Fort Bend Lacrosse, a recreational youth and high school club in the Houston suburbs, has a lot of things working in its favor. Committed coaches, strong board leadership, good facilities, and a solid organizational structure.
Jonathan Swanburg, who stepped into the role of president last year, doesn’t take credit for much of what is working, but appreciates that it is.
“Yeah, I stepped into a very easy situation. The system was up and running. We had teams in place, and everything was good to go,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean that the Panthers program, serving boys from pre-K through 12th grade in Southeast Fort Bend County, doesn’t have challenges.
“I think our biggest obstacle is just simply having people comfortable trying lacrosse for the first time, especially here in Texas,” he said. “A lot of people do not know what lacrosse is. They've never experienced the sport. And if you've never played lacrosse before, you're hesitant to sign your kid up.”
One of the strategies that Fort Bend uses to address that challenge is to partner with local elementary schools on a physical education lacrosse curriculum. Swanburg knows that introducing the game to kids at a young age is one of the keys to success in Texas.
“Our goal is certainly to focus on the youth level and keep it growing,” he said. “The elementary schools are really our biggest source of growth, and the teachers are very agreeable to working with us. Exposure is everything. Once more people know about it, once they play it, kids love it. So, the biggest barrier is just getting sticks in the kids’ hands.”
Swanburg notes that most of the players in the Fort Bend program are crossover athletes who also participate in other sports. Introducing lacrosse as one of those options is important for long-term sustainability.
“Maybe it's Texas or maybe it's just youth sports in general, but by the time kids get into middle school, they seem to have already picked their sport,” he said. “I'm a football player, I'm a hockey player, I'm a basketball player. Getting them to try a new sport at that point becomes trickier.”
Since lacrosse is not a state sanctioned high school sport yet in Texas, the varsity program for the local school – Ridge Point High School – is sponsored by Fort Bend Lacrosse.
“Some of our varsity guys help with coaching for the younger teams, which the young kids love,” Swanburg said. “When you're in elementary school or middle school, a varsity lacrosse player seems like the coolest person in the world. So, it's a really nice set up.”
From coaching to facilities, the Fort Bend infrastructure helps to ensure a quality experience for all the boys that choose lacrosse. Games and practices are hosted at nearby Camp Sienna, a 160-acre community sports complex that features both grass and turf fields.
Swanburg gives credit to his predecessor, Rob Calbert and his wife Emily, for their successful relaunch of Fort Bend Lacrosse following the Covid-19 pandemic interruption.
“The Calberts did a great job of bringing in very professional and committed coaches that just love the game,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t see or appreciate. The Calberts were the ones that brought lacrosse back to our neighborhood and devoted blood, sweat, tears and money to make it happen.”
Rob Calbert’s imprint on local lacrosse also goes beyond Fort Bend. He also served as president of the Houston Youth Area Lacrosse League (HYALL), which he helped start in an effort to grow lacrosse for the entire Houston area. Once again, he took on the role of HYALL president when no one else would do so.
“The Houston area would likely still be operating without a league if Rob hadn't stepped up,” Swanburg said. “Anytime you try to coordinate teams across different organizations, you are going to run into some roadblocks. But having a league is a lot better than not having a league.”
As Fort Bend, a USA Lacrosse member program, continues to look to the future, its leadership board is discussing an expansion beyond the traditional spring season. Providing playing and practice opportunities throughout the year may be coming soon.
“As a year-round rec sport in this area, our focus will be on skills training, with maybe an occasional game here or there,” Swanburg said. “We have a lot of passionate families with a strong love for the game, and by making Fort Bend into a year-round, quintessential recreational program run by parents and coaches, we just want to create more opportunities for kids to play.”
USA Lacrosse Can Help You Start a New Program
Starting a new lacrosse organization or taking over for another volunteer can be a challenge, but with the help of USA Lacrosse, we can make your job easier. We are a member-based organization that fuels the development of the sport by providing programs and services to our members. Our regional managers located around the country that can answer questions, help you network with other program leaders in your region and provide you direct access to USA Lacrosse member benefits, programs and services.
