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Sport | Lacrosse |
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Jurisdiction | Australia |
Abbreviation | LA |
Founded | 2008 (ALC 1931 and AWLC 1962) |
Affiliation | World Lacrosse |
Affiliation date | 1974 |
Regional affiliation | Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria |
Chairperson | Abbie Burgess [1] |
Official website | |
www | |
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Lacrosse Australia (LA) is the governing body for the sport of Lacrosse in Australia.
Lacrosse in Australia has a rich and celebrated history, and can trace its beginnings back to a letter to the editor that was sent from Lambton Mount to The Australasian newspaper and published on 8 April 1876. [2] In his letter, Mount announced that he was calling a meeting the following week with respect to the formation of the "Melbourne La Crosse Club", and four days later, the club was formed. [3]
Lacrosse soon spread around the continent, and by the time of federation in 1901, lacrosse was being played in every state in Australia. [4]
Proposals for a national governing body for lacrosse were reported as early as 1903, [5] with the Australasian Lacrosse Union formed after the national Lacrosse Conference in 1904, [6] however disagreements between member associations [7] led to its demise by 1908. [8]
The need for a national body persisted, and while discussions of forming one were reported in 1923, [9] it took eight more years before the Australian Lacrosse Council was finally formed. [10]
The Australian Women's Lacrosse Council was formed in 1962 soon after women's lacrosse had been restarted in Victoria and South Australia.[ citation needed ]
Up until 2007, men's and women's lacrosse in Australia were administered by separate governing bodies: Lacrosse Australia (originally the Australian Lacrosse Council) and Women's Lacrosse Australia (Australian Women's Lacrosse Council). [11] These organisations merged in 2008 to form the Australian Lacrosse Association (ALA). [12] In 2021, the ALA rebranded as Lacrosse Australia and remains the single governing body for all formats of lacrosse in Australia. [13]