State of the Game

UTTERLY INDUBITABLY INCREDIBLE

Bear with me but brace yourselves this could be ugly and slightly depressing.

Before writing I surveyed the last annual and semi-annual reports and documents issued to the members in the last years by Lacrosse Canada. The findings are, to say the least, troubling.

LACROSSE CANADA HAS NO CORPORATE OBJECTIVES OR GOALS
Lacrosse Canada is the national governing body for the game of lacrosse in Canada, yet its official documents never refer to the existing corporate goals or objectives the corporation is pursuing. No identified goals, no bench marks, no time frames to achieve or meet the goals and no resources assessed to the endeavors needed to meet the goals. NOTHING!
In addition, at annual meetings where the members come together to evaluate the year’s progress there is no reporting process, by the Board of Directors, to explain what goals were met and which were not. Simply because there are no goals; and obviously no Board of Directors report dealing with the corporation’s goals.
In all practical purposes the Board of Directors is dodging the accountability process tied to the administration of associations. It is making the democratic process futile and irrelevant.
It is highly troubling to see that Lacrosse Canada, in charge of the National Summer Sport of Canada, operates without goals and in full ignorance of the requirements of the basic democratic processes.
No wonder Lacrosse Canada sometimes wonders why it wanders!
We just don’t know where Lacrosse Canada is going. If anywhere at all.
If someone knows please let us all know!
LACROSSE CANADA HAS A DYSFUNCTIONAL BUDGET

In every corporation budgets are drafted to meet the goals established by the Corporation. ‘’We want to go here so we draft a budget to help us get there’’….. Not at Lacrosse Canada.

Lacrosse Canada’s budget is a statement of expenses not an indication of investments. We have surveyed the 2024-25 budget in a recent paper for THINK LACROSSE and illustrated that the monies spent were there to carry on and to meet expenses. Nowhere can we see any form of indication of an investment. We spend monies on National Teams but have no idea if we’re doing this to win, place or show. We spend monies on national championships but have no idea which goals we are pursuing with those expenses. We spend monies on staff, administration and democratic processes but can’t answer why; and we don’t report of the achievements related to our expenses.

At the annual (or semi-annual) meeting the members are presented with an audited statement telling them exactly where the money has been spent. If only we had goals we would know if we had met them with our expenses!

LACROSSE CANADA GOVERNS A GAME WHICH IS NOT GROWING AND DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT

In a recent paper we surveyed the annual registrations of members within Lacrosse Canada. The situation is pitiful.

From 2004 to November 2023 (the last available date) according to the official Lacrosse Canada documents the number of registered lacrosse players across the country has grown from 44,088 in 2004 to 46,959 in 2023. That is in the last 20 years of Lacrosse Canada’s governance and leadership.

That is an average of 144 new players per year. It makes for 13 new players per year per provincial association!

Incredible! Utterly indubitably…

In the official Lacrosse Canada documents consulted, I have never come across any form of plan to significantly increase the number of registered lacrosse players in Canada. Not just a significant and comprehensive plan but not even an idea, a suggestion, a surge; nothing.

Lacrosse Canada simply is not concerned by the lack of increase in the number of players who play the game. No wonder we have a marginal sport. We are comfortable amongst ourselves and more or less want to have it that way.

For a national governing body not to have a will to increase the number of its members is unbelievable. Incredible. Utterly indubitably incredible!

Tell me which national association has a worse track record when it comes to increasing its membership.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WOMENS’ GAME IS NOT A CONCERN

The 2023 data concerning the number of registered players is revealing. We have no idea whatsoever, as reported to the members, about the number of women(females) who play box lacrosse in Canada. Yet women’s box lacrosse is in the Canada Games; and we also have a female national box team.

La charrue devant les boeufs! (The cart before the horse!)

Lacrosse Canada has no significant plan to increase the number of females playing lacrosse in Canada. Every other sport is addressing that issue. Lacrosse Canada is not. We talk a good game, but we have no plan to follow up with actions, goals, investments and results. We are screaming to remain marginal until we become folkloric.

There has been a concern for women’s lacrosse since the early 80s, yet even with committees, focus groups, position papers, academic papers nothing significant has resulted in the increase of players; Lacrosse Canada’s most recent documents are mute and silent when it comes to a plan to significantly increase the number of females playing lacrosse.

Why is that?

NO PLAN TO BENEFIT FROM THE UPCOMING OLYMPIC GAMES

Nowhere in the last documents issued since the news ‘’about the Olympics’’ have we found an indication that Lacrosse Canada was working on a plan to benefit from the game’s presence in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. And that is four years away.

Plenty of time, plenty of time some will say. I say otherwise.

The media knows little or just about nothing about Sixes. Lacrosse Canada needs to establish a relationship with the media so that minimally it can know what it will be talking about.

Lacrosse Canada needs to prepare lesson plans for history, social science and phys-ed teachers about Sixes (and lacrosse) so they can inform the millions of students registered in elementary and high schools across the country. Yes, there are millions of kids who know nothing about lacrosse and could benefit from Lacrosse Canada’s endeavors to inform them correctly. If only it was a concern.

Listen, lacrosse’s presence within the Games is not a guarantee for eternity; we need to prepare, along with our international and provincial partners and establish a significant and efficient plan to promote the game and to ensure that it remains an Olympic sport. I know some Canadians and some Americans who are watching to see what is done after they have stepped up in the last 40 years to bring the game up to that level. Let’s not waste all that has been done by just hoping that things will go well….by themselves.

As Lacrosse Canada seems to do with everything else.