Matt Burke is excited. You can hear it in his voice when he talks about lacrosse in the Cleveland neighborhood of Ohio City.

Burke is the Near West Recreation Lacrosse Manager, a position created as part of US Lacrosse’s Lacrosse Communities Project to help build a base for the game in Cleveland. He was hired in November and has enjoyed the ride ever since. 

It’s not just the events that he has hosted, like Learn to Play clinics or the Lacrosse Community Game at Cleveland State. What makes him most excited are the children he’s able to touch — like Bo Berges, the U10 player he met at a Sankofa Clinic that shares the game with his friends off the field, or Gabby Williams, who showed up at a Learn to Play clinic unsure whether she wanted to play, but minutes later was ripping holes in the net.

“There’s a couple kids out there that are like little ballers out there,” Burke said. “They are able to pick it up and relate it to all the other sports they play.”

Burke has been hard at work with the help of US Lacrosse, which unveiled a small-sided field at Urban Community School last September as part of the Lacrosse Communities. That day was just the beginning of an ongoing effort to spark interest among children in Ohio City, one of the more diverse neighborhoods in Cleveland.

Burke grew up in Utica, N.Y., and did not have access to the game in town. He empathizes.

“Seeing that excitement, it’s something that gets kids going, especially in the cold months of Cleveland,” he said. “It’s been a real treat to me. The kids want to play as much as I want to teach them, and that’s awesome.”

Burke, a former club player at nearby John Carroll University, first was introduced to the Near West lacrosse scene at a Sankofa clinic in November 2017. He got to work before Thanksgiving, planning three different Learn to Play clinics that introduced the sport to more than 100 kids in early 2018.

In addition to clinics, Burke helped start the Near West Rec Lacrosse League. He got 80 kids to sign up for the league, which began with a focus on skill development for the first five sessions (once a week) and transitioned to scrimmages and games in May. Coaches from the area volunteer to help the league. 

Next was the Lacrosse Community Game — an event hosted by Cleveland State’s men’s lacrosse team. Players from Near West Rec attended the Vikings’ game against Hampton on April 7 and got to meet players beforehand. They asked questions about field dimensions, their sticks and the history of the sport. They got a front row seat to the Cleveland State victory, enjoying the goal celebration music pumping through the speakers.

To cap the spring activities, Burke helped host the Lacrosse Community Fair, in conjunction with a 5K at Urban Community School. Kids were able to compete on the new field and some walked away with sticks as part of a raffle prize.

What’s next? The Ohio City Lacrosse camp commenced for the third straight year. Burke is hoping to build more teams with players that are interested in the sport. He’ll also feature a handful of fall ball activities to keep them engaged in the offseason.

“For me to build something so supportive to the Ohio City neighborhood and the city of Cleveland, which I’ve come to call my home now, it means a lot to me because I didn’t have that as a kid,” Burke said.

Locally Grown

North Coast Ohio

Xcelerate Nike Lacrosse Camps is entering its ninth summer in northeast Ohio. The focus continues to be on providing a fun and fulfilling summer camp experience where boys’ and girls’ lacrosse players are building their ability and understanding of the sport through the guidance of experienced, caring and knowledgeable collegiate and high school coaches as well as professional players.

Central Ohio

The Upper Arlington Lacrosse Association is implementing the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model. UALA is known for producing some of the best lacrosse players statewide and nationally. This past spring, more than 470 youth lacrosse players (grades K-6) took a step forward as lacrosse players and athletes.

Southern Ohio

Camps for Champs is a new summer camp in Cincinnati for boys and girls grades 3-6 (ages 8-12). US Lacrosse, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and Cincinnati Public Schools have partnered to provide this summer camp July 16-19 for inner-city youth.

Illinois

On July 28-29, the U.S. National Teams Player Performance Camp is heading to Illinois. Chicago’s Gaelic Park will play host to the camp, which features the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model taught by both past and current Team USA coaches and players.

Michigan

The Chandler Park Conservancy launched its inaugural season of “Play Lacrosse,” creating the Detroit Youth Lacrosse Association to support the health and well being of Detroit youth.

Minnesota

The STX Shootout is July 20-22 in Stillwater. Youth, middle school and high school girls throughout the state will participate in this as a US Lacrosse-sanctioned tournament.

Indiana

On June 23, the Bosse High School girls program hosted a US Lacrosse Sankofa Youth.

Picture This 

Shooting for Chi-Town

The Illinois Chapter of US Lacrosse recently wrapped up the inaugural session of its Grow the Game initiative at Federico Garcia Lorca School on Chicago’s West Side. Board Members David Rapasadi and Ryan Shaw spent Mondays in April working with kids first- to fourth-graders sharing their passion for and love of lacrosse with the next generation of Chicago laxers. They hope to expand this program to more locations in the Chicago Public Schools over the coming school year.

My USL Rep

Bryce Woodson, Midwest

Woodson joined US Lacrosse last July. He oversees development and growth efforts in the Midwest, including parts of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin. A Hampton Roads (Va.) native, Bryce began playing lacrosse in first grade. He was a four-year letterwinner at Ohio State and captain of the team in 2011. Since college, Bryce has enjoyed coaching at the high school and club levels in Miami and Cleveland.

How can US Lacrosse help develop the sport in your area?