02/02/2023
In 2003, Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League (MBGLL), a community-based recreational lacrosse program, was born out of a desire to focus all resources on supporting young female athletes in the sport of lacrosse. In 2005, MBGLL’s leadership formed a non-profit corporation with (according to the 2004 notes), just under 150 girls’ youth teams at the U11, U13, and U15 levels. In 2008, MBGLL began scheduling U9 teams. Bylaws and a Board of Directors were created and the vision of these founding volunteer leaders shaped Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League all the way to the end of 2022.
As the number of girls’ lacrosse teams grew, MBGLL’s leaders decided that there was a need for an Executive Director (a non-voting position) to help with the day-to-day operations of the league. I, Christine Habermann, joined Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League in 2007.
With the help of many volunteers over the years, we were able to grow the sport of girls’ lacrosse to over 400 teams, representing 88 different towns by 2015. Over the years competing leagues started up and even more teams were developed.
In 2011, MBGLL’s board recognized that our young female athletes had been improving their lacrosse skills significantly by the time they were participating in U13 and U15 play. So, to help support these players, and to give them the opportunity to play at a higher-skill level, MBGLL created the MBGLL Select program. Our MBGLL Select program went from an informal group of games to playoffs under lights, with a scoreboard and trophies.
Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League was a strong supporter of USA Lacrosse, the national governing body of our sport. Belonging to MBGLL meant that our coaches, players, and administrators all supported USA Lacrosse’s initiatives through their membership fees. In return, all received insurance benefits and a great magazine talking about lacrosse throughout the country. Membership also meant that their money was supporting initiatives like Sports, Science, and Safety, which conducted research to help keep the sport safe. USA Lacrosse worked hard to standardize rules across the nation so that players could easily compete anywhere in the country. And, USA Lacrosse trained the officials at Eastern Massachusetts Women’s Lacrosse Umpire’s Association (EMWLUA), whom officiated MBGLL’s games. Over the years, USA Lacrosse generously supported MBGLL in the form of grants, some of which were used to help cover the costs of safety at our jamborees. And, USA Lacrosse helped support MBGLL and its constituents during the COVID pandemic.
MBGLL felt strongly about supporting EMWLUA, as the officials worked hard to keep our games safe. In 2011, MBGLL started scheduling an annual “Play Date,” where teams would play pre-season games so that EMWLUA could train new officials in actual game situations before the official season started.
Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League invested in training our coaches, players, and parents so that everyone could learn the sport in a supportive way. MBGLL worked with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to provide clinics to parents, coaches, and players. These clinics broached the ideas of participating in a sport that we all love in a way that everyone would be proud of.
As a growing lacrosse organization, our leadership was also involved in supporting lacrosse throughout the region. We volunteered in the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of USA Lacrosse as well as on various committees for USA Lacrosse (national). We were also in touch with the girls’ USA Lacrosse programs in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, supporting each other with ideas and suggestions.
Supporting the growth of girls’ lacrosse teams meant that we were able to provide fabulous activities and develop new initiatives for our constituents. Below is a listing of many of the terrific things we offered:
• USA Lacrosse coaches’ trainings, L1, L2
• PCA in-person Parent Clinics
• PCA in-person Player Clinics
• End-of Season Jamborees (sometimes at two different locations, simultaneously, so that towns didn’t have to travel too far)
• Youth Festival teams
• New England Lacrosse Convention -We created this event before handing it over to the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of USA Lacrosse to run
• Laxapaloosa – We created this pre-season event for players and coaches to learn about lacrosse, attend lacrosse talks, play games, try out equipment, and participate in in-person training.
• Player Clinics
• Player pins - to help support the development of life skills in our young athletes
• MBGLL Select – competitive play for skilled players
• NCAA event at Foxboro
• New Player – First Stick Clinics (sponsored by USA Lacrosse)
• Internship opportunities
• Jamboree jobs for players who aged out of the league
• Youth Day at Harvard University – teams played games on Harvard’s fields, attended PCA clinics, watched the Crimson play a game, and participated in fun half-time festivities
• Play Dates – to help train officials
• Good Sportsmanship Awards
• Summer Season during the COVID pandemic – the only league to offer play during this time
• Fall Ball
• Compliance Tracking
• Remote and in-person Annual, Division, Scheduling, and Wrap-Up meetings
• Round-table discussions between town and MBGLL leadership
• Mid-Season check-ins with town leadership
• Mentor appearances by Dana Dobbie and Noelle Lambert
MBGLL was fortunate enough to have sponsorships through USA Lacrosse, STX, Dicks Sporting Goods, and MVP Wear – all organizations that helped to foster the growth of girls’ lacrosse. Over the years we developed strong relationships with different vendors that catered to girls’ lacrosse players, and they would join our end-of-season jamboree to help create a festive environment focused on the young female athletes.
As our league grew, so did the support for our town programs. Town program leaders had a local MBGLL representative that they could always call with questions or they could reach out to the Executive Director. Regional meetings were held so that town leaders didn’t have to travel far. We invested in a scheduler to reduce the burden of creating a schedule for town leaders. And, we directly helped town parents with registration.
After 19 years of stewarding the game of lacrosse in Eastern Massachusetts, Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League has closed down its non-profit. Our girls’ teams are now playing with competing leagues and hopefully these organizations will continue to help nurture the sport of girls’ lacrosse.
I would like to offer a special thank you to Steve McGlynn, MBGLL’s treasurer, who helped to close up MBGLL. I also want to thank all of the incredible volunteers who helped to make Mass Bay Girls Lacrosse League so successful at nurturing girls lacrosse in Eastern Massachusetts. MBGLL Board Members, town program leaders, coaches, parents, and players – Thank you for your dedication and for supporting girls’ youth lacrosse in Eastern Massachusetts. Your efforts mattered!
