Lacrosse Factory

ONE BIG LACROSSE FACTORY IN OSHAWA…

By Pierre Filion

pierrefilion@bell.net

The move of the National Office from Ottawa to Oshawa was more than just ‘’an office move’’ it was the

first step in creating a National Training Center for lacrosse. Though it was not called that way that is

really what is happening.

The 2025-26 budget, where almost half of the undetailed expenses are related to the National Teams, is

one indication that Lacrosse Canada’s number one priority is about high performance and National

Teams.

The 2025-26 budget, approved by the Board on December 8th indicates that National Team expenses will

be of $1,078,085 on a $2,428,884 budget; that’s 44.3% of the budget administered in Oshawa by an

enthusiastic staff working to produce champions, to recruit promising athletes, to collect medals for

Canada and to give lacrosse more visibility, to draw attention and to locate sponsors.

As of early July, the members and the general public does not know where the $1,078,085 will be

spent! The membership does not know where almost half of the budget will be spent!

What the membership knows, however, is that

- Lacrosse Canada is sending two National Teams to Asia in 2025: World Games Sixes in China in

August and a U20 Team in Korea also in August; the membership also knows that Canada has

secured a place in the 2026 Women’s field championship to be held in Japan in 2026;

- Lacrosse Canada is holding a National Convention for coaches in Oshawa in July 2025;

- Lacrosse Canada is recruiting U15, U17 and U19 athletes from all over the country with regional

clinics just about everywhere in Canada;

- Lacrosse Canada is also ‘’running’’ a Women’s Sixes league in Oshawa from June 18th to July 16th.

What the membership does not know is where the $1,078,085 will be spent! This is quite remarkable.

Where are the members? Where is the treasurer? Do you know of any other national association who

would ‘’get away’’ with such discretion?

This having been said let’s agree that Lacrosse Canada is moving forward at a fast pace and is

establishing an elite oriented developmental program that is interesting and challenging.

It’s interesting because Lacrosse Canada is clearly establishing its leadership and control in elite

programs across the country and because it finally has the money to support its leadership endeavors.

Sport Canada is supporting its programs and the membership has agreed to the increase in membership

fees which give Lacrosse Canada $979,605 to work with. Lacrosse Canada never had this kind of money

to work with; it neither had the power and control it now has to lead and to endeavor to lead.

It’s interesting because high performance programs always create interest, passion and ‘’new

problems’’; contrary to recreational lacrosse elite programs bring together athletes ands coaches who

have high and big egos and who are driven by excellence and winning.

It’s also interesting because it will bring passion to lacrosse; whether it will be a national passion or an

Oshawa Office staff passion will yet to be seen. But from experience we know (or should know) that

elite programs very often, in marginal sports, is an experience reserved to a limited number of people

who go crazy about their ‘’new toy’’, who have a high opinion of themselves, who somehow discreetly

despise recreational lacrosse and who often forget that there is a cost to elite programs. Often elite

program coordinators and leaders think that ‘’they’’ are the game, that they know what should be done

in many areas and who don’t hesitate to tell the world that they exist and that they are the recognized

knowledgeable leaders in the game. It’s their way or the highway. How Lacrosse Canada will deal with

this is to be seen. But the ‘’discretion’’ over the spending of the money is already a sign that elite

programs will be staff centered and controlled.

The elite oriented programs will be a challenge because of financial reasons. We all know that elite

programs are costly and often difficult to manage as competing for the highest honors brings excesses

and unforeseen expenses that were not in the original budget. Hey, Canada will be sending two National

Teams to Asia in 2025 and surely one in Japan in 2026. That is a good distance from Oshawa!! The onus

on the managers of each team will be important when time will come to deal with unplanned expenses

who always creep when ‘’you are going for gold’’. We all know that but the challenge is still there.

The elite oriented programs will be a challenge when we will all learn that Lacrosse will obviously not

be part of the 2032 Olympic Games in Adelaide. Lacrosse Canada will have established a large elite

program and will be faced with major cuts from the Federal Governments because lacrosse will not be

an Olympic Sport. Will Lacrosse Canada cut its large programs and decrease its expenses or will it turn to

the members to support what will be in, 2032, a well established and result delivering program; as we all

know Canada will win gold or silver in every international competition. I know that 2032 is a long way

down the road but it’s important to know that the challenge will be before us sometime. But I also know

that when elite money is there it is there for a limited time and is there to be spent…by few people for

few people.

The national programs will be a challenge for the provincial member associations who will surely see

that ‘’the feds’’ are invading provincial territories and provincial areas of competence. Small provinces

will welcome ‘’the feds’’ because they can’t cope with or even finance their own elite programs; larger

provinces will challenge ‘’the fed’s’’ invasions and create conflictual narratives amongst the provinces

concerning the provincial and federal responsibilities who, to say the least, are not very clear.

The elite programs will be a challenge for the paying membership because Lacrosse Canada has 8

National Teams; it might create some concern for the membership to see that often the same players,

who pay a 15$ membership fee, are on two different National Teams in two versions of the game.

Debates will emerge over the specificity of sectors and about the fact that the national website will

become a National Team website where provincial actions or successes are not the taste of the day.

Readers will be submerged with information concerning to the National Teams and barely nothing else.

And some members might get tired or reading game reports here and there.

The elite coaching session, in July in Oshawa, might be a concern for the NCCP leaders in Canada who

will see that many non NCCP certified coaches will lead the seminar because they have professional

experience in the game. Lacrosse Canada will be challenged to somehow navigate between the

importance of the NCCP program and the high visibility that the well-publicized international clinic will

bring to the game. The leaders of the NCCP program could very well feel that they are marginalized and

that the NCCP, after all, is not an important concern at Lacrosse Canada. Visibility comes first! Creating

events that will support the search for sponsors comes first.

The upcoming months will be very interesting to watch and to analyze as Lacrosse Canada will establish

its national leadership, reach out to the provinces and recruit all over the country. It will also be very

interesting to see how the provinces will react to this new form of leadership and involvement from

Lacrosse Canada. Reaction to change will be interesting to watch!