Lisiecki places the strength of urban programs in the type of players that fill the rosters, especially from his experience in the South Boston program. “We get very talented athletic players, very tough boys and girls,” he said. Many of these young athletes have been involved in other sports for years, such as football, basketball, and baseball but are looking to try lacrosse. These players bring their athleticism to the programs and the coaches help mold the young athletes into the next great lacrosse players in the city of Boston.
While urban lacrosse programs face many challenges, these advantages give a positive outlook on the future of these programs in or around the city. Although participation in the city has grown drastically in recent years, urban programs are still believed to be behind many suburban programs in terms of overall growth. While this can be discouraging to see, it means the best is yet to come for the local urban programs.
While Downs, Heyworth, Catlin, and Lisiecki want to see success for their individual programs, there is no animosity between the communities. Catlin hopes to see city-wide lacrosse success. “I believe that there is no ceiling for city programs. I think that we will continue to grow and build multiple programs throughout the city to the point where we will have enough quality programs that it will make sense for MBYLL to make a new city division,” said Catlin.
Given the amount of young children in the city, Catlin’s outlook of a city division within the MBYLL is certainly not out of the question in the future. It’s just a matter of exposing enough kids to the sport, echoes Heyworth: “I think as more and more kids are exposed to lacrosse in population-dense areas, the more quickly it will continue to spread. The quick pace of the game, the outdoors, and the fact that everyone actively contributes to the outcome are all addictive qualities,” he said.
But this is easier said than done, as directors of urban lacrosse programs will still encounter challenges. “From our experience, we are certain that once kids discover and try lacrosse, they will want to continue. The challenge then becomes retaining these families given what some consider prohibitive barriers to entry,” said Heyworth.
Downs recognizes that although the outlook is bright, the dedication and commitment to the success of these urban programs is ongoing. Downs has lofty goals for his new program. “We want to continue to grow and have at least three to four teams at each age level. I believe this can happen with the right leadership, volunteers, and emphasis on a program that teaches skills and is instructional,” said Downs. The future success of any urban lacrosse program does not rely on one or two people, but it relies on everyone from the program directors, to the coaches, to the players, to the parents. Without full investment from everyone involved, these urban programs will fail to grow to their full potential.
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