Sport Lacrosse President Steve Stenersen Chief Exec Steve Stenersen CEO Steve Stenersen (2008–) | Jurisdiction National Chairman Kristen Murray Secretary Jen Dorff Founded 1 January 1998 | |
 | ||
Headquarters Sparks, Maryland, United States Affiliation Federation of International Lacrosse Profiles | ||
US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 68 chapters and more than 450,000 members throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport. The US Lacrosse national headquarters is located in Sparks, Md., along with the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame. In addition, the headquarters campus features the IWLCA Building, Tierney Field and a memorial to the members of the lacrosse community that died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. US Lacrosse also oversees the U.S. National Teams, which have won a combined 28world championships.
Contents
History
US Lacrosse was founded on January 1, 1998. It resulted from the merger of many different groups, including the Lacrosse Foundation, the United States Women's Lacrosse Association, the National Junior Lacrosse Association, the United States Lacrosse Officials Association, United States Lacrosse Coaches Association, United States Club Lacrosse Association, the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates, the Central Atlantic Lacrosse League and National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association.
Structure and function
US Lacrosse policy is determined by a national board of directors, the officers of which meet monthly to monitor the progress of the organization. Nine board committees have a comprehensive responsibility for strategy, planning and design of initiatives with direct board access for support and approval. These committees are Executive, Board Development, Strategic Planning, Sport Development, Women's Game, Men's Game, Finance, Human Resources and Regional Chapters.
While serving as the sport's national governing body, US Lacrosse works in collaboration with both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to oversee the game. NCAA and NFHS activity in lacrosse is almost exclusively focused on rules, with the additional NCAA focus on staging a postseason tournament. US Lacrosse is essentially responsible for everything else related to the development of and service to the sport as its national governing body.
The NCAA governs college post-season play and writes rules for college post season play…which have traditionally been adopted for regular season play by all men’s and women’s college lacrosse conferences and independents.
The NFHS is a body that provides support and coordination to each independent state high school athletic association. However, each state association operates independently of the NFHS and sets its own regulations and policies. The NFHS has committees that write/review rules for sports. The NFHS has an independent rules committee for boys’ lacrosse on which US Lacrosse is represented. The NFHS also has an independent rules committee for girls’ lacrosse, but the NFHS has adopted US Lacrosse rules for girls and women’s lacrosse. US Lacrosse also has formal representation on this committee. The NFHS rules committee for girls’ lacrosse provides feedback to the US Lacrosse Women’s Division Rules Committee annually.
US Lacrosse also publishes Lacrosse Magazine monthly, with a circulation over 300,000 US Lacrosse members. Its mission is to "connect the sports community, educate players, coaches and officials, entertain fans and keep the membership of US Lacrosse informed." In addition to the print magazine, US Lacrosse maintains LaxMagazine.com, which features daily lacrosse news, information, and scores, along with original features.
Membership
Fans, players, parents, coaches and officials can all be members of US Lacrosse. US Lacrosse members receive access to a variety of programs and services, discounts on books, videos, educational materials and U.S. National Team merchandise. Additionally, all members receive Lacrosse Magazine, comprehensive lacrosse insurance, membership in their local chapter, free admission to the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame and discounts on products and services.
U.S. National Teams
The United States participates in the Federation of International Lacrosse competitions. US Lacrosse oversees all aspects of the U.S. Men's and Women's National and Under-19 Team programs.
The U.S. Men's National Team has won nine FIL World Lacrosse Championships, and won six straight World Championships from 1982 to 2002. The last World Championships were held in Commerce City, Colorado in 2014. In the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships, the United States has won every tournament to date with a total of eight championships.
The U.S. Women's National Team has won seven Women's Lacrosse World Cups. The most recent World Cup was held in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada in July 2013, where the U.S. defeated Canada 19-5 for the championship. In the women's Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships, the United States has won world championships in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame
US Lacrosse operates the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame at its headquarters in Sparks, Md. The new facility opened to the public in September 2016. Each year, members are inducted into the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport.
Chapter halls of fame
Thirty-one chapters of US Lacrosse have a chapter hall of fame.
Youth lacrosse growth
Lacrosse is currently one of the fastest growing youth sports in the United States. From 2006 to 2014, lacrosse participation at the youth, high school, and collegiate level increased by over 80%. Among only youth athletes (15 and under) participation almost doubled, with an increase of 92%. During the same time period, no other youth sport had a participation increase of over 20%.