Visit BG Ohio has announced that the sponsorship of an outdoor pickleball court has been approved by the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
At the November 2023 meeting, the board elected to allocate $20,000 of the Visit BG Ohio marketing and grants budget to sponsor an individual pickleball court, earning naming rights to the court for 10 years, with first right of refusal to renew for another five years at the same amount. Visit BG Ohio chose to support this project because the addition of the complex will greatly benefit the local community—who currently have to travel to Perrysburg or Lucas County for outdoor courts—and because the planned tournaments will draw in visitors from surrounding areas.
This sponsorship is part of an ongoing funding campaign by the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Foundation to create outdoor courts for the increasingly popular sport. The proposed courts will be constructed on West Newton Road, next to the Bowling Green Community Center.
An August 2023 estimate states that the cost of construction will range from $300,000 to $400,000; the City of Bowling Green has already dedicated $150,000 in ARPA funds, and various other community fundraisers have collected over $70,000. There are still naming opportunities for families or businesses available through the Parks and Recreation Foundation, ranging anywhere from $200,000 for rights to the whole complex, to $1,500 for names to be displayed on a plaque near a tree or on signage. Smaller donations are also accepted for names on paddle signs, pickleball signs, or donor nameplates to be displayed at the complex.
All monies will be donated through the BG Parks and Recreation Foundation, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit. For more information or to sponsor the pickleball courts, contact Kristin Otley, parks and recreation director, at [email protected] or by calling 419-354-6225.
