Lacrosse in Australia
Encyclopedia
Lacrosse
is a minority sport in Australia
. It has a long and proud history dating back to 1876, with a small but dedicated community of participants and volunteers. The established centres for the game are in the greater metropolitan areas of Melbourne
, Adelaide
, and Perth
. In these cities there are organised Saturday field lacrosse
competitions for men and women at senior and junior levels, played over the winter months (April until September). In the off-season, there are informal box lacrosse
and sofcrosse competitions, though the majority of players in Australia are foremostly of the field lacrosse type. Some lacrosse is also played in Sydney
, Brisbane
and Hobart
, although it is very much at the developmental level.
Lacrosse in Australia is now governed by a single governing body, the Australian Lacrosse Association (ALA), following the merger of Lacrosse Australia and Women's Lacrosse Australia, who had until 2008 governed the men's and women's versions of the games independently. The move to a unified national body was precipitated by the withholding of funds by the Australian federal government.
(and Australia as a whole) was a Canadian, Lambton L. Mount
. He came to the Victorian goldfields
as a fourteen year old with his family in 1853 but it was not until 1875 that he was moved to revive his early boyhood memories of lacrosse. After watching the football
final between Carlton
and Melbourne
in that year it occurred to him that lacrosse was a superior game.
In April 1876 Mount wrote to the Australasian Newspaper to announce that he was arranging to import forty lacrosse sticks from Canada and intended to start lacrosse and establish the Melbourne Lacrosse Club. He succeeded and the first practice match of this club took place on 22 June 1876 between 15-20 players at Albert Park
. The Melbourne club continued to promote the sport and arranged matches between the "Reds" and "Blues" in Albert Park during 1877-78. By 1879, four clubs had been formed with some 120 players. These four clubs Melbourne, Fitzroy, South Melbourne and Carlton formed the Victorian Lacrosse Association in July 1879 for the purpose of coordinating matches. His Excellency, the Governor of Victoria The Most Hon G A C Phipps
, was the inaugural Patron.
with the formation of the Adelaide Lacrosse Club on Friday, 6 April 1883 at the Prince Alfred Hotel.. Practice was held by the club in the South Parklands. By 1887 North Adelaide (who still exist today), Noarlunga and Knightsbridge (located in what is now Leabrook) had joined Adelaide to play regular games in the city, and the South Australian Lacrosse Association (now Lacrosse SA) was formed in 1888. Nobel Prize
winning Professor Bragg
, a founding member of the North Adelaide club established University in 1889.
Lacrosse soon spread around the fledgling province, and the game grew in popularity in the small city of Adelaide
and through the country towns, with large crowds recorded at the race course fixtures. Teams were formed at Port Pirie
, Jamestown
, Port Augusta
, Port Germein
, Gawler
, Kapunda, Angaston
, Riverton
and Murray Bridge
.
was the direct consequence of gold discoveries in the Eastern Goldfields
. The earliest records of playing lacrosse in the goldfields suggest that the game was first played in the early 1890s. It was not until 1895, when two players from the eastern states, F Parsons and F Wingrove, arrived in Perth
that formal lacrosse began in the coastal plains. These two lacrosse pioneers helped form two Perth clubs - Perth and Fremantle in 1896. Two further clubs Mercantile (based on a merchandising warehouse) and Cottesloe (later Banks) were formed in 1897. A formal competition commenced in 1898 with Mercantile winning the first premiership in that year.
During 1899, a "Coastal" team visited the Goldfields where local devotee, Arthur O'Connor, was nurturing the sport - principally from Coolgardie
. This exhibition game became a regular feature of the Western Australian sporting calendar till 1914, when a downturn in the gold industry and the outbreak of World War I
signalled the end of the Goldfields team. Later attempts to revive the game in Kalgoorlie
in the 1930s and in the 1980s both failed.
on Monday 2 May 1887, and following the formation of a club at Ipswich
and the imminent formation of one at South Brisbane, The Queensland
Lacrosse Union was formed following a meeting at Lennon's Hotel on Tuesday 14 February 1888. In 1888 the Savage Lacrosse Club held a smoke social and annual meeting. Photographic records exist of interstate teams in 1889, 1904, 1905 and 1906. In July and August 1906 two interstate games were played against Victoria, the first game was won by Victoria 16 - 12. In the second game Queensland defeated Victoria 15 - 6.
