In the heart of Brooklyn, where basketball courts outnumber grassy fields and subway rides replace minivan drop-offs, a lacrosse revolution has quietly unfolded.
The Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club, co-founded by Wes Jackson and now led by executive director Jen Nardi, has spent nearly two decades transforming a sport often associated with suburban privilege into a powerful force for community, equity and opportunity in New York City.
The Crescents’ origin story is as gritty and grassroots as the city itself. They cobbled together enough third- to eighth-graders to form one girls' team and one boys' team and used garbage cans as goalies. “It was a struggle just being able to convince enough kids to play, to explain what we were doing,” Jackson recalled, describing the early days when equipment was scarce and players were few.
That scrappy spirit was born from a deeper mission: to continue the legacy of Brooklyn Admirals founder Kevin Graham, a local mentor who believed lacrosse could change lives. After Graham’s passing, Jackson and five others met at a diner near McLaughlin Park and decided to carry the torch. “Were we going to let this thing die? No,” Jackson said. “We loved to coach and we wanted to continue the mission.”
Today, the Crescents are a far cry from their humble beginnings. With more than 200 players, multiple teams and partnerships with facilities like Poly Prep and Brooklyn Bridge Park, the club has become a cornerstone of youth lacrosse in the city. They have players from all five boroughs.
But the mission remains unchanged: to put sticks in the hands of kids who might never otherwise have the chance.
“We’re a program for everyone,” said Nardi, who joined the Crescents nine years ago after a collegiate coaching career. “We’ve got kids whose parents are VPs at JP Morgan and kids on scholarship. No one knows the difference. That’s the beauty of the Brooklyn Crescents.”
The Crescents run free clinics, accept players at all skill levels and have never turned a child away for financial reasons. “There are no tryouts,” Nardi emphasized. “We won't run a program like that.”
That commitment has paid off in more ways than one. The Crescents have become a pipeline for talent, sending players to collegiate programs and helping to elevate the level of play across the city. When the Crescents started, if a player was good, he or she had to leave the city to get noticed. “Now it's popping," Jackson said. "The PSAL is sending kids to D-I, D-II, D-III schools. Now you can really play ball.”
Coach Eoin Collins, a former Division I player at Mercer who returned to Brooklyn, has seen that transformation firsthand. “I started coaching sixth grade and [followed that group] through eighth. Most went on to Poly and I got to watch them excel from afar. A lot of them are playing in college,” he said. “It's cool watching them get good at lacrosse. But it's even cooler watching them become good people.”
Collins likened lacrosse in New York City to “a flower growing through concrete.”
“It doesn’t make sense here," he said, citing limited field space and competition from other sports. “But when you dig into it, it's kind of the perfect spot."
That grit is something coach Todd Ernst knows well. A former hockey player, Ernst was reintroduced to lacrosse through his sons.
“It became more than a sport — it became a family,” he said. “We have players from every borough and all different backgrounds. That’s the secret sauce.”
Ernst recalled the early days of hauling gear and scrambling for field time. He used to store goals in a boat at the local marina. Struggle builds resilience, he said.
"The number one characteristic of a Brooklyn lacrosse player is attitude," Ernst said. "And there's a lot of pride."
That pride is evident in players like Sienna Klauss, who started in the Crescents’ peewee program at age 5. “We’d play sharks and minnows, do cartwheels at the end of practice,” she said. “Just making friends.”
Now a high school player with Division I aspirations, Klauss credits the Crescents for her growth. “They created a space where anybody is welcome, no matter your skill level or background,” she said. “That kept me in the game.”
Sage Johnson, who joined the Crescents just two years ago, echoes that sentiment. “At first, it was really hard — I had a lot of balls hit my head,” she said, laughing. “But after lots of hard work and practice, I really started to get the game.”
For Johnson, the Crescents are more than a team — they’re a support system. “I love when my coaches give me feedback,” she said. "What makes it so special is it's really one-on-one. Even though you're on a team, they just give you so much time."
The Crescents' impact goes beyond the scoreboard. “There are a million life lessons learned on this field,” Nardi said. “You learn how to work through challenges with teammates and people from different neighborhoods.”
Financial support from national organizations has been crucial.
Grants from USA Lacrosse have provided the club with funding for player scholarships, equipment, volunteer coach training and community outreach. Several members of the Brooklyn Crescents were invited to the USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala at Gotham Hall on June 4, where legends Kelly Amonte Hiller and Dom Starsia were honored. The event included a fundraising goal of $1 million to help fuel the USA Lacrosse mission and benefit programs like the Crescents.
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them,” Nardi said.
As the club looks to the future, both leaders and players are optimistic.
“There are millions of kids in New York City. I'm excited now with better infrastructure of grabbing more of those kids and exposing them to the Creator's Game,” Jackson said.
And for Ernst, it’s about the next generation.
“The kids inspire me. They give me hope,” he said. "Seeing them blossom, going through the trials and tribulations of the sport to learn and grow, is very inspirational to me."
How to Get a Grant
As a beneficiary of USA Lacrosse grants, the Brooklyn Crescents gained access to key resources to help grow their program and get sticks in the hands of new players. Could your organization benefit from the USA Lacrosse National Grant Program? Click here to apply for a grant before the July 31 deadline.
