Information for New Players

Box lacrosse is a great way to get your run on, make friends, build confidence, and learn teamwork and self-discipline. But it’s mostly about fun!

Who Can Play

Youth who are, or will be, 5 to 16 years of age in the calendar year can join.

Teams are gender inclusive (combined) in the Comox Valley. Email the Association to find out more about playing with female-only teams with larger Vancouver Island associations.

Comox Valley Lacrosse is open to all youth living from Curran Road in Fanny Bay to the Oyster River bridge in Black Creek. If you’re living north or south of these boundaries, please contact our friends at Oceanside Minor Lacrosse or Campbell River Minor Lacrosse.

The Season

The box lacrosse regular season runs from April to June. Team practices can start as early as mid-February before the start of the season. Competitive divisions may play into July. See details below.

The Game Rules

Box Lacrosse is played indoors on a dry floor hockey rink, or outdoors in a sports box through the spring and early summer.

View minor box lacrosse rules and resources at the BC Lacrosse Association website: https://bclacrosse.com/forms.php#minor_box_rules.

Field lacrosse is a similar but distinct sport played outdoors on turf or grass fields through the fall and winter. Find out more about field lacrosse from North Island Rage Field Lacrosse Association.

Player Registration

Registration opens in December or January and is open until the end of March. Registering early helps the Association know how many teams there will be in each division by the Island deadline in early March.

There are options for financial support for registration fees.

Player Divisions

Development Divisions (non contact):

U7 (Mini Tyke) – birthday turning 5 or 6 in the calendar year

U9 (Tyke) – birthday turning 7 or 8 in the calendar year

U11 (Novice) – birthday turning 9 or 10 in the calendar year

Competitive Divisions (contact play):

U13 (Peewee) – birthday turning 11 or 12 in the calendar year

U15 (Bantam) – birthday turning 13 or 14 in the calendar year

U17 (Midget) – birthday turning 15 or 16 in the calendar year

Do Children Need Previous Sports Experience to Play?

Lacrosse players run a lot. Play involves pivoting on your feet and passing and catching. Experience in other sports is not necessary in the Development Divisions (U7, U9 and U11) as these divisions focus on player development and are non-contact.

There are transferrable skills from many sports and activities that develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills, from badminton to basketball!

The older the players, the quicker and more physical the play. New players in Competitive Divisions (U13, U15 and U17) would benefit from previous sports experience, but it is not required.

Are you interested in watching a game before participating? Check out the Island game schedule in the spring for your child’s age group and join us cheering on the team at the Comox Valley Sport Centre arena on Vanier Drive.

Winter Learn-to-Play School Program

CVLA volunteers and senior players bring lacrosse to elementary schools in partnership with School District 71. Learn-to-Play sessions rotate through the schools. CVLA volunteers try to visit as many schools as possible each winter.

Learn-to-Play Drop In Sessions

These friendly sessions are held in mid-January and early February. There is no fee and registration is not required. Watch the website news for dates, time and locations. The schedule is dependent on available indoor gym space.

These sessions focus on introducing new players to the game. No experience is necessary and players will be shown some basic skills, participate in fun drills and even scrimmage games. Players do not need to be registered. Parents/guardians will need to sign a waiver and release of claims for your child to participate.

Players just need to bring a hockey helmet with cage and hockey gloves. Sticks are provided by the Association. Full equipment is not required.

Pre-Season Team Practices

Team practices start in mid-February through March before the regular season begins. The schedule is dependent on available indoor gym space.

These practices take place indoors in a gymnasium and outdoors at the Martin Park outdoor box.

Practices at Martin Park are weather dependent and may require full gear. The Martin Park outdoor lacrosse box is located on 20^th Street near Willemar Avenue in Courtenay.

You are encouraged to register your player to participate in pre-season team practices, however new un-registered players are welcome provided that parents/guardians complete a waiver and release of claims.

Your team manager or coach will let you know when all required equipment must be worn as we move closer to the beginning of the season. View the equipment page to find out what gear your player will need.

Goalies

Is your player interested in being a goalie? Talk to your team manager or coach at practice.

Find out about goalie equipment. Goalies are not usually dressed until closer to the beginning of the season in March.

Regular Season Practices – April to June

Full equipment is mandatory for all players for these practices. Players must be registered to play.

Team practice days are usually determined in early March based on coach availability.

When: One-hour team practices take place twice each week, either on

Monday and Wednesday evenings, OR
Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Your team’s practice schedule is usually determined in March. Practices can start as early at 5pm and as late at 8pm for older players. U13, U15 and U17 teams may have dryland training before box practice.

Where: Once the ice is removed from the Sports Centre arena in mid-April,

the first weekly practice is held at the Martin Park outdoor lacrosse box on 20th Street near Willemar Avenue in Courtenay.
the second weekly practice is held in the Sports Centre arena at 3001 Vanier Drive.

Games

Games for all divisions start in April on Saturdays and Sundays. Teams play 12 to 14 games in the season. The game schedule is developed by the Island Commission at the end of March. CVLA team managers use a team app to send out the schedule to players, to confirm player availability, and to assign parent scorekeepers and timekeepers.

U7, U9, and U11

Games start the third weekend of April and end the second weekend of June.

For U7, U9 and U11 divisions, Comox Valley participates in North Island group of teams that may include Campbell River, Oceanside (Parksville-Qualicum), Port Alberni, Nanaimo, and Cowichan. Games are held on weekends and teams travel to these communities for ‘away’ games.

U13, U15 and U17

Regular season games start the first weekend of April. Games are held from Campbell River to Victoria throughout the season. Teams travel for ‘away’ games.

The season ends in mid to late June for “playdowns”. Teams choose whether to participate in playdowns in June and early July for the opportunity to play in BCLA Provincial Championships held in July. When the season ends for these divisions depends on the dates of Provincial Championships each year.

Tournaments

Tournaments are a great way to team-build and to build friendships!

Each team typically attends at least one tournament during the season. Younger divisions usually attend on-Island tournaments. Older division teams may choose to travel off-Island.

The Association pays the tournament fees for one tournament for each team during the season. If a team wishes to attend a second tournament, tournament fees must be paid by the parents or through team fundraising.

Parent Participation

There are a lot of opportunities for parent participation!

Parents can operate the clock and scoreboard for home games, and participate in team fundraising to support tournament and other team costs. Your team manager will reach out to parents to learn these roles.

Parents can also participate as team manager and team coach or assistant coach. Coaching clinics and referee clinics are held in February and March, usually in Nanaimo.

Additional parent participation is encouraged for any home tournaments or Provincial tournaments hosted by the Association.

The CVLA executive encourages parents to participate on the board. Contact the president to express your interest. Find out more about the board.

Team Fundraising

Parents and players can participate in team fundraising to assist with team tournament travel, team shirts, and year end parties. Fundraising is organized by team parent volunteers with support from the Association Head Manager or Fundraising Manager.

This page provides general information to families who are interested in participating in minor box lacrosse. While we have done our best to provide up to date and accurate information here, this information may change without notice based on Provincial, Island and local lacrosse association rule and policy changes.