In 1907 there were various lacrosse clubs in the Brisbane
metropolitan area. Photographs dated 1907 are labelled with the club names of Ottawa, Mohican, Delaware, Buffalo, Iroquois, Toombul and Wallaroo. In 1908 an association had been formed at Toowoomba, with a local competition running for several years.
The Kalinga Park
sporting grounds were opened in 1910 with the support of local sporting clubs including the Kalinga Lacrosse Club.
By the 1920s lacrosse was being played at Norman Park after being promoted by the Wilson family of Waratah Foundry fame.
The Nudgee Lacrosse Club also had a field at the Nudgee Boorah Ring in the 1920s and 30s.
Despite this early success, lacrosse in Queensland was reduced to a small group of enthusiasts in the post World War II
era. By the 1980s all existing lacrosse clubs had disappeared. In the 1990s and at the turn of the century, lacrosse was played on an occasional basis in the Brisbane
, Surfers Paradise and Townsville areas. A Queensland Lacrosse Association was in operation with the support of expatriate Victorians
and local enthusiasts.
Recent efforts by the Queensland Lacrosse Association have resulted in new lacrosse clubs being formed in Brisbane (2009), the Gold Coast (2011) and Toowoomba (2011), and plans for a fourth club located in the Sunshine Coast.
(NSW) on 19 July 1883 after a meeting of gentlemen at Ramford's Cambridge Club Hotel led to the formation of the Sydney Lacrosse Club. The Manly Daily records the local lacrosse club as having won their season in 1930. Other early lacrosse clubs included Burwood District, Balmain, Camden, Granville, Marrickville, Mohican, Mosman, Newtown, North Sydney, Petersham, Stanmore, St Stephen's Institute, University, Waverly and Wentworth. Lacrosse games were played on the Sydney Cricket ground in the 1930s; a NSW state team existed during this same period. The sport was sufficiently strong for a visiting Canadian team from Vancouver to tour Sydney in 1934. Lacrosse was also played at Glebe
prior to World War II
. Lacrosse in Sydney in the early period included an A and B division and competition was held for the Lassetter's Cup.
Lacrosse was revived in NSW during the early 1990s by a small dedicated group of men and women. Initially this involved games of mixed lacrosse at Neutral Bay. A men's team competed successfully at the Paradise Lacrosse Tournament on the Gold Coast under the name "Basically Naked". Junior lacrosse began with a pilot at Gordon with the employment of two development officers, this saw up to 60 juniors playing modified lacrosse, some of whom went on to play the full version of the game. With the employment of a Development Officer by Lacrosse Australia, based in Sydney, it was hoped that the junior and senior games would take off. Teams/clubs were set up in Pennant Hills, Concord, Woolahra Mosman and Sutherland. Games were more often than not held at Centennial Park in Sydney, although in the beginning the venue was Edgecliffe. With some exhibition games held at Concord, Mosman and Sutherland.
These competitions were dominated by men's games and the make-up of most teams were ex lacrosse players from interstate or overseas. Only Sutherland and the Hills teams had a strong roster of new players with Sutherland having only two ex players in their squad. The competition was dominated by the Woolahra team who boasted a strong list of ex state and national players. Although they had a roster of new or junior players they were rarely utilised during games as the emphasis was more on winning than developing players.
