The sport of lacrosse is becoming a global sport very quickly. There are currently 92 countries across the world that are members of World Lacrosse. What is World Lacrosse? It is basically the same kind of organization as FIBA with basketball. They hold yearly competitions for countries to compete and see who the best in the world is. Lacrosse will also be returning to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Just like in life, culture changes depending on where you are in the world. We are going to dive in and talk about the different ways of Lacrosse being celebrated across the world.
Eastern America
Participation of lacrosse in America is huge. Not as big as say Football or Baseball but it is up there and improving every year. Eastern America we are going to count as pretty much the East Coast. The style of play could be described as versatile and traditional. Players are expected to be able to play with both their dominant and weak hands, and be effective playing this way. This teaches players to be more of a reactive player. When a defender is going to play you a certain way, you will be able to react and play your game accordingly no matter what. Lacrosse in America as mentioned before is huge, specifically in the youth to high school range is where you will see the most participation. Club lacrosse over the Summer turns into a whole spectacle, it takes priority over most things going on in the Summer for families. Even though you may miss some barbeque days, you will make some of your best memories at these tournaments. College lacrosse in America is the pinnacle of the sport right now. It is the goal of every young player that is starting out in the sport. There are 77 division 1 schools, 81 division 2 schools,
and 200+ division 3 programs. College lacrosse in America is accessible for anyone that has the dream to get there.
Canada
Canada has a completely different style of lacrosse compared to Americans. Canadians play lacrosse on a much smaller field, and with a smaller net. They also play with just their strong hand and find creative ways to improve their game with their strong hands. Being one handed may make you believe Canadians are one dimensional. You would be totally wrong. Canadians play their game indoors, on a hockey rink so it is a much faster, tighter, and physical game. They are much better at using their bodies to protect, and are able to come up with innovative ways to free their hands up to get the shot they want. You will see a lot of picks and team play with Canada, where Americans would typically use an “initiator” to create team offense. The schedule for Canada is a bit different as well. For a lot of Canadians, they come down to America to play college lacrosse. Then, in the Summer they will come home and suit up for their box lacrosse team to play all Summer long. These are very intense lacrosse games as they are fighting for a chance to win the Mann Cup, a prestigious trophy in Canada making you the best team in the Country. There are multiple leagues, and guys will keep climbing the ranks until they get to the professional level. Canadian lacrosse is very exciting to watch, if it were to be compared to something think of hockey and basketball combined.
Western America
Western American lacrosse could be considered from Colorado over to California. This style of play is a bit of a combination of Canadian and Eastern American lacrosse. Being able to take the best of both styles of play, and create a whole new way to play the game is awesome to see. We get to see a new creative flair come about and inspire the younger generation. How did lacrosse make its way out west? Well, it’s simple. There were multiple camps to introduce the game to kids in the area and get familiar with the sport of lacrosse. Slowly but surely they were able to continuously grow the sport and gain more of a following. 2009 was also a big year for this area, with the legendary coach Bill Tierney becoming the head coach for Denver. A big reason for him taking this job was because he truly wanted the game to grow out west and expand. A couple successful years later, Bill Tierney led Denver to their first National Championship title in 2015. After that, the game exploded, and the West has gained more lacrosse players every year. These kids are playing indoor lacrosse throughout the winter, and then hitting the outdoor field. A player that grew up in this style of play that you can clearly see is JJ Sillstrop, the attackman at the University at Denver. He is a player that has the great box experience, but can also play the game traditionally and be a reactive player. The style that he plays is certainly special, and that is what makes him such an incredible player for the Pioneers.
Haudenosaunee
The Haudenosaunee, or Six Nations Iroquois are the ones we should all be thanking when it comes to the sport of lacrosse. They are responsible for creating the sport of lacrosse. But, to them it is the, “Creator’s Game.” The Iroquois play the game of lacrosse to heal their spirits. They play the game for the joy of it, not for any other reasons. If you’ve ever seen a member of the Haudenosaunee play lacrosse, it is very entertaining to watch. They are patient, and almost play the sport nonchalantly. If you are a lacrosse fan, you know who Lyle Thompson is. He is the perfect model for how the Haudenosaunee game is played. He is widely regarded as one of the best lacrosse players in the entire world. He is quick and assertive when he needs to be, but when he is playing how he wants to be he is patient, relaxed, and waiting for the defense to make a mistake so he can attack. Haudenosaunee players have a similar skillset to Canadians as well. In that they will really only worry about strengthening their dominant hand and playing to their strengths. The difference though, is that they have grown up with a lacrosse stick
since birth, they have next level creativity when it comes to lacrosse. For example, if you are a lacrosse fan or player you should be aware of the backhanded shots. Well, the guy I mentioned before Lyle Thompson is the guy that popularized that backhanded shot when he was playing at Albany. That year for Lyle opened up an entire new world of lacrosse for everyone. After that came about, it showed players all over the world a brand new way to play that no one really thought about.
Japan
If I could describe lacrosse in Japan it would be passionate. The fans, the players, everything around the sport of lacrosse in Japan is passionate. Even though it is a relatively new sport to them, they love lacrosse and want to see the sport grow just like everyone else in the world. Even though Japan is new to the sport, their passion and love for the game pushed them to the top. Japan was able to come away with a bronze medal in the sixes tournament last summer, and a 5 th place finish in field lacrosse. The dedication, passion, and spirit that Japan plays with is their key factor. They are all hard workers that understand they might not be the best players in the world, but the effort that they give out on the field is going to make them appear like they could be some of the best players in the world. When they are in the game, Japan likes to use speed and agility to their advantage. They have fast players on their team and have to use their speed to their advantage. Where USA or Canada has size and skill, Japan has speed and passion to find a way to win. Don’t be surprised if we see Japan have another great summer of lacrosse from their national teams this upcoming summer.
Australia
Australia has steadily been one of the top 5 countries to play lacrosse for a long time now. They have been known as one of the top countries with a 4 th place finish in field lacrosse, and 6 th place finish in sixes lacrosse. So, don’t underestimate the Australians because they have some great lacrosse knowledge. The culture of Aussie lacrosse is more about strength and power than it is speed and agility, a skillset suited more for the Japan culture. Australians like to make the game physical, and get their opponents uncomfortable that way. There is certainly a strong presence of the sport there too, with a couple of different programs there. They have collegiate lacrosse players enroll in graduate school, and take a couple of semesters overseas while also playing lacrosse and teaching the game to the youth. You get to further your education, teach younger kids about the sport you love, and help them get even better than they were before they started. It’s a great program and have heard only great things about the experience. The lacrosse world is a very tight knit community, odds are if you find a mutual friend through lacrosse you both will know at least 3 more people through the same connection. Everyone looks out for each other and supports one another. That’s because we are all trying to accomplish one much larger goal,
growing the game of lacrosse. There are so many different styles of culture and ways to play the game, but at the end of the day we are all playing the sport we love and there are endless ways to show your appreciation of playing the creator’s game.