Lacrosse Day in Kingston

Celebrating Lacrosse Day in Kingston: A Historic Commemoration

Written by Rad Joseph

Lacrosse Canada is North America’s first national amateur sport governing body. It has been in existence for 157 years. Appropriately, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation will be celebrating the origin of Lacrosse Canada, which was founded on September 26, 1867, in Kingston, Ontario. At that time, twenty-seven clubs from Montreal to Toronto travelled to the “Limestone City” to create Lacrosse Canada.

Jim Calder, from the Board of Directors of the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation and the pivotal organizer of the 2024 event, commented, “The founding of Lacrosse Canada on September 26, 1867, was important from a number of perspectives. It was the first Amateur Sport Governing Body in North America, and perhaps the world. It happened a few months after Canada became a Dominion and it signalled a desire of a young country to look inward as it developed its National Sport. It focussed on the historic game shared with the settlers by the original people - and using the domestic natural materials of wood and animal hides to create the equipment to play it. Its development provided a template for other games such as hockey and basketball to build on. The game has continued to bring people together as it returns to the Olympics 120 years after its last appearance (in 1908) and is played by over 100 countries world-wide”.

To observe this historical event, the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation has created a beautiful granite monument – the “Lacrosse Canada Bench”. In addition, a handsome bronze plaque will commemorate this special moment in Canadian Sports history and will be shared with the public at the unveiling ceremony at 11:00 a.m. The bench and the plaque will feature text in English, French, and Mohawk, reflecting the rich heritage of the game.

Lacrosse Day in Kingston will be held at CaraCo Field at the Invista Centre and will include over three hundred youngsters from local schools learning the culture and history of the game from indigenous educators and players. Minor lacrosse players from several communities will be introduced to the newest form of lacrosse – a game called Sixes, which will be played in the 2028 Olympics.

Invista Centre and CaraCo Field 

1350 Gardiners Road, Kingston

  

The Queen’s University Varsity Women’s Field Lacrosse Team will hold a full practice for observers to watch. The Queen’s women's club compete as members of Ontario University Athletics.

In addition, professional lacrosse players from the Ottawa Black Bears of the National Lacrosse League and Team Canada alumni will be in attendance to teach the game.

 

Without question, along with being a celebration of Canadian culture and history of lacrosse, the day should prove to be a fun event for all!

Lacrosse Sixes is a variant of lacrosse played outdoors with six players on each side. The game follows similar rules to traditional field lacrosse with modifications and a shorter game time. Sixes is a hybrid version of field and box lacrosse. Lacrosse sixes was created in 2021 and will make its Olympic debut in 2028.

  

Lacrosse sixes (also known as World Lacrosse Sixes) is a variant of lacrosse played outdoors with six players on each side. The game follows similar rules to traditional field lacrosse, with modifications and a shorter game time. Sixes is a hybrid version of field and box lacrosse and described by some as a different sport entirely. Lacrosse sixes was created in 2021 by World Lacrosse, the global governing body for lacrosse, in a bid to achieve lacrosse's participation in the Olympic Games. It will make its Olympic debut in 2028.