The men's competition finally died out with a number of reason being put forward: a new board which failed to recognise the population centres of Sydney and persisted with an inner city competition, the lack of support to junior players and clubs with strong junior lists and the poor treatment of volunteers. Many saw the persistence of the new board to maintain the competition at Centennial park as a poor option. Apart from Woollahra and Mosman other teams had to travel a considerable distance. The Sutherland team who were mainly juniors therefore had to rely on parents or adult members to transport them, something which saw their roster reduce every Saturday. Although the outlying teams were progressively building up their junior ranks, with junior comps in Sutherland and Hills area there was little interest from the board in supporting these ventures.
Lacrosse Club calling for new members in 1884. In 1906 a number of lacrosse games were played by Victorian based teams against Northern and Southern Tasmanian teams. In 1916 the Northern Tasmania Lacrosse Association abandoned the premiership competition due to the enlistment of men for the war effort. Lacrosse players were amongst those who were wounded or killed in the war. In 1932 a Tasmanian team played Victoria as a curtain raiser to the North versus South Football
game. In the Hobart Mercury of 29 April 1940 it was lamented that although lacrosse had flourished prior to the Great War it had now died out.
and Williamstown. By 1940, war time conditions saw the sport go into recession.
In 1962, Mal Taylor noted an advertisement in an Adelaide paper for women to play lacrosse. Mal used this as an avenue to create an interstate match. Under the guidance of Mrs Joy Parker, the Australian Women's Lacrosse Council (AWLC) was formed. Mrs Parker became the inaugural President following the first interstate match between Victoria and South Australia with Mrs Titter Secretary and Mrs L Rolley Treasurer.
In 1965, the Men's Lacrosse carnival was held in Perth, Western Australia and the AWLC were invited to play their annual interstate match between Victoria and South Australia during this carnival. The Western Australians were persuaded to form an Association and at the same time to join the AWLC. (Coincidentally they also entered into what became the first Women's Lacrosse Championship).
. In 1978, Tasmania
became a full member of the AWLC and entered their first official team in the Championships in Perth in 1978.
The Senior National Championships have been held on a yearly basis since 1978 with South Australia reigning supreme from 1985 through until 1996 when Victoria defeated them for the first time in the final for 12 years; a monumental win for Victoria and an end to a 12 year awesome victory stretch by South Australia.
In 1970, the first Under 16 National Championship was held and in 1982, the first U19 interstate match was played between South Australia and Victoria at the Senior Nationals in Adelaide
.
(Victoria), Adelaide
(South Australia
) and Perth
(Western Australia
), with each city hosting multi-division club competitions in their respective metropolitan areas. Each of these cities have State League competitions for both men and women, which attract overseas players (the majority from the United States
) who are hosted by local clubs to help strengthen their teams as well as develop junior lacrosse programs. The majority of teams, both senior and junior, in lacrosse competition throughout Australia are club teams, with a small few school and university teams that participate in club competition.
The first game between South Australia and Victoria occurred in 1887. In 1888 Victoria defeated South Australia 5 - 1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In 1910 the first Australian interstate lacrosse carnival was held at the MCG
..
At the senior, under 19 and under 17 age level, each state sends its select representative team. At under 15 level, a national tournament exists whereby member states send anywhere between one and three representative teams, in an effort to level out the competition between stronger and developing lacrosse regions. At present there are national carnivals at the senior men, senior women, under 21 women, under 19 men, under 17 boys, under 17 girls, under 15 boys and under 15 girls levels. Often a number of these events are held concurrently at the same venue.
The Australian Lacrosse League
was introduced in 2004 to replace the senior men's national carnival by instead having state teams play each other twice, with double-headers (a Saturday and Sunday game) played over three weekends. Each state hosts one double-header and travels for the other. The two teams with the best win/loss record over the round-robin tournament progress to the final, played on the weekend following the last round-robin match. Currently, the strongest lacrosse-playing states of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia compete in the ALL, but the long-term goal of the league is to include a team from every Australian state. After four years, however, a lack of support from South Australia and Victoria due to the increasing cost of participating the ALL-style competition saw the national championship revert to the traditional carnival format in 2008.
