Today, as we honor National Girls and Women in Sports Day, USA lacrosse wants to emphasize that providing opportunities for girls and women to play the sports they love is not a moment or a day, but a commitment. USA Lacrosse is committed to supporting all levels of play for girls and women by encouraging stakeholders nationwide to support the growth and enrich the game for female athletes. From the first time they step on the field to their biggest triumphs, these are some of the ways that USA Lacrosse brings the sport to life for female athletes
At the youth level, USA Lacrosse works with hundreds of leagues and programs, offering clinics, grants, and educational resources. With these resources, USA Lacrosse is able to provide support for and grow programs focused on developing opportunities for girls. Find community-based playing opportunities in your area.
In the tournament arena, USA Lacrosse runs three girls’ and women’s specific events annually to ensure participation and opportunity for female athletes, from youth through college.
Dating back to the first U15 Youth National Championship in 2009, USA Lacrosse has annually brought the best girls’ club teams together from all parts of the country. Last year’s edition saw a record 80 teams compete in three age divisions (12U, 13U and 14U) and up to 96 teams are expected for the 2022 USA Lacrosse Youth Nationals, July 12-13 at DE Turf in Frederica, Del.
At the high school level, USA Lacrosse hosts the Women’s National Tournament, which is the nation’s oldest girls’/women’s lacrosse tournament, dating to 1933. Over the years, it has evolved into one of the premier recruiting tournaments for high school players looking to play at the collegiate level. More than 60 regional teams, representing players from over 30 states, compete for the right to represent their region at this historic event. Based on individual tryouts and not club participation, this event provides an important opportunity to broaden access to collegiate opportunities. The 2022 edition will be held at Cedar Lane Regional Park in Bel Air, Md., on Memorial Day Weekend.
At the collegiate level, USA Lacrosse administers the national women’s collegiate club league, the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA). Providing a home to more than 200 teams, the USA Lacrosse WCLA national championship is one of our marquee women’s initiatives every year. Since 2001, USA Lacrosse has supported this championship which will return in 2022 after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the elite pathway, USA Lacrosse is committed to providing opportunities and support for female athletes to reach the pinnacle of the sport through the National Team Development Program and into our National Team Program. Launched in 2019, the National Team Development Program provides high-level training for some of the nation’s top young players and serves as a pipeline to the national team program. Following a series of regional tryouts around the country, the top 150 girls are invited to USA Lacrosse headquarters for a national combine and the top 44 are then named to USA Select teams. Applications for the 2022 version of the program will launch later this month.
At the highest level of the women’s lacrosse world is the U.S. National Team program. The U.S. has been the most successful program on the international stage since the first world championship in 1982. The U.S. senior women and U19 women have combined to win 13 of the 17 world championships held to date and the U.S. will host the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship this summer from June 29 to July 9 at Towson (Md.) University. The women’s national team will also be expanding in the near future with The World Games in Birmingham, Ala., using the Sixes discipline, and World Lacrosse announcing that it will sponsor a women’s box championship.
We hope you will join us today in celebrating female athletes in every sport. It is a great day to remind us of the the value of sport to females, and also a reminder to strengthen our commitment to grow, enrich and elevate opportunities and pathways for girls and women in lacrosse. Let’s make 2022 a yearlong call to action to support female athletes.
Caitlin Kelley is the Director, Women's Lacrosse for USA Lacrosse.
