C-C Youth Lacrosse Opens Fall Ball Registration

The popularity of lacrosse continues to explode. What just a few years ago was a fringe sport played only on the East Coast – even then it only reached as far south as the Mid-Atlantic states – is quickly gaining supports throughout the country.

It’s no different in Concord. Each spring, about 450 young athletes compete for various boys’ and girls’ teams as part of the Concord-Carlisle Youth Lacrosse organization. About five years ago, CCYL officials created an offseason program in response to increasing enthusiasm for lacrosse, as well as to give prospective players an easier means for picking up the sport.

That’s when CCYL’s Fall Ball Program was born. Offered to boys and girls in grades 1 through 8, Fall Ball offers new and returning players an opportunity to continue playing lacrosse in the offseason or learn the basic fundamentals.

Dan Bowen and Brian Stout are the program directors on the boys’ side. They said participation is certainly on the rise

“What Brian and all the folks who help run CCYL are thrilled at how quickly the numbers are increasing within Concord,” Bowen said. “It’s a terrific sport and we’re having a lot of fun with it.”

Stout has seen firsthand how much lacrosse has grown in the area. During his playing days at Concord-Carlisle High School in the mid-1980s, Stout said the Patriots regularly played prep schools and college JV teams to fill out their schedule.

Now, his hometown’s youth program attracts nearly as many players during the fall months as it does during the Founders League and Town Pride League, the official organizations for girls’ and boys’ lacrosse in which CCYL teams compete, season. The Fall Ball directors said the program attracts just about 400 players, if not more.

“You look at it now and (the sport) has just absolutely exploded. And it’s not only in the East, where it was Baltimore up through New England,” Stout said. “Now you’re seeing it all across the country.

“The game is, there’s no question, exploding immensely. The growth is just incredible.”

For Fall Ball, participants meet once a week on Sundays for a practice of sorts. Coaches and instructors run players through a series of drills that teach the basics of lacrosse. Each week is capped off with a scrimmage where players can put what they learned to use.

This year’s program begins on Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 30 for both boys and girls. All sessions are held at Doug White Memorial Field and adjacent grass fields on the campus of CCHS. Bowen said the flurry of activity each week creates an atmosphere that resembles a festival or jamboree.

He added that he once-per-week format is done with a minor time commitment in mind. With all that is offered to young athletes in Concord and Carlisle, Fall Ball is designed to fit into any busy family schedule.

“It’s just an opportunity for the kids new to the sport to learn about the basic skills and determine whether or not it’s a sport they want to continue on with in the spring when it becomes more of a time commitment,” Bowen said.

There is also a Pick-Up Program for girls’ players in grades 6-8 with at least two years experience. That program will also be run on Sundays and will involve skill development and pick-up scrimmages.

Registration is currently open for both the boys’ and girls’ programs. More information can be found on the CCYL website.

Stout has been involved with the CCYL and the Fall Ball program for the past four years, one more than Bowen’s three. Both have children who participate and said they are happy to see the continued enthusiasm surrounding the sport from coaches, players, parents and volunteers.

“We’re finding that kids are so enthusiastic about this sport that they’d love to have another day in the fall to play, so it’s been very well received,” Bowen said. “And also I think they like to sharpen their skills, so that, when they play in the spring, they can compete well against the other teams.”

Added Stout, “What stands out to me is the people that are getting involved and volunteering who have coached or played lacrosse at some point in their life. It’s great to see them getting involved and coming back in.”