Long Beach pickleball tournament funds free youth recreation classes
Long Beach’s first Pickleball for Parks tournament turned $75 team entries into free youth recreation classes, backed by a scholarship fund that has topped $100,000.
Long Beach’s inaugural Pickleball for Parks tournament gave the sport a direct local job: help pay for free youth recreation classes. Held May 2-3 at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, the fundraiser put amateur pickleball to work for a very specific payoff, opening the door for kids to get into city-run programs without the usual cost barrier.
Partners of Parks set registration at $75 per team and built the event around multiple divisions, a format that fit pickleball’s broad appeal and made the fundraiser accessible to players at different levels. The money fed into the nonprofit’s Youth Scholarship Program, which can cover up to $150 per child each year for Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine classes or camps.
That scholarship support reaches well beyond one sport. Partners of Parks says the program can help pay for swim lessons, summer camps, dance, art, sports and other classes offered through Long Beach Parks and Recreation. Since 2019, donors have provided more than $100,000 in aid to more than 900 local youth, giving the fundraiser an established pipeline instead of a one-off donation drive.
The timing also made sense in a city where pickleball is already part of the recreation mix. Long Beach offers programming at several locations, including the Billie Jean King Tennis & Pickleball Center, El Dorado Tennis & Pickleball Center and Somerset Park. The tournament simply put an existing demand to work for a public purpose.
That demand has been visible for years. In earlier Long Beach pickleball coverage, Parks and Recreation Director Brent Dennis said nearly half the players he saw at the Seal Beach Tennis Center were Long Beach residents, a sign that city players were already traveling to find court time. At the same time, Long Beach had only one dedicated pickleball court, while the city has 67 tennis courts, underscoring the facilities gap that has shaped local access.
That is why a charity bracket matters here. This was not just a weekend on the calendar; it was a conversion of court fees into classes, camps and access for kids who might otherwise sit out. In a city where pickleball has moved from novelty to daily demand, the smartest thing the sport can do is keep more young players in the game.
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