At Fort Erie Minor Lacrosse Association, or FEMLA for short, the action here is LAXtastic! Whether it’s house league, field or box lacrosse, you’ll quickly become addicted to this fast-paced sport and here’s why…
For Fun
Lacrosse is fun to play and exciting to watch. It is characterized by intense action, strategy, finesse and power. It is a game with long, looping passes and short bullet-like shots: to catch a pass over the shoulder while running at full stride, to hit the top corner of the net while in full flight, or to stop a shot aimed low through a maze of players requires a range of skills unsurpassed in any other sport. The wide open-nature of the game makes it a great spectator sport.
For Fitness
Lacrosse is a game of speed and stamina – there’s no standing around in lacrosse. With its back-and-forth nature, all lacrosse players, even goalies, are kept active.
Statistically kids are lacking when it comes to getting enough physical activity.
Lacrosse is a great way to build cardiovascular endurance, coordination, agility, and strength. Kids who are tired out from running around sleep better, and those who have slept well have more energy to run around, be creative, and solve problems.
See Top 10 Health Benefits of Lacrosse for even more information about the health benefits of playing lacrosse. For more information about the importance of fitness for Canadian youth, see Benefits & Guidelines: Children & Youth Age 5-17 from Participaction as well as Participaction Report Card On Physical Activity For Children And Youth.
For Safety
Lacrosse is a contact sport and with all contact sports, most parents and players are concerned about injuries especially who are new to the game. The Fort Erie Minor Lacrosse Association stresses fun, fair play and a safe playing environment.
You may be surprised to find out that according to the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), Canadian youth lacrosse players have fewer reported injuries than ice hockey, soccer, football, and rugby players.
Minor lacrosse is quite different than the professional games you may have seen on TV like the Buffalo Bandits or the Toronto Rock style of play. Many of the infractions that are accepted in that league would result in a penalty and/or suspension in ANY minor lacrosse association.
Based on enrolment data from Statistics Canada (the latest stats we could find) combined with injury reporting data from CHIRPP, it is estimated that lacrosse players have around 2/3 the injuries of soccer players, 1/2 the injuries of hockey players, and about 1/10 the injuries of football and rugby players, based on a “per capita” comparison – with numbers adjusted for the number of players enrolled in lacrosse vs other sports.
For more detailed information about the number and nature of reported injuries within lacrosse and other sports, see the attached report from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP).
For Team Work
Team sports are an excellent way learn how to come together and work towards a common goal. The players work, sweat, plan and play together. Overcoming obstacles within a team is also a good way to develop lifelong friendships.
Like other team sports, lacrosse offers opportunities to develop leadership skills, social interaction skills, a sense of belonging and camaraderie, as well as physical skills, friendships, and respect for teammates, coaches, and officials.
For Multi-Sport
The promotion of speed, stamina, sportsmanship and team play in lacrosse provides excellent multi-sport training for other sports like hockey, basketball, football, baseball and soccer.
If hockey is your main sport, FEMLA invites hockey players from Greater Fort Erie Minor Hockey Association and Port Colborne Minor Hockey to come play the fastest game on two feet! Read more about the benefits of lacrosse for hockey players.
Lacrosse offers specific benefits to basketball players as well, as noted here.
For Traditional Roots
Lacrosse has a long history in the Niagara Region and its origins date back to long before Canada adopted it as its national summer sport.
Lacrosse was played by First Nations peoples before the arrival of European colonists. See here to learn more about The Creator’s Game and the origins of lacrosse.
Within Canada, Lacrosse has officially been recognized as our National Summer Sport since 1994, but its popularity dates back to before confederation. Written Canadian references to lacrosse appear as early as 1637, and the National Lacrosse Association of Canada was formed in 1867. Watch and hear many interesting stories about the history of lacrosse in Canada can be seen here, at the CBC lacrosse archives.
For Scholarship Opportunities
Field lacrosse is an NCAA sport, and many top colleges are attracted to the skills that Canadian players develop by playing box lacrosse. Read about the Canadian impact on field lacrosse here: Canadians Make an Impact on American College Lacrosse Teams.