The first Australian Club Lacrosse Championships was contested in Adelaide
on 7 June 2008. The women's championship was won by the Newport Ladies' Lacrosse Club of Victoria, while the men's championship was won by the Woodville Lacrosse Club of South Australia
. The success of the inaugural event has led to the club national championships returning in 2009 with an expanded format, involving the premiers
of the three major lacrosse playing states, plus a wildcard
entry from one of those states to create a final four
format. The 2011 Championships were held on 11 and 12 June 2011, where the Brighton Lacrosse Club (SA
) won the men's championship for the second consecutive year, while the women's championship was not contested.
before a crowd of 30,000.
Australia has an important presence in the international scene, consistently finishing in the top three of the men's world championships
. Although they have never won the trophy, they finished third in the last four world championships including most recently in 2010
(behind the United States
and Canada
). They have also been the runner-up at the first three Under-19 Men's World Lacrosse Championship
.
Australia's national women's teams have fared even better. Despite having only a small fraction of the playing pool of other countries, Australia have won two senior women's world championships
(in 1986 and in 2005), as well as the inaugural Under 19 world championship
in 1995. The main rival to Australia in international women's competition is the United States
.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
is a minority sport in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has a long and proud history dating back to 1876, with a small but dedicated community of participants and volunteers. The established centres for the game are in the greater metropolitan areas of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. In these cities there are organised Saturday field lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
competitions for men and women at senior and junior levels, played over the winter months (April until September). In the off-season, there are informal box lacrosse
Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
and sofcrosse competitions, though the majority of players in Australia are foremostly of the field lacrosse type. Some lacrosse is also played in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, although it is very much at the developmental level.
Lacrosse in Australia is now governed by a single governing body, the Australian Lacrosse Association (ALA), following the merger of Lacrosse Australia and Women's Lacrosse Australia, who had until 2008 governed the men's and women's versions of the games independently. The move to a unified national body was precipitated by the withholding of funds by the Australian federal government.
Victoria
The pioneer of lacrosse in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
(and Australia as a whole) was a Canadian, Lambton L. Mount
Lambton L. Mount
Lambton Le Breton Mount was a Canadian-born Australian businessman. He is credited with introducing the sport of lacrosse to Australia....
. He came to the Victorian goldfields
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
as a fourteen year old with his family in 1853 but it was not until 1875 that he was moved to revive his early boyhood memories of lacrosse. After watching the football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
final between Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
and Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in that year it occurred to him that lacrosse was a superior game.
In April 1876 Mount wrote to the Australasian Newspaper to announce that he was arranging to import forty lacrosse sticks from Canada and intended to start lacrosse and establish the Melbourne Lacrosse Club. He succeeded and the first practice match of this club took place on 22 June 1876 between 15-20 players at Albert Park
Albert Park and Lake
Albert Park and Albert Park Lake are situated in the City of Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of the Melbourne CBD....
. The Melbourne club continued to promote the sport and arranged matches between the "Reds" and "Blues" in Albert Park during 1877-78. By 1879, four clubs had been formed with some 120 players. These four clubs Melbourne, Fitzroy, South Melbourne and Carlton formed the Victorian Lacrosse Association in July 1879 for the purpose of coordinating matches. His Excellency, the Governor of Victoria The Most Hon G A C Phipps
George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby
George Augustus Constantine Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby, GCB, GCMG, PC , styled Viscount Normanby between 1831 and 1838 and Earl of Mulgrave between 1838 and 1863, was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor.-Background:Normanby was born in London, the son of Constantine Phipps, 1st...
, was the inaugural Patron.
South Australia
Lacrosse began in South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
with the formation of the Adelaide Lacrosse Club on Friday, 6 April 1883 at the Prince Alfred Hotel.. Practice was held by the club in the South Parklands. By 1887 North Adelaide (who still exist today), Noarlunga and Knightsbridge (located in what is now Leabrook) had joined Adelaide to play regular games in the city, and the South Australian Lacrosse Association (now Lacrosse SA) was formed in 1888. Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
winning Professor Bragg
William Henry Bragg
Sir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...
