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Pétanque in Northern California wine country and the Sacramento Valley
Nine FPUSA clubs across 150 miles, the second-largest region in the federation. It carries more of the national tournament calendar than anywhere else in the country.
Nine FPUSA clubs run from the Mendocino coast through the Bay Area to the Sacramento Valley, making this the second-largest region in the federation.
It also carries more of the national tournament calendar than anywhere else, and it produces a disproportionate share of the US national team.
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Nine clubs
The nine clubs
Nine FPUSA clubs across about 150 miles. Six of them sit within roughly an hour of San Francisco.
| Club | Where | Venue | When they play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley of the Moon | Sonoma | Depot Park | Plays 365 days a year weather permitting, most days at 2pm and 1pm in winter |
| Petaluma Valley Pétanque | Petaluma | Oak Hill Park | Most Saturdays, mornings through summer and afternoons through winter |
| Pétanque La Rose | Santa Rosa | Sonoma County YMCA field | Established April 2023. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in summer, on a temporary site |
| Le Club Français de Sacramento | Rancho Cordova | Mather Sports Center | Thursday and Sunday. 1pm October to May, 10am June to September |
| Sactown Pétanque | Rancho Cordova | Mather and Florin Creek | Founded January 2022. Saturdays at 1pm in winter and around 10am in summer |
| La Pétanque Marinière | San Rafael | Pierre Joske courts | Since 1972. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from about 11:30am to 4pm |
| Lamorinda Pétanque Club | Lafayette | 480 St Marys Road | Twenty-one lanes. Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm, all day Sunday |
| La Boule d’Or | San Francisco | Golden Gate Park | Founded 1959, the oldest club on the West Coast. Confirm current playing times with the club |
| Noyo Yoyos | Fort Bragg | Three Mendocino venues | The Ledford House, the C.V. Starr Community Center and the Mendocino Community Center |
Two clubs, one venue. Le Club Français de Sacramento and Sactown Pétanque are two separate clubs sharing Mather Sports Center on different days.
Listings sometimes show a third, “Sacramento Pétanque Club”, which is a stale page title on Le Club Français’s website rather than a real club.
Sonoma County
Pétanque in Sonoma County
Sonoma County has three clubs: Valley of the Moon in Sonoma, Petaluma Valley Pétanque in Petaluma and Pétanque La Rose in Santa Rosa.
Valley of the Moon, Sonoma
Valley of the Moon at Depot Park plays 365 days a year, weather permitting. Most days the group gathers at 2pm, moving to 1pm through winter.
It is the easiest club in the region to simply turn up at, and it hosts the Wine Country Open on April 25 and 26 in 2026.
Petaluma Valley Pétanque
The club plays at Oak Hill Park most Saturdays, in the mornings through summer and the afternoons through winter.
Pétanque La Rose, Santa Rosa
Founded in April 2023, La Rose plays Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in summer, on a temporary site at the Sonoma County YMCA field.
Sacramento
Pétanque in Sacramento
Two separate clubs share the Mather Sports Center in Rancho Cordova, on different days.
Sactown Pétanque
Founded in January 2022, Sactown plays Saturdays at 1pm in winter and around 10am in summer, at Mather and at Florin Creek. It hosts the 2026 national singles and mixed triples weekend and two NorCal regionals in October.
Le Club Français de Sacramento
The club plays Thursday and Sunday at Mather Sports Center, at 1pm from October to May and at 10am from June to September.
First visit
Where to start
Marin
La Pétanque Marinière runs free introductory sessions from 11am to noon on the third Saturday of each month, April through October, at the Pierre Joske courts on Civic Center Drive in San Rafael.
Casual games run Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from about 11:30am, and tournament play falls on the second Saturday of the month.
East Bay
Lamorinda has twenty-one lanes at 480 St Marys Road in Lafayette, playing Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm and all day Sunday. Dues for 2026 are $60 for an adult and $10 for juniors.
A monthly club mix runs Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm.
2026
The 2026 circuit
Northern California hosts eight tournaments on the national calendar in 2026, including a national championship weekend and the Wine Country Open. The Men’s Doubles Worlds Qualifier went to Fresno, in the Southwest region, on May 16 and 17.
| Date | Event | Host | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 11 to 12 | National Women’s and Men’s Singles, Mixed Triples | Sactown | National championship |
| April 25 to 26 | Wine Country Open | Valley of the Moon | Open |
| June 21 | NorCal Regional Mixed Triples | Lamorinda | Regional |
| August 8 | NorCal Regional Select Triples | La Pétanque Marinière | Regional |
| September 26 | NorCal Regional Select Doubles | Valley of the Moon | Regional |
| October 3 | NorCal Regional Select Singles | Sactown | Regional |
| October 4 | NorCal Regional Men’s and Women’s Doubles | Sactown | Regional |
| November 1 | NorCal Regional Mixed Doubles | La Boule d’Or | Regional |
Club events run alongside these: the Sonoma Cup in August, the Octoberfest Melée on October 17 and the Lamorinda Cup on October 25.
The full national calendar is on our events page.
