Fundraising
The group approached the Ashland Parks Foundation to establish a dedicated fund to be used by the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department to assist in maintenance and improvements to the Lithia Park Pickleball Courts

Since then, the club has held four successful fundraiser round-robins, received a $2,000 grant from the City of Ashland to support tournaments, and secured an unrestricted $10,000 grant specifically for pickleball. In total, more than $26,000 has been donated to the Parks Foundation.

Beginnings
The Ashland Oregon Pickleball Club (AOPC) was started in April 2020 by four dedicated pickleball players who wanted to build a welcoming community. Since that time, the club has steadily grown and as of December 2025 has more than 385 members.

Round Robin Tournament May 2025

Interaction with City of Ashland, and Parks and Recreation
Club leaders and members attend numerous business meetings and study sessions with the Ashland City Council, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Parks Department. Coffee & Conversation meetings provide informal opportunities to represent and advance pickleball interests.

Club president Ron Owen has held many meetings with Parks Department staff and the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission to support and advocate for pickleball programs and facilities.

Cori Frank, our Membership and Public Relations Coordinator, together with her husband John, lead many efforts reaching out to local schools and the YMCA. Cori teaches pickleball for the Southern Oregon University (SOU) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (Olli) and has served two terms on the Ashland Senior Advisory Committee (ASAC), actively promoting pickleball opportunities for seniors.

Accomplishments
Funds raised by the AOPC have been used by the parks department to repair and extend fencing, complete repairs to cracks at Court 5 (additional repairs are still necessary), and to install an additional gate at Court 3, thereby improving safety, convenience, and access for players.

We successfully worked with the YMCA to expand the hours available for pickleball, securing several additional time slots to better accommodate players of all schedules. We launched a YMCA youth summer pickleball camp that ran for two weeks this year, drawing enthusiastic kids and community support.

After two years of meetings and careful planning, we established a new program to teach pickleball to students at Ashland High School and local middle and elementary schools.

Each quarter of the school year, Cori and John Frank organize and teach pickleball courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Southern Oregon University.

City of Ashland July 4, 2025 Parade

Positions
The AOPC believes that the City of Ashland should continue to provide free public pickleball courts in the City of Ashland, keep public pickleball courts in good condition including bathrooms, drinking water, access, and parking.

Members should positively interact and cooperate with the City of Ashland Mayor & City Council, and the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission and Department to improve pickleball in the local area.