Committee backs renewal of Alpharetta youth-sports MOU, members press to add football

A staff presenter reviewed a memorandum of understanding with the city of Alpharetta that waives nonresident fees for youth athletics and recommended renewing the agreement during the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 20.

The presenter summarized the MOU’s history: it began in 2016 to cover a growing list of sports and is reviewed annually. “Back in 2016, we created a memorandum of understanding with the city of Alpharetta for athletics to waive nonresident fees between the two cities,” the presenter said, and offered to take questions.

Committee members supported renewing the MOU but pressed staff on whether it should be broadened to include football, which is not currently covered. One committee member said the city currently lacks a public football field and warned of negative effects on local youth participation: “We’re the only city in Georgia without a football field for public use,” the member said, arguing that Johns Creek youth are forced to play outside the city and pay nonresident fees.

The presenter said staff will return to Erica and coordinate with Alpharetta and with local associations to provide data on rosters and the percentage of resident vs. nonresident participants. The committee identified the sports explicitly covered under the current agreement—youth softball, baseball, lacrosse and soccer—and asked staff to report whether adding football or basketball is feasible and whether the MOU benefits local programs or disproportionately reserves field time for nonresidents.

Next steps: staff will follow up with the parks director and Alpharetta, and will return with more detailed roster and usage data for committee review before council action.