via USA Lacrosse press release/website

SPARKS, Md. — The National Lacrosse Federation (NLF) and USA Lacrosse have entered into a transformational partnership that will bring age verification to the boys’ club lacrosse landscape. 

Beginning with the 2023-24 club season, the NLF will require all players aged 14 and younger on its member clubs, and participants in tournaments run by its member clubs, to go through an age verification process with USA Lacrosse. USA Lacrosse membership will provide the pathway for participation in these events with age verification included in the membership product at no additional charge.

The aim of the partnership is to improve the integrity of competition, the quality of experience for all participants and player safety.

USA Lacrosse has had a proven age verification system in place since 2017 used for other organizations. As a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Recognized Sports Organization, USA Lacrosse brings credibility and neutrality to the process. The NLF’s leadership in endorsing and implementing age verification for its events will drive even greater adoption of player segmentation by age throughout all levels of youth lacrosse.

“What the age verification process needed was two leaders to get together to head up this initiative,” said George Breres of Team 91, one of the NLF’s founding members. “It seems like it’s the right time to have leaders from the club side — the National Lacrosse Federation, its founding members, affiliates, event operators — to get together with a trusted brand that also has the technology to implement this. The time is now.”

“The ability to sit down and discuss common opportunities for the good of our sport is so profound,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “This is just the beginning of our ability to work with groups to bring the lacrosse community together to enact positive change.”

For the 2023-24 club year, in graduation years 2029 and younger, the NLF has chosen to implement a 15-month timeframe (June 1 birthdate through August 31 of the following year) for its age groupings. The NLF clubs are expected to continue using graduation years as the team names, but all players will fit within the 15-month groupings. This will help minimize team roster disruptions and to incentivize classmates playing together. 

At the high school level, the NLF will continue to group players by graduation year to assist with the college recruiting process. High-school aged NLF players and tournament participants will be required to maintain an active USA Lacrosse membership, but they will not be required to go through the age verification process.

The NLF will begin having its players go through the age verification process following tryouts this summer. All players will need to be age verified to participate in NLF events beginning fall of 2023.

For more information about the partnership and the age verification process, please see this list of Frequently Asked Questions. 

About the National Lacrosse Federation

The National Lacrosse Federation is an organization of the top boys’ club lacrosse programs in the country that has a goal of creating the most competitive and enjoyable events for club programs, players and parents. The NLF is comprised of six founding members — Baltimore Crabs, Big 4 HHH, Laxachusetts, Leading Edge, Long Island Express and Team 91 Long Island — and eight affiliate organizations — Denver Elite, Eclipse, Madlax, Primetime, Resolute, Sweetlax, Thunder and West Coast Starz. Learn more at https://nationallacrossefederation.com/ 

About USA Lacrosse

USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse leads the U.S. National Teams Program and establishes universal standards. With more than 400,000 members across the country, USA Lacrosse unites the community of players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders. Working together, we inspire participation, enrich the athlete experience, and support the growth of the sport.