SPARKS, Md. – National Lacrosse Hall of Fame players and championship coaches Kelly Amonte Hiller and Dom Starsia will be honored at the fourth annual USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala on June 4 in New York City. The event will be held at Gotham Hall and will be emceed by another Hall of Famer, ESPN lacrosse analyst Sheehan Stanwick Burch.

SPARKS, Md. – Chris Dax, a veteran fundraising professional with nearly 25 years of experience in the field, has been named VP, Philanthropy for USA Lacrosse, the governing body for the sport in the United States.

“Chris brings a level of expertise that will help USA Lacrosse to succeed,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “With lacrosse in the LA28 Olympics, we have a tremendous platform to impact lacrosse in the U.S. Chris is well-equipped to help us raise the additional resources we need to fulfill our mission. We’re excited to get started.”

As we approach the holiday season and reflect on the past year, we are reminded of the power of sports to inspire, unite, and uplift. At USA Lacrosse, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to experience that magic—and it all starts with a stick.

USA Lacrosse members and donors have provided opportunities for young players to step onto the field, discover their potential, and embrace the camaraderie that defines our sport. As this year comes to a close, we are asking you to continue that legacy.

Sparks, Md -- USA Lacrosse announced today that it has awarded 184 new national grants to support groups and organizations in initiating and promoting local lacrosse opportunities. The awards include equipment grants, physical education grants, education grants and financial grants.

The town of East Aurora, a suburb of Buffalo, has a motto saying, ‘Where good neighbors gather.’

And from October through March, one of the town’s key gathering places is the Classic Rink, where ice hockey activity is nearly non-stop for local players of all ages. Scott More oversees the venue and the Aurora Ice Association.

A few years ago, More, a former collegiate lacrosse player, realized that adding a second sport during the spring and summer would allow his facility to continue being an active gathering place during the months when ice hockey was idle.

Chandler Lacrosse, a youth and high school club based in the southeast suburbs of Phoenix, has one simple goal – introduce the sport to kids.

One of the club’s key strategies to achieve that goal is to host free clinics throughout the year, with equipment provided for the participants. The hope, of course, is that kids who give lacrosse a try will choose to continue.

The third annual USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala returns to New York City on June 5 and will honor two of the sport’s all-time great coaches – Kevin Corrigan and Cindy Timchal.

It’s also a return to the city where the Elevate28 initiative – a group of eight major lacrosse organizations in the United States pledging to work together to double the sport’s participation by the end of the decade – made its public debut with a ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange last October.

For Jen Nardi, executive director of the Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club, the goals of her organization can be summarized in four words: Access. Opportunity. Instruction. Competition.

“We strive to make lacrosse accessible to all boys and girls in and around New York City,” Nardi said. “We’re trying to introduce the game to children by putting a lacrosse stick in their hand for the first time and then providing quality instruction from volunteers who love lacrosse.”

In 2022, Martha Barbera received a USA Lacrosse physical education grant to help introduce lacrosse to her students at Curtis Corner Middle School in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The sticks and balls were a perfect fit for the ‘Outdoor Games’ curriculum that Barbera had designed to keep her students physically active by experiencing new activities.

SPARKS, Md. — The third annual National Celebrate Lacrosse Week – set for Nov. 4-12, 2023 – will feature approximately 100 Pick Up & Play events that will introduce new players to the sport. The clinics are spread across 32 states and will involve USA Lacrosse working with 80 local lacrosse organizations to help provide pathways for players to continue exploring the sport.