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Fairfax parks report camp revenue, membership gains and sports‑tourism growth
Summary
Park Authority recreation staff reported $11 million in camp gross revenue for 2025, growth in rec‑center memberships from about 10,000 to over 25,000 since 2023, and expanding sports‑tourism at Patriot Park North; staff described registration fixes after a 2024 systems crash.
Sarah Baldwin, deputy director for recreation at the Fairfax County Park Authority, told supervisors the authority’s recreation programs grew in 2025 even as staff worked to fix registration and access problems.
Baldwin said camps remain a strong revenue line: in 2025 the Park Authority grossed about $11,000,000 from camps and added roughly 2,000 participants compared with the prior year. After a registration system crash in 2024, staff changed the registration approach for 2025 by splitting the county into 'blue' and 'green' teams for staggered registration windows; Baldwin said customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the temporary change will remain until a new recreation management system is in place.
Memberships at county rec centers have rebounded from post‑pandemic lows; Baldwin said overall membership rose from about 10,000 in 2023 to more than 25,000. The reopening of Mount Vernon Recreation Center contributed heavily: staff reported tens of thousands of facility visits in the opening weeks and about 5,500 new rec‑center members as of the week prior to the joint meeting.
Baldwin also highlighted the county’s push into sports tourism at Patriot Park North, including tournaments scheduled for most weekends in the season and partnerships with Visit Fairfax and outside organizers. The Park Authority said the site is approaching cost recovery through rentals, tournaments and related activity.
What’s next: staff will continue to explore technology and operational responses for demand management (for example, notifying golfers when tee times open) and will prioritize security camera installation at rec centers before considering public‑facing live court cameras for pickleball.
