The Ontario Lacrosse Association (Ontario Lacrosse) is a not-for-profit sport organization and a member association of the Canadian Lacrosse Association, the national governing body for lacrosse in Canada. The Ontario Lacrosse Association is the largest provincial lacrosse governing body within Canada. The mission of the OLA is to govern, improve, foster, and perpetuate the sport of lacrosse in Ontario. It was established in 1897.
One of the oldest team sports in North America, the origins of lacrosse lie with the Native American people who lived in Ontario, Quebec and western New York. The first written rules were established in 1867, and although formal amateur provincial competition began in 1887, the Ontario Lacrosse Association was not established as the provincial governing body of the sport until ten years later. In the 1930s, the birth of box lacrosse (indoor lacrosse) increased the popularity of the sport among both athletes and observers. Although official competition was impacted by the number of participants available during both World War I and World War II, lacrosse teams have maintained activity on an annual basis since the inception of the Ontario Lacrosse Association.
Ontario Junior Men's Field Lacrosse League (OJMFLL)
Minor
Ontario Minor Field Lacrosse League (OMFLL)
Ontario Women's Field Lacrosse League (OWFL)
Minor Box Lacrosse Clubs
There are 66 minor box lacrosse clubs in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Minor box clubs are divided into zones for league play and the provincial champion is crowned in 6 divisions every August at the Ontario Lacrosse Festival in Durham Region.
Zone 1
Sault Ste. Marie Spartans
Thunder Bay Ice
Zone 4
Barrie Bombers
Huntsville Hawks
Innisfil Wolfpack
Midland Braves
New Tecumseth Renegades
Orillia Kings
Stayner Hitmen
Sudbury Rockhounds
Tri-Town Rock Devils
Shelburne Vets
Zone 5
Akwesasne Storm
Cornwall Celtics
Gloucester Griffins
Kahnawake Mohawks
Kingston Krossfire
Nepean Knights
North Shore Kodiaks
Quinte Bayhawks
South Shore Centurions
Tyendinaga Thunderbirds
Zone 6
Clarington Gaels
Kawartha Lakes Fury
Northumberland Nemesis
Oshawa Blue Knights
Peterborough Lakers
Stouffville Thunder
Toronto Beaches
Toronto Stars
Uxbridge Enforcers
West Durham Lacrosse Club
Whitby Warriors
Zone 7
London Blue Devils
Sarnia Pacers
Strathroy Screaming Eagles
Wallaceburg Griffins
Windsor Warlocks
Zone 8
Arthur Aces
Brantford Warriors
Cambridge Chiefs
Centre Wellington Mohawks
Guelph Regals
Kitchener Braves
North Perth Outlaws
Owen Sound North Stars
West Grey Rampage
Wilmot Wild
Zone 9
Burlington Chiefs
Fort Erie Hawks
Hamilton Bengals
Lincoln Redcoats
Niagara Thunderhawks
Pelham Raiders
Simcoe Timberwolves
Six Nations
St. Catharines Athletics
Zone 10
Brampton Excelsiors
Caledon Bandits
Halton Hills Bulldogs
Milton Mavericks
Mimico Mountaineers
Mississauga Badgers
Newmarket Redbirds
Oakville Hawks
Orangeville Northmen
National championships
The champion of four of the OLA's five box leagues compete in national championships:
Lacrosse Canada, formerly the Canadian Lacrosse Association, founded in 1867, is the governing body of lacrosse in Canada. It conducts national junior and senior championship tournaments for men and women in both field and box lacrosse. There are five national teams that compete in World Lacrosse championships on a four-year cycle.
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport. Box lacrosse is played between two teams of five players and one goalie each, and is traditionally played on an ice hockey rink once the ice has been removed or covered. The playing area is called a box, in contrast to the open playing field of field lacrosse. The object of the game is to use a lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball in an effort to score by shooting a solid rubber lacrosse ball into the opponent's goal. The highest level of box lacrosse is the National Lacrosse League.
The Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Canada. The league features twenty-five teams in Ontario, one in Quebec, and one in the Akwesasne that annually play a 20-game schedule and four rounds of playoffs for the J. A. MacDonald Trophy. After the conclusion of the playoffs, a league champion represents the OJBLL at the Founders Cup National Junior B Championship.
The Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL) is considered the most competitive Junior A men's box lacrosse league in the world and the number one source for talent for the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The OJLL is sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association. It is an 11 team league wherein the top 8 go to the playoffs and battle it out for top spot in Ontario. The Ontario Champion is annually awarded the Iroquois Trophy and moves on to compete against teams from Alberta and British Columbia for the Minto Cup - the Junior A National Box Lacrosse Championship of Canada. Ontario has captured the Minto Cup fifty-six times since 1937.
Ontario Series Lacrosse, known as the OLA Senior B Lacrosse League from 1999-2019, is a Senior box lacrosse league based out of Ontario, Canada sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Many of the players in the league play or have played in the National Lacrosse League. OSL winners earn a chance at the national championship—the Presidents Cup.
Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) is a Senior A box lacrosse league based in Ontario, Canada sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Most of the star players in the league play or have played in the National Lacrosse League. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the Western Lacrosse Association champion for the Mann Cup every September. The championship is hosted alternately between Ontario and British Columbia every year.
The Presidents Cup is the national Senior-level box lacrosse championship for the Canadian Lacrosse Association. The annual Championship awards a "Gold", "Silver", and "Bronze" placing. The skill levels have been adjusted in recent years; Senior "B" teams from across Canada now compete for the Presidents Cup. Senior "A" is now represented by Ontario's Major Series Lacrosse and the Western Lacrosse Association, who compete for the Mann Cup.
The Gloucester Griffins are a Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Gloucester, Ontario, Canada. The Griffins play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.
The Huntsville Hawks are Junior "C" box lacrosse team from Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. The Hawks play in the Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League. They were known as the Huntsville Legionaires in 1965, Huntsville Tornadoes in 1966, and as the Huntsville Hawks from 1967 to the present.
The West Durham Ironheads are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Pickering, Ontario, Canada. The Ironheads play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.
The Mimico Mountaineers or Mimico Lacrosse Club is a Jr. A box lacrosse association in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Mountaineers operate junior-age and younger teams. Their home arena is Mimico Arena in the Mimico neighbourhood of Toronto. Beginning in 2015, their primary junior team will be a member of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League. From 1993 until 2014, the Mountaineers were members of the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League.
The Elora Mohawks are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Elora, Ontario, Canada. The Mohawks play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.
The Mississauga Tomahawks are a Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The Mississauga Tomahawks play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.
The Can-Am Senior B Lacrosse League is a Senior-level Canadian and American box lacrosse league. The teams are located in the Southwestern Ontario and Upstate New York regions. Sanctioned by the First Nations Lacrosse Association, the champions of the Can-Am league compete for the Presidents Cup, the Canadian National Senior B championship. Can-Am teams have won the Presidents' Cup five times.
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the governing body of all intercollegiate sports in the Canadian province of Ontario. The OCAA is a part of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. The OCAA, with Ontario University Athletics, governs post-secondary school educational sports in Ontario.
The Fédération de crosse du Québec (FCQ) is the governing body of lacrosse in Quebec, Canada. Its purpose is to encourage the development of lacrosse in Québec and to contribute to the sport's growth internationally. The FCQ governs all box, field, and women's field lacrosse in Québec.
Miro "Medo" Martinello is a Canadian former professional box lacrosse player, coach, and ice hockey referee, born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada of Italian descent. He is a member of the Windsor and Essex County Sports Hall of Fame, Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of the Canadian Government 125th Anniversary of Confederation Medal "for outstanding Achievements on behalf of Canada".
Modern lacrosse in Canada has been a popular sport since the mid 1800s. Only field lacrosse was played until the 1930s, when box lacrosse was invented. In 1994 Parliament passed the National Sports of Canada Act which declared lacrosse to be "Canada's National Summer Sport", with ice hockey as the National Winter Sport.
Adam Jones is a professional Canadian lacrosse player who plays for the Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League. Jones is also a member of Owen Sound Northstars in the Ontario Senior B lacrosse league and the Langley Thunder in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA). In 2013 he was named the sixteenth best indoor lacrosse player in the world by Ilindoor magazine.
The Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League (OJCLL) is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Canada. The league features teams split into three regional divisions. OJCLL annually play a 16-game schedule and playoffs for the Meredith Cup league championship.
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