June 2024
The 2024 Worlds qualifier
What happened
Valley of the Moon hosted the World Championship Women’s Doubles Qualifier on June 22 and 23, 2024. Bekah Howe and Michelle Dang won it.
Suzie Lee and Krystal Pulsipher finished second, with two pairs sharing third: Janice Bissonnette with Christine Fadden, and Kaya Wiant with Rebecca Runze.
Why it matters locally
Hosting a qualifier means the region’s players compete for a Worlds place without crossing the country to do it. That lowers the cost of trying, and more people try.
Bekah Howe herself plays out of Port Townsend in Washington, covered in our Pacific Northwest page.
Background
Why this region competes
Northern California sends more players to national teams than its size alone would explain.
Density
Nine clubs within a few hours of each other means a competitive game is available most weeks rather than most months. That is the single biggest factor.
It also means eight tournaments a year without anyone needing to fly.
The Hmong and Lao contingent
Across the Sacramento and Central valleys there is a deep pool of Hmong and Lao competitive players, and the FPUSA results pages have been carrying their names since the early 2020s.
Names that recur on regional and national podiums include By Vang, Chia Vang, Jer Thao, Yor Lee, Kue Lee, Mone Lee and Souliyhakham Chounlamany. Several are registered to Fresno rather than a Sacramento club, so the pool is wider than one valley.
A national team pipeline
Chia Vang won the 2021 World Championship Women’s Doubles Qualifier and was named to the team for the 2023 World Championships in Thailand. Health concerns kept her from making the trip.
Sactown Pétanque, founded in 2022, came directly out of that competitive culture.
Common questions
Questions about pétanque in Northern California
How many FPUSA clubs are in Northern California?
Nine, which makes it the second-largest of the seven FPUSA regions. The Southeast region has eleven.
The nine are Noyo Yoyos, Pétanque La Rose, Petaluma Valley, Valley of the Moon, La Pétanque Marinière, La Boule d’Or, Lamorinda, Le Club Français de Sacramento and Sactown.
Is this the densest pétanque region in America?
Not by club count, since the Southeast has more. What the federation does say is narrower and about a smaller area: the San Francisco Bay Area is the area with the highest density of clubs in the United States.
Within about an hour of San Francisco you can reach six of the nine clubs.
Where can I play in Sonoma?
Valley of the Moon at Depot Park, just north of the town square, which plays every day of the year that weather allows. Most days it gathers at 2pm, or 1pm in winter.
Petaluma Valley Pétanque covers the southern end of the county at Oak Hill Park, mostly on Saturdays.
Where can I play in Sacramento?
Two clubs share Mather Sports Center. Le Club Français de Sacramento plays Thursday and Sunday, at 1pm from October to May and 10am from June to September.
Sactown Pétanque plays Saturdays at 1pm in winter and around 10am in summer, plus informal weekday evenings and some sessions at Florin Creek Park.
What is Sactown Pétanque?
A club founded in January 2022 by players who had met through Le Club Français de Sacramento and wanted one dedicated solely to pétanque.
The federation believes it is the first club in the country founded by players a majority of whom are members of Sacramento’s Hmong community.
Why does this region produce national team players?
Three things. Nine clubs inside a few hours of each other means frequent competition, the region hosts Worlds qualifiers so players do not have to travel to reach one, and there is a deep competitive contingent of Hmong and Lao players across the Sacramento and Central valleys.
Names like By Vang, Chia Vang, Jer Thao, Kue Lee and Souliyhakham Chounlamany recur across regional and national podiums. Chia Vang was named to the 2023 World Championships team.
What happened at the 2024 Worlds qualifier here?
Valley of the Moon hosted the World Championship Women’s Doubles Qualifier on June 22 and 23, 2024. Bekah Howe and Michelle Dang won it.
Suzie Lee and Krystal Pulsipher took second. Janice Bissonnette with Christine Fadden and Kaya Wiant with Rebecca Runze shared third.
Which is the oldest club here?
La Boule d’Or in San Francisco, founded 1959 and the oldest on the West Coast. La Pétanque Marinière followed in 1972 and Lamorinda in 1989.
La Boule d’Or is the second-oldest club in the country rather than the first. Le Mistral in Worcester, Massachusetts predates it by a year.
Where should a first-timer go?
Valley of the Moon, because it plays every day and is easy to find at Depot Park. La Pétanque Marinière runs free introductory sessions on the third Saturday of the month from April to October.
Both lend boules. Closed-toe shoes are the only thing you need to bring.
Elsewhere in the US
Other American regions
Twelve regional pages cover the United States.
Know a Northern California group we have missed?
Several groups here play outside the federation. Send the details.
Pétanque, once a month
Club spotlights, new court listings, equipment notes and events across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Free. One click to leave.
Overview
- FPUSA clubs: nine
- Rank among regions: second of seven
- Geographic span: about 150 miles
- 2026 national events: eight
- Largest club field: Lamorinda, 21 lanes
- Oldest club: La Boule d’Or, 1959
- Newest club: Pétanque La Rose, 2023
- Season: year-round
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