Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Summary

Lacrosse is a developing sport in Sweden and the Netherlands at the moment. Both countries have their initiatives and are playing the game for approximately 12 to 15 years. They are competing at World- and European tournaments and trying their best to professionalize their leagues. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go for both countries before they can measure themselves with the top Lacrosse countries Canada and the USA. In these countries Lacrosse is played for many years, the level of professionalization and trainings methods are more developed and thereby maybe helpful to develop the level in Europe as well.

Aim

During this research a comparison is made between the (different) approaches in the sport of Lacrosse, by the four ‘investigated countries’. Where does opportunities occur for developing Lacrosse in Sweden and the Netherlands? Main aim of this research is to find out where the possibilities are for the development of Lacrosse. Both Sweden and the Netherlands want to compete on a higher level of Lacrosse, but at the moment the knowledge about the sport is not sufficient enough.

Method

During this research several sources are consulted for getting information. Seven semi-structured interviews were being held among Swedish and Dutch Lacrosse trainers. Besides these interviews the Canadian Lacrosse Federation was contacted by mail, and the Strategic Plan 2008 – 2012 was examined. Third source of collection information was by searching online databases for evidence-based researches.

Results

The outcomes showed that there are many opportunities to start with the development of Lacrosse. Position specific Lacrosse training could provide more structured training design and thereby increasing the level of Lacrosse players. Coaches should be trained, and the federations should start professionalizing as well. Besides these results trainers spoke about the importance of starting a youth Lacrosse initiative.

Conclusion

If the approach in Sweden and the Netherlands is compared to the level of Lacrosse in Canada both countries need to start putting actions into efforts. Both federations have good intentions but they both are unsure about how to start the development of Lacrosse.