, a founding member of the North Adelaide club established University in 1889.
Lacrosse soon spread around the fledgling province, and the game grew in popularity in the small city of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and through the country towns, with large crowds recorded at the race course fixtures. Teams were formed at Port Pirie
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....
, Jamestown
Jamestown, South Australia
Jamestown is a town in the Mid North region of South Australia north of Adelaide. It is on the banks of the Belalie Creek and on the railway line between Gladstone and Peterborough, and ultimately on the main line linking Adelaide and Perth to Sydney...
, Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, Port Germein
Port Germein, South Australia
Port Germein is a small sea-side town situated 27 km to the north of Port Pirie on the eastern side of South Australia's Spencer Gulf. Named after either Captain John Germein or his brother Samuel Germein, the township was proclaimed in 1878...
, Gawler
Gawler, South Australia
Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia, and is named after the second Governor of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is located north of the centre of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley...
, Kapunda, Angaston
Angaston, South Australia
Angaston is a town in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, 77 km north east of Adelaide. Its elevation is 347 m, one of the highest points in the valley, and has an average rainfall of 561 mm...
, Riverton
Riverton, South Australia
Riverton is a small town of distinctive character and interest to travellers in the Mid North of South Australia, in the Gilbert Valley. It is situated on the Gilbert River, from which the town derives its name...
and Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge, South Australia
Murray Bridge is the fourth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. It is located east-southeast of Adelaide and north of Meningie....
.
Western Australia
The introduction of lacrosse into Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
was the direct consequence of gold discoveries in the Eastern Goldfields
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. The earliest records of playing lacrosse in the goldfields suggest that the game was first played in the early 1890s. It was not until 1895, when two players from the eastern states, F Parsons and F Wingrove, arrived in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
that formal lacrosse began in the coastal plains. These two lacrosse pioneers helped form two Perth clubs - Perth and Fremantle in 1896. Two further clubs Mercantile (based on a merchandising warehouse) and Cottesloe (later Banks) were formed in 1897. A formal competition commenced in 1898 with Mercantile winning the first premiership in that year.
During 1899, a "Coastal" team visited the Goldfields where local devotee, Arthur O'Connor, was nurturing the sport - principally from Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
. This exhibition game became a regular feature of the Western Australian sporting calendar till 1914, when a downturn in the gold industry and the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
signalled the end of the Goldfields team. Later attempts to revive the game in Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
in the 1930s and in the 1980s both failed.
Queensland
The Brisbane Lacrosse Club was formed following a meeting at the YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
on Monday 2 May 1887, and following the formation of a club at Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and the imminent formation of one at South Brisbane, The Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Lacrosse Union was formed following a meeting at Lennon's Hotel on Tuesday 14 February 1888. In 1888 the Savage Lacrosse Club held a smoke social and annual meeting. Photographic records exist of interstate teams in 1889, 1904, 1905 and 1906. In July and August 1906 two interstate games were played against Victoria, the first game was won by Victoria 16 - 12. In the second game Queensland defeated Victoria 15 - 6.
In 1907 there were various lacrosse clubs in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
metropolitan area. Photographs dated 1907 are labelled with the club names of Ottawa, Mohican, Delaware, Buffalo, Iroquois, Toombul and Wallaroo. In 1908 an association had been formed at Toowoomba, with a local competition running for several years.
The Kalinga Park
Kalinga Park, Brisbane
Kalinga Park is a park located on northside of Brisbane, Australia. It is community park land associated with the locality of Kalinga, in the suburbs of Clayfield and Wooloowin.- History :...
sporting grounds were opened in 1910 with the support of local sporting clubs including the Kalinga Lacrosse Club.
By the 1920s lacrosse was being played at Norman Park after being promoted by the Wilson family of Waratah Foundry fame.
The Nudgee Lacrosse Club also had a field at the Nudgee Boorah Ring in the 1920s and 30s.
