Demand the inclusion of indoor badminton courts in Irvine's Great Park sports facilities

Badminton is the second most popular sport in the world, after soccer and is the most popular racquet sport. Up till the mid-20th century, Americans dominated badminton, and the sport enjoyed widespread popularity. Dave Freeman, the "Pasadena Flash," from California, considered by some to be among badminton's greatest players, was the only American to reach world No. 1 and won the equivalent of the world championship back in 1949. It is a sports still enjoyed by many on both the east and west coast. While there are a number of dedicated badminton clubs in Los Angeles, there is not a single one in Irvine. The closest being in city of Orange. Go to any of the handful of multi-use courts, with sub-standard marking, here during badminton night and one can see queues waiting for their turn to play the sports. We owe it to our children to make access to the sports more readily available. The venue should be primarily for badminton 24/7 and could be leased to a badminton club and to Team USA as their training facility, thereby operating as a self-sustaining sports facility. That way, we can have an additional choice of recreational activity available to our kids, youth and even working adults. Who knows, we may unearth a future 'Dave Freeman 2.0' or two among them to become a badminton powerhouse again.