The Sport Why Lacrosse?
Your kid plays soccer, football, or baseball — or doesn't play anything yet. Either way, you're wondering if lacrosse is worth looking at. Here's the honest answer, section by section.
The Only Sport That
Borrows From Everything
Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America, invented by Indigenous peoples centuries before European settlement. Today it's the fastest-growing team sport in the US — and there's a reason for that.
Non-Stop Action
There are no innings, no kick-offs, no stops between pitches. The ball is in play nearly the entire game — more like hockey than baseball, more like basketball than football.
Every Player Touches the Ball
Unlike soccer or football where positions can go entire games untouched, every lacrosse player handles the ball regularly. Midfielders run both ends of the field every possession.
Skills from Every Sport Apply
Footwork from soccer. Hand-eye from baseball. Contact from football. Spatial awareness from basketball. Your child's existing athletic background isn't irrelevant — it's an advantage.
Fastest-Growing Sport in America
85% participation growth over the last decade. From 2001 to today, youth lacrosse has grown faster than any major team sport. Georgia now has GHSA-sanctioned high school lacrosse.
AND Lacrosse — Not Instead Of
We don't want your kid to quit their sport. We want lacrosse to make them better at it — and give them a spring season worth showing up for.
Already a
Soccer Family?
Soccer has 3 million youth players in the US. Lacrosse has 1.2 million — which means far less competition for limited roster spots and more playing time for your child, right now.
The footwork, field vision, and conditioning from soccer translate directly. Many of our best players played nothing but soccer before 5th grade. And because NGLA's season runs February through April, there's zero conflict with fall soccer.
Same cardiovascular demands — they'll arrive fit and stay fit
Field reading and spatial awareness carry over immediately
700+ NCAA lacrosse programs vs. limited soccer scholarships
No season conflict — lacrosse is spring, soccer is fall
NGLA Bulldogs — Spring Season
NCAA Lacrosse Programs
Growth Last Decade
Helmets. Pads. Contact. Team Culture.
Lacrosse delivers everything your football player loves — without the concussion statistics that keep parents awake at night.
Same Fire.
Safer Head.
Your kid loves the brotherhood, the hitting, the competitive intensity of football. That's not going anywhere in lacrosse. What does go away? Repeated sub-concussive hits and the weekly helmet-to-helmet contact that drives most parent concern.
In lacrosse, checking is permitted but body positioning and stick skills reduce reliance on pure collision. The sport rewards the same physical attributes — speed, aggression, toughness — while putting a premium on skill.
Full helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads — gear your athlete already respects
Physical contact is legal, coached, and part of the game
Athletes who love football culture find the same locker-room bond in lacrosse
Spring season — most football players have zero off-season commitment
Spring Ball That
Never Stops Moving
Baseball is a beautiful sport. It's also a sport where most players stand in the outfield for three innings and get two plate appearances per game. Your kid might love it — or they might love the idea of actually being involved in every play.
Lacrosse and baseball share the same calendar window in Georgia. This isn't AND — it's a genuine choice. For families where baseball feels like obligation more than passion, lacrosse offers a spring season where nobody watches the grass grow.
Every player is involved every minute — no standing in right field
Hand-eye coordination from baseball transfers directly to stick skills
Both are spring sports — kids pick the one they love more
Lacrosse players often credit baseball for advanced catching and throwing mechanics
Real Wins. Real Friends. Real Dopamine.
Fast Enough to
Compete With Screens
Video games are engineered to be addictive: fast feedback loops, constant stimulation, and social connection. Most youth sports can't compete on those terms. Lacrosse is one of the few that can.
The pace is relentless. The scoring is frequent. Every practice involves skill progression they can feel. And the team bonds formed on a lacrosse field — the kind built under physical pressure — are different from Discord friendships. They last.
Scoring happens multiple times per game — no 0-0 nail-biters
Every practice, players feel measurable skill improvement
The team is a real social structure, not a virtual one
Physical movement and sunlight create the dopamine that screens simulate
700+ NCAA Programs —
And It's Still Early
This is the market inefficiency parents are starting to notice. Lacrosse has a fraction of soccer's participation numbers, but a growing share of college programs. That math is favorable for your kid.
NCAA Lacrosse Programs
Across all three divisions — and growing every year as Title IX drives more women's programs onto campuses nationwide.
Youth Players Nationally
Compared to soccer's 3M+ players chasing the same limited roster spots. Less competition for more opportunity.
State-Sanctioned Sport
Georgia now has high school lacrosse in the GHSA. Starting at NGLA puts players on a direct pipeline to varsity and beyond.
Late Starters Are Welcome Here
Because lacrosse is still growing, college coaches are accustomed to evaluating athletes who started later. A player who picks up lacrosse in 6th or 7th grade and develops strong fundamentals can absolutely play at the next level. We have NGLA alumni doing exactly that.
6th–7th grade
Common start age for players who go on to play in high school
No club req'd
NGLA recreational players have moved on to high school rosters
Both genders
Girls and boys NCAA lacrosse are both growing rapidly
What It Actually Costs
To Play
Travel sports have normalized budgets that strain most families. NGLA is recreational lacrosse, which means the point is participation — not tournaments three hours away.
- Club dues + uniform fees
- Travel tournaments (overnight)
- Private training sessions
- Year-round schedule pressure
- Team fees + individual gear
- Weekend tournaments
- Batting cage memberships
- Extended summer commitments
- Registration fee covers all games
- Local games, no overnight travel
- First-year gear: $100–250 (one-time)
- 3-month season, no year-round pressure
Total first-year cost: varies by program and gear needs. Registration is $190–$385, with exact fees shown before checkout.
We Don't Want Your Kid
to Quit Their Sport
We want lacrosse to make them better at it.
The research is clear: multi-sport athletes develop better than single-sport specialists through early adolescence. Different movement patterns, different team dynamics, and different physical demands build a more complete athlete.
NGLA's spring season was designed to complement other sports, not compete with them. Our most successful players came in with a soccer background, a football background, a basketball background — and left as better athletes than when they arrived.
Football
Contact skills, physicality, team culture
Soccer
Footwork, fitness, field vision
Basketball
Spatial awareness, cutting, court vision
Baseball
Hand-eye coordination, mechanics
Try Lacrosse
Free
The only real way to know if lacrosse is right for your family is to show up. Our first practice is always the best trial run — no commitment, no prior experience required.
Fall season registration is open now. Spots fill fast — especially for younger age groups.