AMONGST OURSELVES IN A CLOSED SHOP…

 by Pierre Filion pierrefilion@bell.net

The coming days will be very interesting and crucial for the future of lacrosse and of Lacrosse Canada. The firing of the Executive Director (Terry Raynor) and the resignation of two ‘’heavyweights’’ on the Board of Directors (Brad Cann and Alan Preyra) are important matters. These events might not seem to concern team operators in New Brunswick or Manitoba, who, at this time, are raising money to get their teams off the ground but, at the end of the day, they will be affected.

Lacrosse will be affected by the president’s decision to resign or to remain in his position. This might not concern club operators in Québec or Saskatchewan, who, at this time, are trying to make sure they have enough players to field teams in different leagues but, at the end of the day, they will be affected.

Because Lacrosse Canada’s leadership issues affect everyone in the game. Everyone might not pay attention but everyone if affected.

Lacrosse Canada will surely search and appoint a new Executive Director; it will also discretely try to replace the ‘’heavyweights’’ who resigned from the Board without ever mentioning why they resigned. Now, why would two heavyweights on the Board, elected six months ago, resign from their position if it was not for serious reasons of governance?

Lacrosse Canada has not come close to mentioning the departure, let alone the firing, of the Executive Director. Not one word of his ‘’departure’’ which happened on or around February 27^th. Not a word. Is that not an important piece of information to share with the paying members on the webpage? Why voluntarily ignore such an important matter? Why also did we ignore the ‘’departures’’ of qualified administrative assistants in the past years? And the message that was being sent!

Not a word also about the nomination of Wendy Dobbin as interim Director. Not a single word; not even her picture on the website’s page of ‘’dedicated employees’’. She is the person in charge and the members who pay her salary know about it. Come on, now!

Team operators everywhere in Canada will not be disturbed by such information because it will never reach them as Lacrosse Canada’s website has not posted a word about those recent events. TOTAL DARKNESS AGAIN. Lacrosse Canada only posts the good things; everything else gets the ‘’under the rug’’ treatment. As if team operators in New Brunswick, Québec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and everywhere else, were children who should not know what they should not know. A voluntary mockery of democracy; that’s what it is. Clear planned mockery. Total lack of respect for the paying members who bring in over a million dollar in membership fees. Come on, now!

Some will say: ‘’Let’s blow Lacrosse Canada back to the stone age and start over again’’, or ‘’Let’s declare bankruptcy and start anew with a new name’’. That is, however tempting, not my way of thinking. You can’t just blow Lacrosse Canada back to the stone age and start anew; there is, here, too much of our successes and of our failures for us to try to forget what has happened before. Let’s put everything out in the open and deal with it. Let’s address our problematic issues and not just walk away as if nothing had happened.

WE HAVE A PROBLEM but the problem is not the most important issue; what is important is what WE DO so the problem does not arise again.

And what ‘’we’’ do needs to be political and needs to concern everyone, from provincial presidents all the way to the members and team operators. Everyone should be ‘’in’ on the solution. As it is our game that is challenged ONCE AGAIN FROM WITHIN.

We seem to have this unbelievable ability to shoot ourselves in the foot again and again; to see leaders leave in disarray or humiliation; to approve balanced budgets and to wake up to huge deficits and again and again tell the members that ‘’they’’ are Lacrosse Canada and ‘’they’’ should contribute more towards this great game with increased membership fees. Come on, now!

But we now have a HUGE OPPORTUNITY to clean up the mess and to clean house. To challenge the Board of Directors, to review the strategic plan (if it can be called that way), the 2026-27 budget and mostly to keep our professed values in tune with our actions.

If Lacrosse Canada’s president (Matt Shearer) does resign (after the resignation of Preyra and Cann and after the firing of Executive Director Terry Rayner) the Association will be looking for new leaders who believe in a democratic association and who will have the courage to uphold the values of transparency, accountability and respect which have been shattered in recent months.

The ‘’new leadership’’ should emerge from the Members’ Council where the 11 provincial presidents have the opportunity to DEMAND that changes be brought forward. The Members’ Council should be the one promoting new leaders to positions on the Board of Directors. Those new leaders, emerging from provincial associations, could promote structural changes, increased involvement of members and a focus on development.

Not just the development of those who are already in the game (coaches or officials) but the development TOWARDS THOSE WHO DON’T ALREADY PLAY THE GAME.

It is unreal that Lacrosse Canada’s past leadership (as we must now talk in past tense) was not willing to invest one single dollar in the development of the game towards people who don’t play the game. Look at the 2026-27 budget (starting on April fools’ day) and you will see that there is not one dollar towards the development of the game. Not one. Come on, now!

The people who don’t play the game are all in the school system across the nation. There are MILLIONS of captive clients sitting in schools who have never even heard of the game of lacrosse, Canada’s National Summer sport if I need to add.

Many other sports in Canada have made runways into the school system and penetrated the system both academically and technically; Lacrosse Canada has sat by idly and has referred everything dealing with growth and development to the provinces. Lacrosse Canada is clearly saying: ‘’We wash our hands; you do the work and we’ll collect membership fees from your provincial successes. And we’ll claim that the game is growing because of our leadership’’.

What is amazing in our game is the FEAR OF GOING OUTSIDE THE REALMS OF OUR MARGINAL EXISTENCE as if we fear strangers or newcomers. We seem happy amongst ourselves, loving each other and hating each other, debating with each other and fighting with each other. But always amongst ourselves, in our marginal little boxes, mistrusting everyone especially those on the outside. Strangers, stay away!

The school system is the future of lacrosse because that is where most Canadians are; that is where Lacrosse Canada AND the provinces need to look at TOGETHER to plan an entry, a delivery and, at the end of the day, appreciate the increase in the number of people who will play our game.

Is that not what we all want?

Or do we prefer as gold medal?

The move to penetrate the school system requires a decision to go out of ourselves, to find comfort in not always being amongst ourselves, by ourselves and with ourselves. Please open the windows of trust and of opportunities.

A change in leadership is required; so is a change in attitude.