From the CEO: Lacrosse’s New Momentum

I started as CEO of USA Lacrosse on August 24, 2021.

When I took the seat, the mandate was to build off the incredible work my predecessor Steve Stenersen had accomplished.  I walked into an organization that was financially sound and had a significant amount of knowledge and experience.

With that said, we were still coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Return to play and return to business were uncertain.

I’m happy to report we have drafted off the tailwinds our game has generated and created new momentum for ourselves.  Over the last three years, we have focused on elementary age-level play and experience.  As a result, more kids ages 9 and younger are playing lacrosse than ever before in our history as a sport.

Additionally, we took the unprecedented step to hire coaches for all 12 of our U.S. National Teams at one time and added more training and medical staff.  The objective is to put our athletes and coaches in the best position to have a great experience and succeed.

Along the way, we have secured a lot of wins. Among them: 

▪ Successfully implemented 14U age verification to ensure competitive integrity and safety.

▪ Revamped our coaching curriculum and e-learning platform to have the highest level of coach engagement in our history.

▪ Launched National Celebrate Lacrosse Week, a new player platform executed across the U.S. in early November introducing the game to nearly 10,000 kids.

▪ Created the USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala, a major fundraiser in NYC that has raised more than $2.1 million — all of which has been or will be reinvested in our mission to fuel the growth, enrich the experience and field the best national teams.

▪ Upgraded our technology and membership user experience to better enable league operators and event directors to effectively manage rosters.

▪ Won five gold medals and two silver medals in international competition.

▪ Launched ELEVATE28, an unprecedented collaboration with key lacrosse stakeholders (Athletes Unlimited, IMLCA, IWLCA, Joe Tsai Sports, National Lacrosse League, Premier Lacrosse League and World Lacrosse) to double participation by the end of the decade.

▪ Lacrosse is now an Olympic sport and USA Lacrosse is a member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic family.

A lot accomplished. A lot more to do. Let’s keep the momentum going.  Share the joy of this game and share USA Lacrosse with your friends, family, and colleagues!  

Marc Riccio serves as president and CEO of USA Lacrosse.