SPARKS, Md. — US Lacrosse has announced a partnership with STEPS Lacrosse and Top of the Bay Lacrosse to conduct the 2021 US Lacrosse Youth Nationals. The event, featuring championships for boys and girls at the 13U, 14U and 15U age groupings, will be held at DE Turf in Frederica, Del., July 13-15, 2021.

The 14U and 15U championships will be broadcast live by Lax Sports Network. Teams from around the country will earn bids either through historical performance in past events or the 2021 application process. Teams interested in applying for a spot in the US Lacrosse Youth Nationals should complete the information on this link by Oct. 30, 2020.

“We’re very excited to work with two outstanding organizations — STEPS and Top of the Bay — to bring this event to the lacrosse community,” said Kim Rogers, director of special events for US Lacrosse. “We are going to work very hard to create a great experience for the players and this is a tremendous opportunity to showcase youth lacrosse in a positive light.”

“I am extremely excited to partner with US Lacrosse and Top of the Bay Sports to host the 2021 US Lacrosse Youth Nationals,” said Charlie Shoulberg, founder and CEO of STEPS Lacrosse. “Our goal is to create a best-in-class event for all participants. The vision is to gather the best age level girls’ and boys’ teams in the country to compete for a championship on a national stage. A big thank you to US Lacrosse leadership and specifically Brett Hurwitz, Kim Rogers and J.P. Fischer in sharing this vision.”

“The 2021 US Lacrosse Youth Nationals is a product of great collaboration and teamwork,” said Krystin Porcella, founder of Top of the Bay Lacrosse. “Working together with STEPS Lacrosse and US Lacrosse, the event will offer club teams (13U, 14U and 15U) a national championship that is highly-competitive and innovative. Some of the greatest accomplishments in our sport have come through bringing our resources and talents together and we are all committed to making the US Lacrosse Youth Nationals a premier event to showcase the talents of the best lacrosse players and teams.”

This year’s US Lacrosse Youth Nationals will be held during the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, which will be hosted by US Lacrosse in Towson, Md. This is the first time this quadrennial world championship has been held in the United States since 2005. Participants in the US Lacrosse Youth Nationals will be eligible to purchase discounted ticket packages for the world championship.

The US Lacrosse Youth Nationals trace their roots to the US Lacrosse U15 National Championships, first held in 2009. The event, which was held annually until the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, has traditionally featured some of the biggest rising stars in the game. Andie Aldave, Sam Apuzzo, Mackenzie Burns, Ryan Conrad, Tyler Dunn, Cortney Fortunato, Samantha Giacolone, Justin Guterding, Miranda Ibello, Stephen Kelly, Timmy Kelly, Alice Mercer, Kerrigan Miller, Dylan Molloy and Nikki Ortega are among the future U.S. U19 and senior training team members that have participated in the event.

DE Turf, the home for this year’s US Lacrosse Youth Nationals, is the largest all-synthetic sports complex in the Mid-Atlantic, and was also home for this event in 2018. Conveniently located in Central Delaware, it’s just a short 30 miles from the Delaware beaches. Featuring 12 synthetic turf fields, five of which are lighted fields, and a championship field with seating for up to 700 spectators, this venue is a first-class sports destination venue to match the competition on its fields.

For more information about the event, please visit www.uslacrosse.org/nationals