Significants In The Australian Lacrosse History

Despite the earlier uncivilized form of lacrosse, theJuly 1879 governed the rules of the participating
people, who saw the potential of the sport to beteams.
more of leisure game, were optimistic that it willThe lacrosse fever spread southwards in 1885
soon be a worldwide hit. The French were theand thus started the South Australian Lacrosse
first to embrace the recreational glory of lacrosseAssociation (now called Lacrosse SA) in 1888. In
and were considered the forefathers of the sport.Western Australia, the game of lacrosse was first
In the 1970s, the opening of the Internationalplayed in 1890. A significant part of the Australian
Lacrosse Federation initiated a global reception oflacrosse history was in 1899 when coastal teams
lacrosse and made a big mark in sports industryengaged in an exhibition game. It was then
of many nations including Australia.accepted by many as a regular sport and was
That same optimism of the French discoverersdrawing crowds up to 10,000.
was no different to a boy's dream of one dayA sudden ripple of change occurred in the
playing lacrosse in a land where it has not beenAustralian lacrosse history after the two World
played. And the rest, they say, is AustralianWars. Lacrosse almost died out due to
lacrosse history.unavailability of sport equipment and increased
One summer afternoon of 1875 at the height ofprices of cost. Many, however, were persistent
Victorian gold rush in Australia, Lambton Mount,and were able to revive it in a few years. Today,
son of a migrated gold miner, finished a wholeplaces like Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide are
game of football with anxiety and boredom. Thesupporting the lacrosse sport with utmost
match between Carlton and Melbourne turned outstandards in competition.
to be dull for Mount and recalled his childhoodAustralian lacrosse history reveals that women
memories of playing lacrosse to be morealso played a vital role in the sport's success in
pleasurable.the region. The year 1962 signaled the
Australian lacrosse history has it that in 1876,inauguration of the Australian Women's Lacrosse
Mount sent a letter of request to an AustralianCouncil or AWLC. The organization aimed to
newspaper to publicize his plans of importingpromote lacrosse in women and standardized
lacrosse sticks from Canada. This ignited therules and specifications.
beginning of Australian lacrosse and the eventualIn 2004, an all-men lacrosse tournament called the
formation of the Melbourne Lacrosse Club. TheAustralian Lacrosse League (ALL) was launched.
following years were crucial to the AustralianALL is contested by three states: Victoria, South
lacrosse history. Within a span of three years,Australia and Western Australia. The ultimate goal
four organizations were formed and totaling toof ALL to have all states participating in the
120 players. The Victorian Lacrosse Association inleague is yet to be accomplished.