Indoor (Box) Lacrosse at Altona
Altona has a long and proud history of being the driving force in maintaining box lacrosse in Victoria. The Altona Lacrosse Club in partnership with the Hobsons Bay City Council (HBCC) has established a box lacrosse facility at the club grounds. The box court is the Alan Lewer Box Court and is the only purpose-built box lacrosse facility in Australia. Altona Lacrosse Club is the home of box lacrosse in Victoria with all competitions run from this venue.
In recent years the box lacrosse competition has been rapidly expanding and now includes a women’s competition and a junior A (under 18 boys) and junior B (under 14 mixed and under 12 mixed) competitions.
What is Indoor (Box) Lacrosse?
Box Lacrosse (also known as Indoor Lacrosse) is the most exciting version of the lacrosse game. It is played in a confined space like a basketball court and as the ball never goes out of play, it is non-stop action. It is a lot faster and a lot more physical than field lacrosse and as such the protective equipment is also greater. Spectators love the gladiator feel of watching a game between teams in a confined area. The hits are hard and fast as is the game play.
Teams consist of six players on the court (including a goalie) plus up to six substitutes. There is no offside and as such players need to develop skills in both attack and defence. The goals are half the size of field goals and the goalies are much more padded and much bigger – so to score often requires a higher level of deception and skill to move goalies and opponents. Goals are often spectacular with players attacking the goals from all angles and spectators are so close to the action that they can feel as if they are in the game.
Box Lacrosse, Canada’s national game
Box Lacrosse is Canada’s national game and with the physical contact and exceptional skill levels required to play box lacrosse at the highest level, it is no surprise that the skills of Canadian lacrosse players, in field and in box, are envied by all other playing nations.
International Box Lacrosse Competitions
World box lacrosse championships are played between Senior Men’s sides, Senior Women’s sides and Under 20 Men’s sides. The next World Lacrosse Box Championships is to be held on Utica, New York in 2024. Games will be played on a state-of-the-art facility at Utica University, the Nexus Center. These championships will also include the women’s world championship for the first time.
For the past few years, Australia has sent Under 20 teams to compete in the International Indoor Junior Lacrosse Championships. In 2024, these championships will be moved from North America to a venue in Europe.
If you would like to learn more about lacrosse or take up the sport, then please contact the Altona Lacrosse Club. We cater for beginners to Australian representatives.