Oxon Hill Boys & Girls Club loses field access in fee dispute

A more than $3,500 bill for field lights has cut off the Oxon Hill Boys & Girls Club from a football field, putting practices, scrimmages and games for local children in jeopardy. The dispute lands hardest on families in Oxon Hill and nearby communities that depend on the club for organized sports, mentorship and a place to play.

The club said it received an email revoking its right to use the field because it had not paid the fees tied to lighting the space after dark. In Prince George’s County, that is not a small administrative issue. Evening access is often what keeps youth football running during summer and fall, when daylight fades before practice ends and working parents need later time slots.

Prince George’s County Boys & Girls Club says it is a private, nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors and operates through 33 member clubs across the county. The network says 3,000 volunteers serve 18,000 youth members, and its clubs offer football, along with basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, cheerleading and track, for boys and girls ages 5 to 18. For Oxon Hill, losing a field can mean more than a canceled workout. It can mean lost momentum for a program built around regular access to turf and lights.

County recreation policy shows why the fight centers on fees. Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation says its lighted fields are scheduled for adult and youth recreation leagues, including Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club leagues. The county moved athletic-field reservations to a new online platform on Jan. 23, 2025, signaling a more centralized system for booking and payment. PGCPS policy also says community groups may use school facilities when they do not interfere with school programs, and that lighted exterior facilities are among the uses that carry fees. A fee schedule posted by PGCPS lists a high school lighted athletic field at $56.90 per hour in the posted schedule.

The county also says it offers fee assistance and scholarships for residents facing financial hardship, a detail that will likely draw attention if youth sports advocates press for relief. The broader question now is whether Oxon Hill is facing an isolated billing dispute or a wider affordability problem in a countywide field system that local nonprofits cannot easily absorb. The club’s own history, including past state capital support for its facility, underscores how deeply rooted it is in the community and how quickly a fee dispute can shut off access that children have come to rely on.