NLL Insider

 We all know the world of lacrosse is ever expanding and growth of the game is higher than it has ever been. The lacrosse family is getting bigger and bigger each year and that not only has to do with the exposure the NLL and MLL is getting but is also due to the fact that we are seeing more and more exposure of the game. When was the last time you heard about the Czech National Box League? The Alese Hrebesk Memorial Tournament is helded every year in Prague and in the past two years teams from Canada and the US have attended and won. Prague has even been slated as the next host for the World Indoor Championships in 2011. It’s easy to see that box lacrosse is slowly turning into a small forest fire of excitement and all we need is a little gust of wind to help us along.

 What I find most interesting about the international exposure is the number of players from North America that are heading across the pond to partake in these events, and not with their own teams. They are living over there and playing at the same time; talk about a Vacation! But what it does, is give even more publicity to the game and even though the guys that are over there may not be named Grant, Tavares or Cosmo, they are able to bring North American skills to an area that is on the verge of being the next lax hotbed.  Might we see two NLL teams traveling to some region of Europe for a regular season game much like the ‘Big 4′ have done? They have already played games in Victoria, Winnipeg, Halifax and soon will be in Florida; so is Europe that far off?

Speaking of North American Markets, I’m hearing nothing but positive reviews from the Rush boys about their trip to Boise and the reports in the newspapers seem to show that the weekend was very successful for the Rush and the NLL. It’s too bad the league is focussed on expanding to large market cities cause I really think Boise and Victoria would be great venues. Chicago is a perfect example. By not being right in the heart of the city they lend themselves to a larger suburban market, much like Rochester. Just because there isn’t NHL/NBA backing or an 18,000 seat arena involved, doesn’t instantly mean failure. Look at Anaheim, Montreal and Ottawa- all three solid sports cities with big venues, but something didn’t click.

Something I was unaware of was the fact that while with the Arizona Sting, Bob Hamley did a small youth camp in Boise and he was so impressed he felt it warranted a return. What a great way to introduce the game, not only as a league but in general to the kids! In America especially, with the drastic boom in youth lacrosse registration, teams should be reaching out more to the surrounding cities and even to areas that don’t have an NLL or MLL team close by. The more exposure the game gets, whether it be from training camps, youth camps, neutral site exhibition or regular season games or just through the main stream media is a huge asset to the games continued growth.

The game will always be around and the league is doing what it can, whether it’s all they can do is another question. An economic downfall maybe upon us, but the fact that you can still take your family to a lacrosse game and not end up in the poor house will always be one of our strongest selling points. So everyone should chip in and do their part to spread the word of this great game. Who knows, if we all do a little fanning of the flame, this small wild fire will turn into a 5 alarm blaze and the league will be where we all want it to be; IN HD!

Jenner is a two-time Mann Cup champion with six years of NLL experience. Email him at ted.jenner@nllinsider.com also follow the Coquitlam Jr. A Adanacs and the Intermediate A Adanacs live, as Teddy brings you color commentary with Brad Challoner for the Jr's and play by play with Brody Allen for the Intermediates -- http://www.junioradanacs.com/multimedia.php

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