Despite this early success, lacrosse in Queensland was reduced to a small group of enthusiasts in the post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era. By the 1980s all existing lacrosse clubs had disappeared. In the 1990s and at the turn of the century, lacrosse was played on an occasional basis in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Surfers Paradise and Townsville areas. A Queensland Lacrosse Association was in operation with the support of expatriate Victorians
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and local enthusiasts.
Recent efforts by the Queensland Lacrosse Association have resulted in new lacrosse clubs being formed in Brisbane (2009), the Gold Coast (2011) and Toowoomba (2011), and plans for a fourth club located in the Sunshine Coast.
New South Wales
Lacrosse was introduced into New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(NSW) on 19 July 1883 after a meeting of gentlemen at Ramford's Cambridge Club Hotel led to the formation of the Sydney Lacrosse Club. The Manly Daily records the local lacrosse club as having won their season in 1930. Other early lacrosse clubs included Burwood District, Balmain, Camden, Granville, Marrickville, Mohican, Mosman, Newtown, North Sydney, Petersham, Stanmore, St Stephen's Institute, University, Waverly and Wentworth. Lacrosse games were played on the Sydney Cricket ground in the 1930s; a NSW state team existed during this same period. The sport was sufficiently strong for a visiting Canadian team from Vancouver to tour Sydney in 1934. Lacrosse was also played at Glebe
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Lacrosse in Sydney in the early period included an A and B division and competition was held for the Lassetter's Cup.
Lacrosse was revived in NSW during the early 1990s by a small dedicated group of men and women. Initially this involved games of mixed lacrosse at Neutral Bay. A men's team competed successfully at the Paradise Lacrosse Tournament on the Gold Coast under the name "Basically Naked". Junior lacrosse began with a pilot at Gordon with the employment of two development officers, this saw up to 60 juniors playing modified lacrosse, some of whom went on to play the full version of the game. With the employment of a Development Officer by Lacrosse Australia, based in Sydney, it was hoped that the junior and senior games would take off. Teams/clubs were set up in Pennant Hills, Concord, Woolahra Mosman and Sutherland. Games were more often than not held at Centennial Park in Sydney, although in the beginning the venue was Edgecliffe. With some exhibition games held at Concord, Mosman and Sutherland.
These competitions were dominated by men's games and the make-up of most teams were ex lacrosse players from interstate or overseas. Only Sutherland and the Hills teams had a strong roster of new players with Sutherland having only two ex players in their squad. The competition was dominated by the Woolahra team who boasted a strong list of ex state and national players. Although they had a roster of new or junior players they were rarely utilised during games as the emphasis was more on winning than developing players.
The men's competition finally died out with a number of reason being put forward: a new board which failed to recognise the population centres of Sydney and persisted with an inner city competition, the lack of support to junior players and clubs with strong junior lists and the poor treatment of volunteers. Many saw the persistence of the new board to maintain the competition at Centennial park as a poor option. Apart from Woollahra and Mosman other teams had to travel a considerable distance. The Sutherland team who were mainly juniors therefore had to rely on parents or adult members to transport them, something which saw their roster reduce every Saturday. Although the outlying teams were progressively building up their junior ranks, with junior comps in Sutherland and Hills area there was little interest from the board in supporting these ventures.
Tasmania
It was reported in the Hobart Mercury that lacrosse was played in Tasmania in the mid 1880s, with the New TownNew Town, Tasmania
New Town is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, located about 4 km north of the central business district of Hobart. One of the city's oldest suburbs, it is now an inner city residential suburb. Many of its streets are lined with Federation style cottages...
Lacrosse Club calling for new members in 1884. In 1906 a number of lacrosse games were played by Victorian based teams against Northern and Southern Tasmanian teams. In 1916 the Northern Tasmania Lacrosse Association abandoned the premiership competition due to the enlistment of men for the war effort. Lacrosse players were amongst those who were wounded or killed in the war. In 1932 a Tasmanian team played Victoria as a curtain raiser to the North versus South Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
game. In the Hobart Mercury of 29 April 1940 it was lamented that although lacrosse had flourished prior to the Great War it had now died out.
