enjoyed success in its first weeks of operation.
The Kop Bar, located at 4 Victoria Road, opened its doors to customers on Tuesday, October 18.
Sadik Ali, 53, is the owner of the new bar and had the idea of creating it due to his lifelong passion for sports of all varieties.
“I purchased the building during the pandemic, and I decided to open a sports bar. I had run restaurants before, but I wanted to follow my personal interest of sport with this,” he said.
The bar earns its name from The Kop stand located at Anfield, the stadium home of Liverpool Football Club.
Despite the connotations with the Reds, Mr Ali insisted the bar was open to all no matter their footballing allegiance or sporting interest.
“It’s not all about Liverpool, everyone is welcome. Even if you are a Manchester United, City or Everton fan, we’ll still let you in,” joked Mr Ali.
“You don’t have to watch one particular sport in here either. If somebody would like to watch football, they can watch it downstairs, if somebody wants to watch rugby, they can watch it upstairs and so on.”
The bar is bedecked with signed sporting memorabilia throughout, from Tyson Fury’s signed boxing gloves downstairs to both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s framed autographs upstairs, making it a treasure cove for any sports fan.
Screens also feature predominantly around the location with full sports television and streaming subscriptions, including a large screen in the large beer garden, meaning customers will not miss a goal, try or shot anytime soon.
Alongside the sporting features dotted around the building, the bar offers a wide selection of drinks including both Carling and Madri on tap.
Elsewhere, the bar is providing complimentary sanitary products for its customers which can be found in the female toilet.
The bar is set to enjoy a busy upcoming month with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon and Mr Ali plans to mark the international occasion.
“We are going to special deals on beers in celebration of the World Cup and if anyone would like food during halftime, we will also be able to sort that,” he said.
The location can still cater for those who are not interested in sports with The Kop offering alternative entertainment aside from the big games, fights and matches.
“We are also set to have live bands and if someone would like to hire out the bar for a corporate event, then that is available too,” added Mr Ali.
Swindon’s newest addition to the sporting scene has seen a good reaction from customers so far and the team hope it continues with many customers anticipated to watch the World Cup at The Kop.
“We are friendly and that is the atmosphere we want to create here: a friendly, family business,” concluded Mr Ali.
The bar opens at 17:00 on Monday through to Friday and opens at the earlier time of 12:00 on weekends, with the venue often staying open until late as it has a 04:00 license.
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