San Diego’s adult sports leagues are feeling the pinch from sharp fee hikes

Dan “Pal” Palenchar started playing volleyball after moving to San Diego from the Northeast. What began as a casual meetup with friends eventually grew into the Life’s A Beach Volleyball Club, a league that attracts about 1,000 adult players a year.

Now, Palenchar is considering the league’s future. “We very likely won’t be able to offer leagues at all because they’re just too expensive,” he said. 

He’s considering his options: increasing fees for teams, or shifting to focus on only donation-based programming, where players show up and learn how to play.

The challenges come after the City Council increased fees starting July 1 for adult sports leagues using city parks. Youth and nonprofit leagues are exempt. 

The move came as the council made a series of price increases in an effort to balance this year’s budget. The city estimated the fee increase would generate $760,000 in revenue, though that doesn’t account for reduced participation. 

“The fees had not been raised incrementally, so this was not an insignificant increase,” said City Council President Joe LaCava. 

LaCava said the rationale was to recover the true cost of providing recreational facilities for the leagues, otherwise the city is essentially subsidizing them. 

Some leagues felt the city’s proposed true cost seemed too high, with some Parks & Recreation fields now costing more than private facilities. 

Jackson Stoever, operations director at Volo Sports San Diego, said 60 to 70% of their games are played at Parks & Recreation Centers, but they are now exploring moving to private venues. 

LaCava said the city would conduct another cost-of-service study over the next year, and consider the possibility of midyear fee adjustments if the impact is too great. 

Some leagues felt the impact immediately. Kevin Hellman, who runs San Diego Softball, lost a team that had played with him for 20 years. 

“Many teams are going outside of the city already because of the higher costs,” he said. “They’d rather make the drive than pay double the money.”

Rob Powell, president of San Diego Basketball, said his league has lost more than half of its teams. “I’m looking at having to restructure, or switch to youth basketball leagues and cancel adult basketball leagues,” he said.

Volo, which serves between 25,000 and 30,000 players locally, hasn’t seen a large decline in players but some leagues that traditionally sell out have not. 

As a larger operation, they have more wiggle room to make adjustments. Volo increased some fees but tried to extend seasons to keep the same price per game. They’re also cutting costs on equipment and staffing where possible. 

LaCava said he will advocate for ways to make the fees work. He said they are considering tiered fees to differentiate between larger and smaller businesses, or charging leagues based on revenue. 

“If the break-even cost is too high and it’s discouraging, maybe we should subsidize this particular program to ensure it is successful at serving the public,” LaCava said.

League organizers emphasize the wellness benefits of their programming for members. Many use it as a way to keep fit, and also benefit from the social connection. 

“People use this as a release, you know, as their weekly exercise, as a chance to get out and be with their friends,” said Powell. 

Stoever and Palenchar also emphasized that adult leagues provide a great way for people to make new friends. 

“A lot of people have told us stories about how we’ve become like a second family when they’ve moved here,” Palenchar said.

Hellman noted the broader impact of lost leagues: after games, teams often go out to eat or drink, supporting local businesses and generating sales tax revenue. 

Hellman has met with several city council members and recognizes they don’t intend to shut down small businesses. 

“The city council is trying to do everything they can to close the budget gap. But it gets to a point where people can’t afford it,” he said.

LaCava said that there will be difficult choices ahead in the upcoming budget season. Core services such as public safety and keeping libraries and recreation centers open will continue to be the priority. 

“Then, as much room as we have to facilitate users of our facilities going forward, we’re thinking about how we — very carefully and thoughtfully — balance all that together.”

As the city monitors participation and revenue, the coming months will test the balance between financial sustainability and community wellness in San Diego’s adult sports leagues.