Pre-War
In 1936 the Victorian Women's Amateur Lacrosse Association was formed. Games were centred around teams from the YWCAYWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
and Williamstown. By 1940, war time conditions saw the sport go into recession.
Re-establishment
It took until 1962 for women's lacrosse in Victoria to recommence. With support from Mal Taylor of the Williamstown Lacrosse Club 4 teams were formed (Williamstown 2, Footscray and Malvern). Mrs Joy Parker (former secretary of the Victorian Women's Amateur Lacrosse Association) became president of the newly reformed women's association. With lacrosse sticks in Australia in short supply, the South Australian Women's Lacrosse Association sold 12 women's sticks to the Victorian association for £4.In 1962, Mal Taylor noted an advertisement in an Adelaide paper for women to play lacrosse. Mal used this as an avenue to create an interstate match. Under the guidance of Mrs Joy Parker, the Australian Women's Lacrosse Council (AWLC) was formed. Mrs Parker became the inaugural President following the first interstate match between Victoria and South Australia with Mrs Titter Secretary and Mrs L Rolley Treasurer.
In 1965, the Men's Lacrosse carnival was held in Perth, Western Australia and the AWLC were invited to play their annual interstate match between Victoria and South Australia during this carnival. The Western Australians were persuaded to form an Association and at the same time to join the AWLC. (Coincidentally they also entered into what became the first Women's Lacrosse Championship).
Growth
In 1975, the Tasmanian Women's Lacrosse Association was formed in HobartHobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. In 1978, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
became a full member of the AWLC and entered their first official team in the Championships in Perth in 1978.
The Senior National Championships have been held on a yearly basis since 1978 with South Australia reigning supreme from 1985 through until 1996 when Victoria defeated them for the first time in the final for 12 years; a monumental win for Victoria and an end to a 12 year awesome victory stretch by South Australia.
In 1970, the first Under 16 National Championship was held and in 1982, the first U19 interstate match was played between South Australia and Victoria at the Senior Nationals in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Local competitions
At present, the main centres for lacrosse are in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(Victoria), Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
(South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
(Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
), with each city hosting multi-division club competitions in their respective metropolitan areas. Each of these cities have State League competitions for both men and women, which attract overseas players (the majority from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) who are hosted by local clubs to help strengthen their teams as well as develop junior lacrosse programs. The majority of teams, both senior and junior, in lacrosse competition throughout Australia are club teams, with a small few school and university teams that participate in club competition.
Interstate competition
Interstate competition, a legacy from the time when Australia consisted of its separate colonies, is a feature of many sports in Australia, lacrosse being no exception. Competitions are typically held as an annual week-long carnival, with the venue rotated between states. The "Nationals" are a highlight of the Australian lacrosse calendar, and feature the best lacrosse talent in the country with games played to a very high standard.The first game between South Australia and Victoria occurred in 1887. In 1888 Victoria defeated South Australia 5 - 1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In 1910 the first Australian interstate lacrosse carnival was held at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
..
At the senior, under 19 and under 17 age level, each state sends its select representative team. At under 15 level, a national tournament exists whereby member states send anywhere between one and three representative teams, in an effort to level out the competition between stronger and developing lacrosse regions. At present there are national carnivals at the senior men, senior women, under 21 women, under 19 men, under 17 boys, under 17 girls, under 15 boys and under 15 girls levels. Often a number of these events are held concurrently at the same venue.
The Australian Lacrosse League
Australian Lacrosse League
The Australian Lacrosse League was an elite-level men's lacrosse competition that ran from 2004 to 2007 with the aim of boosting the profile and participation of the sport in Australia. The ALL replaced the Australian Senior Lacrosse Championships, which was held annually during a week-long carnival...
was introduced in 2004 to replace the senior men's national carnival by instead having state teams play each other twice, with double-headers (a Saturday and Sunday game) played over three weekends. Each state hosts one double-header and travels for the other. The two teams with the best win/loss record over the round-robin tournament progress to the final, played on the weekend following the last round-robin match. Currently, the strongest lacrosse-playing states of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia compete in the ALL, but the long-term goal of the league is to include a team from every Australian state. After four years, however, a lack of support from South Australia and Victoria due to the increasing cost of participating the ALL-style competition saw the national championship revert to the traditional carnival format in 2008.
