Joining a Lacrosse Group

It’s a real shame that lacrosse doesn’t feature on the events itinerary in Beijing this summer. After all, it is through exposure on television that so many of the so-called “minority” sports reach a wider audience and inspire individuals to join in who would otherwise restrict themselves to the football or rugby pitch, or the local tennis court.
While lacrosse still has to rely on information channels such as school initiatives and the word of mouth of relatives and friends who enjoy playing the sport, it is never going to hit the headlines as often as it deserves. Never the less, those for whom it does spark an interest have a decent amount of options available to do them to get involved.
If you don’t already know a member of a local club, the obvious place to start your research is one of the national associations, for example www.englishlacrosse.co.uk; lacrossescotland.com; or www.lacrosse.org, which feature sections devoted to local clubs, or chapters, that include contact details. In the majority of cases, you will find that it is simply a matter of packing your sports shoes and gym kit into a bag and turning up for one of the practice sessions. (These sessions are usually held early evening or weekend mornings for juniors, with seniors taking up the later slots.) Thanks to fundraising and, in some cases, grant awards, clubs are usually equipped with sticks and protective equipment that allow prospective new members the opportunity to try out the sport without the need for any financial outlay.
In terms of age groups, many clubs run both adult and junior programmes, while the different male and female codes call for separate sections for the sexes. In addition you may find your local group runs a mixed section, too.