There are challenges in lacrosse…
and then there are the challenges that come when you’re trying to build lacrosse in a place where the sport doesn’t even exist.

No name recognition.
No equipment.
No fields.
No structure.
No history.
No blueprint to follow.

Just curiosity, a few sticks, and the belief that something meaningful could grow if the right people stayed committed.

I spent many years helping grow lacrosse in Colombia and across South America. And if you’ve tried growing lacrosse in your own corner of the world — where the game isn’t popular and resources are thin — you already know the truth:

Growing the game is beautiful…
but it’s a grind.

That’s why I wrote this — to share what I learned while building lacrosse in a region where “lacrosse” might as well have been a new language.

And it all centers on one simple principle:

If you want to grow the game, build joy first. Skills second. Everything else later.

When you’re introducing lacrosse to brand-new players, especially in places where the sport has zero footprint, the mission isn’t teaching offenses or mechanics.

The mission is:

Put a stick in their hands.
Make it fun.
Create reasons to come back.

If the stick feels like play, the game grows.
If the stick feels like homework, the game dies before it starts.

Lesson 1: Put the stick in their hands early, often, and everywhere.

You don’t need perfect fields.
You don’t need pads.
You don’t need full-size goals.

You just need sticks — and the freedom to move.

Play catch.
Wall ball.
Mini-games.
Street-style lacrosse in sneakers.
Chase, cradle, toss, snag, celebrate.

Lacrosse becomes addictive when the stick becomes an extension of the body — long before anyone knows what a clear or a slide is.

If you do nothing else, do this.

Get sticks into classrooms, youth groups, parks, open spaces — even parking lots.
Every rep builds belief.
Every touch builds a player.

Lesson 2: Create fun competition — the kind that fits your culture, not a rulebook.

Competition is the heartbeat of growth.
But it doesn’t have to look like U.S. lacrosse culture to matter.

In South America, what worked was simple, joyful, accessible:

– small-sided games
– short fields
– no pads
– modified rules
– quick touches
– players constantly involved
– games that feel like play, not pressure

This isn’t watered-down lacrosse.
It’s adapted lacrosse.

Small games create big progress.
Players get more reps, more touches, more joy.
And more importantly — they come back.

That’s how communities form.

**Lesson 3: Growth does not always start with kids — adults can be the engine.**

This is the part people overlook.

In a place like Baltimore, the idea of adults learning lacrosse from scratch seems impossible.
But in regions where no one has ever heard of the sport?

Adults are the accelerator.

Look at other sports:

Ultimate Frisbee exploded because adults discovered it was fun, accessible, social, and low-cost.
Padel is booming globally — millions of people picked it up as adults who had never seen it before.
Rugby club teams often build entire rosters from ex-football players, soccer players, and athletes who just want something physical and new after college.

Adults — especially active people in their 20s and 30s — are constantly hunting for a fun physical outlet.

They’re motivated.
They’re coordinated.
They’re consistent.
They’re eager for community.

Lacrosse can tap into the same energy.

In new regions, getting into schools can be a long, bureaucratic climb.
But gathering 12–20 adults for a weekly practice followed by a pickup game at a local park?

That’s easy.
That’s fun.
That builds momentum instantly.

Start with simple throwing and catching.
Set basic rules.
Play 4v4 or 5v5.
Keep it moving.
Make it joyful.

From there?
Host 2–4 tournaments a year.
Invite club teams from neighboring countries.
Watch it grow.

Adults build the first layer.
Youth grows the second.
The ecosystem fills in from there.

Lesson 4: Patience builds the foundation. Fun builds the momentum.

You won’t see a full league in a year.
You won’t line fields overnight.
You won’t instantly have youth teams, coaches, or schools involved.

But you can build excitement.

You can get 10 players.
Then 20.
Then 30.
Then a group that practices weekly.
Then a community that plays pickup.
Then tournaments that become tradition.

Growth is slow at first…
but joy multiplies faster than any strategy.

Lesson 5: When lacrosse doesn’t exist, you’re not just coaching — you’re building the entire ecosystem.

You’re not just teaching players.
You’re:

– recruiting
– organizing
– fundraising
– equipping
– training coaches
– securing fields
– building partnerships
– shaping culture
– creating a model others can copy

You’re not just introducing a sport — you’re planting a movement.

And honestly? That’s the magic.
You watch something go from zero to alive.

From curiosity to community.
From one person to fifty.
From a stick to a scene.

The Reward

After years in Colombia and South America, the real wins weren’t the goals or games.

It was identity.
It was purpose.
It was community.
It was opportunity.

And I know many of you are building the same thing in your own countries, cities, and neighborhoods.

This article is for you — the builders, the stubborn optimists, the stick-slinging missionaries of a sport that still feels new in much of the world.

Because if you get one thing right, let it be this:

Get sticks in hands.
Create fun competition.
Let adults and youth both be the spark.
Build joy first — the skills and structure will follow.

That is how lacrosse grows anywhere — even in places where it has never existed before.

Growing the Game From Zero