The first Australian Club Lacrosse Championships was contested in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
on 7 June 2008. The women's championship was won by the Newport Ladies' Lacrosse Club of Victoria, while the men's championship was won by the Woodville Lacrosse Club of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The success of the inaugural event has led to the club national championships returning in 2009 with an expanded format, involving the premiers
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
of the three major lacrosse playing states, plus a wildcard
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
entry from one of those states to create a final four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
format. The 2011 Championships were held on 11 and 12 June 2011, where the Brighton Lacrosse Club (SA
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) won the men's championship for the second consecutive year, while the women's championship was not contested.
Australia in international competition
In 1907 Australia's first international lacrosse match against Canada was played at the MCGMcG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
before a crowd of 30,000.
Australia has an important presence in the international scene, consistently finishing in the top three of the men's world championships
World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
. Although they have never won the trophy, they finished third in the last four world championships including most recently in 2010
2010 World Lacrosse Championship
The 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championship was held between 15–24 July 2010. The premier international men's lacrosse tournament took place in Manchester, United Kingdom...
(behind the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). They have also been the runner-up at the first three Under-19 Men's World Lacrosse Championship
Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships
The Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships are held separately for men and women about every 4 years to find the world champions for the under-19 age group in lacrosse...
.
Australia's national women's teams have fared even better. Despite having only a small fraction of the playing pool of other countries, Australia have won two senior women's world championships
Women's Lacrosse World Cup
The Women's Lacrosse World Cup, the recognized world championship of international women's lacrosse, is held every four years. From its inception in 1982, it was sponsored by the governing body for women's lacrosse, the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations, until that body...
(in 1986 and in 2005), as well as the inaugural Under 19 world championship
Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships
The Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships are held separately for men and women about every 4 years to find the world champions for the under-19 age group in lacrosse...
in 1995. The main rival to Australia in international women's competition is the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
See also
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- History of LacrosseHistory of LacrosseLacrosse has its origins in a tribal game played by all eastern Woodlands Native Americans and by some Plains Indians tribes in what is now Canada. The game has been modernized extensively by European immigrants to create its current form....
- Federation of International LacrosseFederation of International LacrosseThe Federation of International Lacrosse, shortened to FIL, was established in August 2008 in a merger of both the men's and women's international lacrosse associations. It's located in Wilmington, Delaware in United States...
- World Lacrosse ChampionshipWorld Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
- Women's Lacrosse World CupWomen's Lacrosse World CupThe Women's Lacrosse World Cup, the recognized world championship of international women's lacrosse, is held every four years. From its inception in 1982, it was sponsored by the governing body for women's lacrosse, the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations, until that body...
- World Lacrosse Championship
- Australian Lacrosse LeagueAustralian Lacrosse LeagueThe Australian Lacrosse League was an elite-level men's lacrosse competition that ran from 2004 to 2007 with the aim of boosting the profile and participation of the sport in Australia. The ALL replaced the Australian Senior Lacrosse Championships, which was held annually during a week-long carnival...
- List of Victorian Lacrosse Premiers
- List of South Australian Lacrosse Premiers
- List of Western Australian Lacrosse Premiers
- List of Australian Lacrosse Best and Fairest Players
- :Category:Australian lacrosse players
External links
- Australian Lacrosse Association
- LaxScene - online Australian lacrosse magazine
- Lacrosse Victoria
- Lacrosse South Australia
- Lacrosse Western Australia
- New South Wales Lacrosse
- Queensland Lacrosse Association
- Tasmania Lacrosse