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Council discusses possible Lake Forest pickleball tournaments; no action taken
Summary
Council heard an informational item on creating city-supported pickleball tournaments or leagues, asked staff to gather data, suggested using Ask Lake Forest for public input and to inventory courts; no formal commitment or funding was approved.
Lake Forest ' Councilmembers discussed a proposal on March 4 to explore pickleball tournaments or leagues in Lake Forest but took no formal action.
Councilmember Doug Serbo (presenting the item) said the idea would foster community engagement and suggested neighborhood or HOA competitions, recurring events and fee-based registration to offset costs. He said Lake Forest currently has five public city courts (three at Portola and two at Rimgate) and noted that several private and HOA-owned courts exist but that availability varies.
Councilmembers and staff discussed options including: city-coordinated tournaments run on a cost-recovery basis; encouraging a grassroots or privately run tournament with city promotion and field rental; or partnering with contract instructors who already run classes and occasional tournaments. Deputy City Manager Sean McGovern and staff said they had reached out to HOAs and contract providers and recommended using an existing fee-based model similar to other city recreational leagues.
Councilmembers raised operational concerns. One member said sponsoring tournaments could set a precedent requiring other leagues to seek city support; others recommended removing an HOA-only restriction and opening tournaments to any Lake Forest resident. Councilmembers also requested a simple inventory of pickleball courts: the five city-owned courts, plus the number and ownership of HOA and private courts.
Staff recommended collecting community feedback through the city's Ask Lake Forest system and said staff would report back with court counts, options for event models (city-run versus third-party-run), and cost-recovery estimates. Council did not vote and asked staff to return with additional information and potential program models.
