As the winter months approach and colder weather overtakes much of the country, US Lacrosse acknowledges that organized indoor lacrosse activities will become more prevalent, and that these activities will include formal Box Lacrosse tournaments and events.
In light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as US Lacrosse’s growing commitment to box lacrosse, the national governing body offers these recommendations in support of risk mitigation.
Wherever possible, it’s preferable to have event operators host Box Lacrosse events in an outdoor setting.
Whether indoors or outdoors, event operators should adhere to the latest local and state government safety guidelines, recognizing the varying circumstances in different geographic regions.
Event operators should adhere to national COVID-19 guidelines and best practices outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Facility management by event operators should be focused on making the health & safety of all attendees its top priority. Policies should govern, at the least, the use of locker rooms and dressing areas, spectator seating, public areas including restrooms, check-in protocols, and hygiene best practices.
Event operators should have a COVID Action Plan (CAP) and amend their Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to include risk mitigation steps for communicable diseases. The CAP should outline pre-participation screening requirements for participants and a protocol for managing the spread of COVID-19 should an attendee become sick or test positive.
These recommendations reflect US Lacrosse’s increased investment in resources to support the growth of box lacrosse in the United States. The organization continues to expand on the tools provided to coaches and league leaders to teach and grow the game, and will be offering multiple sessions at its virtual 2021 LaxCon event to further support those efforts.
Event sanctioning for box lacrosse is one of the US Lacrosse initiatives currently in development. The sanctioning program will provide an operational framework to create a more consistent event experience for all participants.
“US Lacrosse is committed to the growth of box lacrosse by developing stronger relationships with regional and national organizations,” said Rick Lake, men’s lacrosse director at US Lacrosse. “We are actively developing additional resources to support box lacrosse, and look forward to providing more leadership for this version of the game in the near future.”
Event operators who wish to collaborate with US Lacrosse to evaluate the effectiveness of risk mitigation should contact JP Fischer, US Lacrosse’s senior manager for sanctioning and event services, at jpfischer@uslacrosse.org.
