Once Marin Bocce Foundation’s court resurfacing project is completed in a few more weeks, it will have a handful of openings for new teams and individual players in its popular night leagues.
The facility, located adjacent to Albert Park in downtown San Rafael, typically has about 1,200 league players active in 160 teams in its daytime and evening leagues combined. The federation is the largest club of its kind on the West Coast with the most league players. Participants come from all over Marin County to play.
The nine-week spring season will begin in late March. General manager Jessica Libien said she has several team openings for the evening leagues that play on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
“This is a fantastic time to network with friends and build a team or contact us about openings for individuals on existing teams,” Libien said. “We have a lot of success filling those openings because our players are good at helping us recruit.”
Each weeknight, league play starts at 6:30 p.m., one hour after the federation gates are unlocked for the casual practice session. Each evening, 20 teams — each a minimum of four players and a maximum of 10 — are competing under the lights, playing a best of three games. The league teams are split between upper and lower divisions, with new teams being placed in the lower division. Champions of the lower division are elevated to the upper division at the end of a season, and the last-place upper division team is relegated back.
The cost is $495 per evening league team per season; the per-person cost depends on the size of the team. For instance, for an eight-person team, the cost would be $6.88 per league night for each player – less than a pint of craft beer at a local pub.
“We guarantee that the fun-per-dollar ratio is a screaming deal,” Libien said. “Our players take great pride in their world-class picnicking, and lots of great restaurants are just a few blocks away for to-go orders. We always have the music going, too. Bocce is a highly social game.”
Anyone age 18 or older is eligible to register. Players may bring and consume their own food, beer, and wine. The facility features picnic tables with umbrellas and some padded seating. All playing equipment is provided by Marin Bocce Federation.
Libien said there are a few openings for individuals in the senior daytime leagues on existing teams as well. The weekday sessions begin at 10 a.m.
The federation has been closed since November as the synthetic courts are being resurfaced by an Italian company. Other improvements are being made as well, including with court drainage and sunshades. The facility has eight outdoor courts and two indoors.
Call (415) 485-5583 or email Libien at jessica@marinbocce.org to learn more about the openings, special events, nonprofit fundraisers, corporate team-building outings, and individual or team bocce lessons. Online registration is available; all the details are found on marinbocce.org.
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