Lacrosse Australia
Governing body for the sport of Lacrosse in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lacrosse Australia (LA) is the governing body for the sport of Lacrosse in Australia.
| |
| Sport | Lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Australia |
| Abbreviation | LA |
| Founded | 2008 (ALC 1931 and AWLC 1962) |
| Affiliation | World Lacrosse |
| Affiliation date | 1974 |
| Regional affiliation | Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Chairperson | Abbie Burgess-Brice[1] |
| CEO | Anna Carroll[2] |
| Official website | |
| www | |
 | |
History
Lacrosse in Australia has a rich and celebrated history, and can trace its beginnings back to a letter to the editor that was sent from Lambton Mount to The Australasian newspaper and published on 8 April 1876.[3] In his letter, Mount announced that he was calling a meeting the following week with respect to the formation of the "Melbourne La Crosse Club", and four days later, the club was formed.[4]
Lacrosse soon spread around the continent, and by the time of federation in 1901, lacrosse was being played in every state in Australia.[5]
Proposals for a national governing body for lacrosse were reported as early as 1903,[6] with the Australasian Lacrosse Union formed after the national Lacrosse Conference in 1904,[7] however disagreements between member associations[8] led to its demise by 1908.[9]
The need for a national body persisted, and while discussions of forming one were reported in 1923,[10] it took eight more years before the Australian Lacrosse Council was finally formed.[11]
The Australian Women's Lacrosse Council was formed in 1962 soon after women's lacrosse had been restarted in Victoria and South Australia.[citation needed]
Up until 2007, men's and women's lacrosse in Australia were administered by separate governing bodies: Lacrosse Australia (originally the Australian Lacrosse Council) and Women's Lacrosse Australia (Australian Women's Lacrosse Council).[12] These organisations merged in 2008 to form the Australian Lacrosse Association (ALA).[13] In 2021, the ALA rebranded as Lacrosse Australia and remains the single governing body for all formats of lacrosse in Australia.[14]
