When college springtime finally rolls around, the warmer weather makes me think of outdoor activities from A to Z and somewhere in that range is L for Lacrosse. After a long winter, the fastest game on two feet heads back to the fields across America for another exciting season.
Northeastern has a lacrosse team in the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League with 15 other colleges. The Pioneer Lacrosse League is one of 10 regional intramural club leagues that comprise the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) which governs college lacrosse clubs across the country. This club league started in 1988 as an alternative for colleges in New England that could not financially support a viable varsity program. Rival schools such as Boston University and Boston College field teams in the league as well. The huskies have gained a respectable reputation in this lacrosse league with three championships in the last six seasons.
The difference between varsity level and a club is that varsity teams are sponsored by the college and must comply with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policies. When a college wants to field a team within the NCAA it must choose a division level that matches its competitive strength. Currently there are three colleges in Massachusetts that have division one varsity lacrosse teams: University Massachusetts–Amherst, Harvard and Holy Cross. All other colleges within the state play in either division three or in the intramural clubs.
Clubs place less strain on college budgets and more of the burden on players to run their own league. Players pay their own costs without many frills. Fees range from 800 to 1200 dollars per player. This unfortunate arrangement is not due to the sport’s lack of popularity because all statistics show Lacrosse programs growing across America at all levels of participation: youth, high school, and college. The lack is in administrative commitment in fostering another NCAA level sport that has tremendous potential besides hockey. Will Northeastern sports always be known mainly for hockey? That might be fine for the winter crowds but what about students who want an exciting spring team to play on or to root for, like hockey.
That’s why I feel Northeastern should sponsor an NCAA varsity Lacrosse program in their athletic curriculum. Division one would be the ideal level to play but Northeastern could start out in division three and establish a solid reputation before deciding to transition upward. This proposal sounds like a dream but it’s a valid starting point for open discussions about creating another varsity team worthy of NCAA participation, unlike football, which should have been put to rest sooner.
Once college administrators determine to implement a varsity lacrosse program for both men and women, the school would have to invest in equipment, coaching staff, and a decent playing field on or near the campus. Though these components are the core essentials for any viable lacrosse program, there are other less obvious expenses to consider.
The college would have to pay an annual membership fee to the NCAA and the college would have to provide financial aid to a percentage of the players each year. As you can see the total dollar amount required for a functional college varsity lacrosse program is at least 500,000 dollars and with land purchases, the total would be over a million dollars. To help reduce theses costs, the college could seek partnerships with athletic vendors to partially underwrite sponsorship for the team or the school could secure a large donation from a generous alumnus who played lacrosse.
As college administrators continue to restructure and refine our school’s curriculum to satisfy a demanding market, let’s hope they also consider extracurricular activities as well. If anything, this article starts the ball rolling for Northeastern to begin thinking about its own NCAA varsity lacrosse team. In the meanwhile, join Coach Joe Brady and the team on Friday March 12th for their first home game at Parsons Field against the Mavericks of Minnesota State University. Go to Northeastern’s Men Lacross
– James Fitzgerald, a graduate student, coaches MetroLacrosse in Boston and volunteers with the Boston Blazers and Boston Cannons.
