- November 1, 2024
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Between flag football and pickleball, “sports is busting out at the seams” in Flagler County, and more facilities would yield a greater economic impact, according to enthusiasts who spoke March 18, at the County Commission meeting.
Jarrod Maxwell, owner of a new flag football league called Mad Dogs, told the commissioners that whereas he expected 100 players in the inaugural season, enrollment is now “pushing 300.” He said the league has begun practicing at the county’s fields near the State Road 100 bridge at Wadsworth Park, the condition of which are unacceptable, he said. There are five fields at Wadsworth, including one small, youth field.
Commissioner Donald O’Brien proposed that Maxwell ask about availability of the city of Palm Coast’s fields as well. Mad Dogs Board of Directors member Mike Schottey later said in an email to the Palm Coast Observer that both the city and county have been “gracious” in working with the league, but drainage, turf durability, lights and field availability still present challenges.
Mad Dogs’ opening day is Saturday, March 23.
A pickleball enthusiast in The Hammock, Walt Hooker, also asked for more facilities at the commission meeting. Tournament participation has ballooned from 80 to 145 to 241 — and counting — in three years, he said, making it a pickleball mecca in Florida, north of Daytona Beach.
Tourist Development Director Matt Dunn said there are three pickleball courts now behind the Hammock Community Center on Malacompra Drive, and up to nine more courts have been approved to be built. From a tourism perspective, successful quarterly pickleball tournaments can make an economic impact of $1.2 million in a year, he said.
