Fall is a season of changes. Players are returning to school while coaches and respective boards begin planning for the coming season. Lacrosse may be a spring sport, but thanks to the continued growth it has experienced here in Wisconsin, planning begins well in advance of that March start date.
The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation provides participation numbers back to 2004. At the time there were a grand total of 19 high school teams in the state – with only one of those teams representing high school girls’ lacrosse. By 2009, participation numbers more than tripled – jumping from 452 to 1507 players stretched across 30 boys and 12 girls’ teams at the high school level and now including 33 youth teams. Since 2009, Wisconsin lacrosse has continued to grow with last year’s participation totaling 6,531 players spread across 134 high school and 225 youth teams. Ten new programs joined at the high school level in 2016 alone with six more being added at the youth level as well.
As these numbers continue to grow, so too do infrastructure and support needs across the board – from the individual team level to conference boards and the statewide chapter. Every new team needs coaches that know the sport and can teach it to potentially brand new players. With each team comes the need for a strong parents’ group or board to support the organization – especially as many area lacrosse teams still operate as clubs, not school-sponsored sports. And with each team added, the corresponding number of referees and umpires grows as well.
Looking at the growth of Wisconsin lacrosse from a player engagement perspective is exciting – when you start to consider the growth in behind-the-scenes support needed to sustain these numbers, it is incredible. Tallying the hours spent training new coaches and officials, scheduling games, planning practices, raising funds, coordinating transportation … and the list goes on … would be quite the undertaking. Because for every game played, every team added, every season started, hours upon hours have gone into making it run smoothly. And much of that is due to legions of volunteers who sincerely care about the growth of the sport and providing a positive experience for players.
As a former player and now coach, I cannot express enough my appreciation for the work that goes on behind the scenes. Playing for Arrowhead right as the program was starting – there was one other girls’ team in our area. Bussing out to Madison was how we got playing time. Looking back, now with my coaching and board member hats on, I realize the amount of planning that went into those first few seasons. From the seemingly small – parents coordinating someone to make snacks for the bus since we wouldn’t have time to eat between school and departure – to larger, more logistics based – finding coaches and practice space or how to fit a new team into the overall schedule – it all made for a very positive experience as a player and moved me to continue being involved in the sport post-high school. Now, as a coach, I cannot thank our parents or board enough. Their managing of the infrastructure of our club allows me to coach and focus on our players, something I am so very grateful for.
Growth of Wisconsin lacrosse shows no signs of slowing. Every season has new players picking up a stick for the first time at every level – and that is something to be excited about. With this growth, behind-the-scenes needs will continue to expand. As a former-player-turned-coach, I encourage you to find ways to support this expansion. There is constantly more work to be done and additional help needed. In just five years we’ve grown from 3,973 to 6,531 players. Can you imagine what the next five years will bring?
