Lacrosse is older than Canada as a nation.
The Origins of Lacrosse
The oldest team sport in North America began as a ‘stick-and-ball’ game first played by Indigenous peoples. Each nation had its own style of play, dress, ceremonies and names for the game.
Considered a gift from the Creator, the game had social, political, and spiritual dimensions. In fact, it was a rite of passage for young men, a healing game, a way to strengthen people and a vehicle to resolve disputes. Teams were made up of 20 to as many as 1,000 players. The game took place on open fields, with goal posts spread from hundreds of yards to several miles apart.
The Game of Lacrosse Emerges
A Canadian dentist named Dr. William George Beers was fascinated by the game and founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club in 1856. Beers became known as the father of modern lacrosse as he evolved and documented the sport’s rules and instructions in a way that made it easier to learn how to play.
In 1867, Dr. Beers’ Montreal Lacrosse Club organized a conference to create the National Lacrosse Association (known today as Lacrosse Canada), North America’s first national sport governing body. Its goal was to standardize rules, organize national championships, and “promote good fellowship and unity across the country”.
The sport grew rapidly. By the end of 1867, there were 80 lacrosse clubs operating across Canada. On July 1, 1867, the day of Confederation, lacrosse was declared the national game of Canada. But it wasn’t until May 12, 1994, that Parliament officially made lacrosse Canada’s national summer sport and hockey Canada’s national winter sport.
The Olympic Games
The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28) will mark the third Olympic appearance for Lacrosse, that is now played in nearly 100 countries around the world. Lacrosse was an official sport in two Summer Olympics games, St. Louis 1904 and London 1908. Canada came away with medals on both occasions, including a gold in 1908. It was later featured as a demonstration sport in three Olympic Games: Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and London 1948.
In 2028, men’s and women’s lacrosse will be competed in sixes, an incredibly fast-paced, compact version of the sport at the intersection of field and box lacrosse.
Want to learn more?
Here are a few great resources to learn more about the history of Lacrosse in Canada.