Students on GBYLA’s Hoover-based lacrosse teams compete. Photos courtesy of GBYLA.
It’s often called the “fastest game on two feet, but it’s also one of the fastest growing sports in America according to a report by CNBC. And, unlike many other sports, your son or daughter will be getting off the bench to play almost immediately after signing up.
This sport that is so intrinsically connected to speed is lacrosse. The game, played with a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick, originated with Native Americans and has recently become popular in the Birmingham area. Although high schools do not have school teams, the Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association (GBYLA) organizes more than 1,500 local athletes into teams to compete around the state and country.
GBYLA Executive Director Hunter Faulconer, who played lacrosse for the University of Virginia, explained why the game has become so popular: “It’s fast-paced, and there’s not a lot of down time. There is tons of action and activity, which is why one of our slogans is ‘fastest game on two feet.’ And the great part is all kids get to play. Lacrosse opens up a lot of avenues for kids that might not make their high school basketball or football teams.”
In lacrosse, there are 10 players on the field for each team, a goalie, three defensemen, three midfielders and three attack men. The object of the game is to shoot the ball into the opponent’s goal and to keep the other team from scoring. The team that scores the most goals wins. The game is played on a field similar in size to a football field.
Boys lacrosse has some contact – although not the big hits you see in football games – and girls lacrosse is no contact. GBYLA President Brad Lapinski said he thought girls having no contact “forces them to have better skills as far as handling and passing the ball.”
This fast sport was virtually non-existent in the Birmingham area until the late 1980’s when a group of young college graduates who had played in college started organizing youth clinics. That effort continued with moderate success until 1999, when a group of parents joined in to form the BYLL (Birmingham Youth Lacrosse League) as a non-profit entity, re-energizing the group’s efforts to recruit youth and form teams.
“The original group that started lacrosse in Birmingham knew it was a great sport that had a dedicated following. It was a natural fit for a sports-minded area like Alabama where football and basketball were so popular, because lacrosse combines some of the same skills as both of these sports,” said Susie Margotta, GBYLA’s operations manager.
The first teams were based out of Mountain Brook, and since there was no one to play in Birmingham, the teams had to travel out of town for every game.
But by 2005, popularity in Birmingham exploded, with teams forming in Vestavia Hills and Hoover. The BYLL became the GBYLA and saw growth of 20 to 40 percent each year according to Margotta.
“From 2009-present, the GBYLA has experienced a 75 percent rate of growth with teams expanding to Trussville, Oak Mountain, Homewood and area private schools,” Margotta said. “Popularity for the sport of lacrosse is indicative in the rate of growth over a relatively short period of time.”
These days, the association boasts 55 boys teams and 18 girls teams, ranging from grades 1-12. The main season is in the spring, although fall lacrosse has also started to pick up. The Fall League, which began in 2007, started with 395 boys and girls and has grown to 563 in 2012. A Summer League launched in 2009 with 97 players and enjoyed a 41 percent growth rate to the present.
The numbers reinforce one thing – this sport is all about fast, including the speed at which it is gaining popularity in Birmingham.
“Lacrosse is growing at a rapid pace,” Margotta said. “With the need for a faster paced game these days, kids are seeing lacrosse as a viable alternative to baseball and soccer. At a collegiate level, more schools are seeing lacrosse as a way to draw talented student-athletes to their schools.”
To find out more, visit the GBYLA website at gbyla.org. Registration for fall lacrosse opened August 1.
