From the CEO: What It Means to be the National Governing Body of Lacrosse

On April 15, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) certified USA Lacrosse as the U.S. national governing body for lacrosse.

That’s not just a formality. It’s a big deal. It culminates years of work, planning and commitment by countless people.

Just as importantly, becoming the NGB provides credibility, visibility and stability for our game and USA Lacrosse. It represents and reminds us of the unprecedented responsibility and opportunity that lies ahead.

Many people thought USA Lacrosse already was a national governing body. For all intents and purposes, we have been, maintaining a close relationship with the USOPC and leading the sport for more than 25 years.

However, completing the multi-year, rigorous certification process with the USOPC is unlike anything any lacrosse organization has ever undertaken. We needed to demonstrate financial health, broad participation, strong governance, robust athlete protection and top-tier national team high performance programs. And that is just a snapshot.

What does this mean for you? It means you can have confidence in the organization that supports you and the game. USA Lacrosse members and U.S. National Team athletes will see the greatest benefits, but even those who aren’t members benefit from our work and investments.

For example, coming out of the pandemic, USA Lacrosse guided an effective return to play — particularly at the youth level. Today, more elementary-aged kids are playing lacrosse than ever before. We educate more than 40,000 coaches annually, raising the quality of experience for players in every community. Our national teams are ranked first or second in every discipline, reflecting systems built on excellence, culture, athlete safety, performance and long-term development.

The engine that drives our ability to do this work on your behalf is USA Lacrosse annual membership. At 420,000 strong and growing, membership is not a transaction or checkmark. It is an impactful benefit, a safety must-have and competitive advantage. It is also a shared responsibility.

Managing rules, investing in growth, enabling more than 2,500 local programs, advocating in Congress and state governments, supporting sports science and safety, offering best-in-class coach and official education, implementing equipment standards and shouldering the legal risk required in American sport today are obligations USA Lacrosse carries on behalf of everyone in lacrosse.

Without USA Lacrosse as the backbone of the game, countless organizations would be left to navigate these matters alone. We provide national leadership, stability, credibility and predictability the entire sport needs and relies on. As a USOPC NGB, we all just got stronger.