New Sports Additions Bring Big Changes to Coachella Valley

The Coachella Valley sports scene is getting several major additions and changes this fall, including a new professional golf tournament, a revamped high school football conference and a blockbuster change in Los Angeles Lakers ownership.

The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour is coming to Rancho Mirage in September as part of the Farmers Insurance Fall Series. The event is one of three new tournaments on this year's tour, with all three open to professional men's golfers, including those without a 2026 APGA Tour membership.

The APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series is in its sixth year and was created to provide professional development opportunities for golfers through additional tournament play and earning opportunities.

The Rancho Mirage event is scheduled for September 14-16 at Mission Hills Country Club on the Pete Dye Challenge Course.

Meanwhile, the new Desert Athletic Conference is preparing to make its debut on the Coachella Valley high school football scene later this month.

The conference will feature 14 teams from three divisions: the Desert Empire League, Desert Valley League and Sun Valley League.

The Desert Empire League will include Palm Desert, Palm Springs, La Quinta, Xavier Prep, Shadow Hills and Rancho Mirage.

The Desert Valley League will feature Coachella Valley, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley and Banning.

The Sun Valley League will include Indio High School, Desert Mirage, Cathedral City and 29 Palms.

Four of the 14 teams have changed leagues as part of the new conference structure.

And in professional basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers are set for a major ownership change.

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and businessman Josh Kushner have agreed to purchase the Lakers for $12.5 billion, according to reports. The deal still requires approval from the NBA's Board of Governors.

The sale could eventually have implications for the Coachella Valley Lakers, the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA G League affiliate preparing for its inaugural season at Acrisure Arena.

The Coachella Valley Lakers will begin play in November and are scheduled to have 24 regular-season home games at Acrisure Arena.

For now, however, the team is expected to operate as usual as the ownership transition moves through the NBA approval process.

Fred Roggin, who has covered Los Angeles sports for decades, says it is too early to know what the new Lakers ownership could mean for the Coachella Valley franchise.

The Coachella Valley Lakers are scheduled to begin their inaugural season this November, bringing professional basketball to the desert alongside the Coachella Valley Firebirds and other professional sports attractions.

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