Pickleball courts similar to those at Cedar Links Park will open in 2026 at Howard Memorial Sports Park, next to Rogue X. (Photo by Jim Craven, courtesy of city of Medford)

Plans also in the works to finish Vietnam War Memorial, create neighborhood park and Little League fields at Wes Howard Memorial Sports Park

Medford is poised to score one of the largest outdoor pickleball facilities in Oregon that could play host to regional and national tournaments.

With substantial support from Lithia Motors, the city would start building the $1.8 million pickleball facility next to Rogue X this fall. City officials hope to open the facility sometime in the spring of 2026, depending on weather.

Medford City Council members last week unanimously approved naming rights for the outdoor pickleball complex to Lithia.

Located off Ross Lane in Wes Howard Memorial Sports Park, the project features 19 outdoor pickleball courts, with the potential to add six more in the future. The courts will be free to the public for drop-ins, and hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. when tournaments aren’t playing there.

Inside the massive Rogue X facility, it’s possible to set up another 32 courts, bringing the total number of potential courts to 57. There is a $5 fee to play pickleball inside Rogue X. 

Rich Rosenthal, director of Medford Parks and Recreation, said the pickleball facility would be the largest between Redding and Eugene.

“I can foresee Medford having many regional and national pickleball tournaments,” he said.

Lithia Motors Inc. has provided $500,000 for naming rights, but the Southern Oregon Pickleball Foundation Board also raised private donations that together will contribute about $800,000 to the project.

“The pickleball linchpin is Lithia,” Rosenthal said. “It allows us to move forward with this pickleball contract.”

Without Lithia’s support, it would have taken longer to realize the project, Rosenthal added.

Another $500,000 has been earmarked by the Howard Memorial Sports Park Inc., which owns the 50-acre park, and the remaining $500,000 is provided by the city for the project. A center championship pickleball court is another feature of the project, and in the future, the city might install a cover over the pickleball courts.

“People can view the best that want to come here and play,” said Councilor Kevin Stine, who called pickleball the “craze that has swept the nation.”

The park is named after philanthropist Wesley Howard, who died in 2003, leaving $1 million behind to help build a sports park for kids.

In April 2020, the Howard Memorial Sports Park board leased the park to the city and provided the city with an option to purchase the park upon completion of the Rogue Credit Union Community Complex, dubbed Rogue X, or when the city elects to exercise the purchase option.

The pickleball courts will be built alongside three sand volleyball courts, further expanding the park. Plans are in the works to finish the Vietnam War Memorial on site, as well as create a neighborhood park and Little League baseball fields.

Mark DeBoer, vice president of real estate at Lithia and a member of the Southern Oregon Pickleball Foundation Board, said, “I’ve loved the game for about four years now.”

He said he became a pickleball board member two years ago.

“I’m very excited to see this built,” he said.

DeBoer said he’s also hopeful that the additional six courts can be built in the future.

Pickleball is popular in many Southern Oregon communities, and some cities have struggled to keep up with demand.

Rosenthal said, “My perspective is that the reason I don’t think the demand is going to decrease is because younger people are playing as well.”

He said pickleball is here to stay and the city recognizes its growing popularity.

He said the possibility of regional and national tournaments could bring more visitors to Medford.

“It will be a bonanza of economic activity,” Rosenthal said.

Reach writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com