Western Lacrosse Association

Western Lacrosse Association

Current season, competition or edition: 2025
Western Lacrosse Association
Sport	Box lacrosse
Founded	1932
Commissioner	Paul Dal Monte
No. of teams	7
Country	Canada
Most recent champion(s)	New Westminster Salmonbellies (2025)
Most titles	New Westminster Salmonbellies (22 titles)
Official website	WLAlacrosse.com

The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse league with seven teams in British Columbia. The playoff championship team each season advances to the play against the Major Series Lacrosse champions for the Mann Cup. The championship is hosted alternately between Ontario and British Columbia each year.

The teams

The league consists of the following teams:

Team
Burnaby Lakers
Coquitlam Adanacs
Langley Thunder
Maple Ridge Burrards
Nanaimo Timbermen
New Westminster Salmonbellies
Victoria Shamrocks

League history

• Box lacrosse adopted by British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association on May 4, 1932
• 1932-1933: Senior Box Lacrosse League (under BCALA umbrella)
• 1934-1967: Inter-City Lacrosse League (ICLL)
• 1968: National Lacrosse Association (Western Division)
• 1969–present: Western Lacrosse Association

Trophies and awards

League championship trophies:

• Kilmarnock Trophy (1910–1970)
• Commission Rose Bowl (1971–2008)
• Ted Fridge Memorial Trophy (2008–present)

Regular season top-record trophies:

• CKNW "TOP DOG" TROPHY (1952–2008)
• Stan Shillington Trophy (2009–present)

League champions

Teams in bold = Mann Cup winner

Season	Champion	Runner-up	Series	Ref.
1969	New Westminster Labatt Blues	not on record
1970	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1971	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1972	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1973	Vancouver Burrards
1974	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1975	Vancouver Burrards
1976	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1977	Vancouver Burrards
1978	Victoria Shamrocks
1979	Victoria Shamrocks
1980	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1981	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1982	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1983	Victoria Payless
1984	Victoria Payless
1985	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1986	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1987	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1988	Coquitlam Adanacs
1989	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1990	Vancouver Burrards
1991	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1992	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1993	Coquitlam Adanacs
1994	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1995	New Westminster Salmonbellies
1996	Victoria Shamrocks
1997	Victoria Shamrocks
1998	Victoria Shamrocks
1999	Victoria Shamrocks
2000	Victoria Shamrocks
2001	Coquitlam Adanacs
2002	Victoria Shamrocks
2003	Victoria Shamrocks
2004	Victoria Shamrocks
2005	Victoria Shamrocks	Coquitlam Adanacs	4–1
2006	Victoria Shamrocks	New Westminster Salmonbellies	4–1
2007	Coquitlam Adanacs	New Westminster Salmonbellies	4–0
2008	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Coquitlam Adanacs	4–0
2009	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Coquitlam Adanacs	4–0
2010	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Victoria Shamrocks	4–0
2011	Langley Thunder	New Westminster Salmonbellies	4–2
2012	Langley Thunder	Coquitlam Adanacs	4–7
2013	Victoria Shamrocks	Langley Thunder	4–2
2014	Victoria Shamrocks	Maple Ridge Burrards	4–1
2015	Victoria Shamrocks	New Westminster Salmonbellies	4–0
2016	Maple Ridge Burrards	Victoria Shamrocks	4–2
2017	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Victoria Shamrocks	4–1
2018	Maple Ridge Burrards	Victoria Shamrocks	4–1
2019	Victoria Shamrocks	Maple Ridge Burrards	4–1
2020	no season (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021
2022	Langley Thunder	Nanaimo Timbermen	4–1
2023	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Langley Thunder	4–3
2024	Victoria Shamrocks	Langley Thunder	4–0
2025	New Westminster Salmonbellies	Coquitlam Adanacs	4–1

Current team history

New Westminster Salmonbellies

• 1888–1931 founded on May 12, 1888; played as field lacrosse club
• 1932–1950 New Westminster Salmonbellies (merged with New Westminster Adanacs)
• 1951–1951 New Westminster Commandos
• 1952–1953 New Westminster Salmonacs
• 1954–1954 New Westminster Royals
• 1955–1958 New Westminster Salmonbellies
• 1959–1965 New Westminster O'Keefes
• 1966–present New Westminster Salmonbellies

Maple Ridge Burrards

• 1937–1937 Vancouver Burrard Olympics
• 1938–1949 Vancouver Burrards
• 1950–1950 Vancouver Burrard Westerns (merged with Richmond Farmers)
• 1951–1951 Vancouver Combines
• 1952–1958 Vancouver Pilseners
• 1959–1969 Vancouver Carlings
• 1970–1993 Vancouver Burrards (transferred to Surrey)
• 1994–1995 Surrey Burrards (transferred to Maple Ridge)
• 1996–present Maple Ridge Burrards

Victoria Shamrocks

• 1950–1982 Victoria Shamrocks
• 1983–1993 Victoria Payless
• 1994–present Victoria Shamrocks

Coquitlam Adanacs

• 1965–1967 Coquitlam Adanacs (transferred to Portland)
• 1968–1968 Portland Adanacs (transferred to Coquitlam)
• 1969–present Coquitlam Adanacs

Burnaby Lakers

• 1986–1989 Richmond Outlaws (transferred to Burnaby)
• 1990–present Burnaby Lakers

Langley Thunder

• 1994–1999 North Shore Indians (transferred to Kelowna)
• 2000–2001 Okanagan Thunder (transferred to North Vancouver)
• 2002–2003 North Shore Thunder (transferred to Langley)
• 2004–present Langley Thunder

Nanaimo Timbermen

• 2005–present Nanaimo Timbermen

Defunct teams

the Indians

• 1932–1932 North Vancouver Squamish Indians
• 1935–1941 North Shore Indians (suspended operations during World War II)
• 1945–1945 Indian Arrows
• 1946–1951 North Shore Indians
• 1952–1954 PNE Indians
• 1955–1955 Mount Pleasant Indians (merged with Vancouver Pilseners)

Vancouver Athletic Club / Abbotsford Hotel

• 1932–1932 Vancouver Athletic Club (renamed Abbotsford Hotel)
• 1933–1933 Vancouver Abbotsford Hotel

New Westminster Adanacs

• 1933–1941 New Westminster Adanacs (suspended operations during World War II)
• 1945–1950 New Westminster Adanacs (merged with New Westminster Salmonbellies)

Richmond Farmers

• 1933–1934 Vancouver St. Helen's Hotel (transferred to Richmond)
• 1935–1936 Richmond Farmers (merged with Vancouver Home Gas)
• 1937–1937 Richmond-Homes Combines
• 1938–1941 Richmond Farmers
• 1942–1942 Burrard Drydock 'Wallaces United'
• 1943–1949 Richmond Farmers (transferred to Vancouver-Kerrisdale)
• 1950–1950 Richmond-Kerrisdale 'Arkays' (merged with Vancouver Burrard Westerns)

Vancouver Bluebirds / Home Gas

• 1934–1935 Vancouver Province Bluebirds
• 1936–1936 Vancouver Home Gas (merged with Richmond Farmers)

"Norvans"

• 1942–1942 North Vancouver Ship Repair Yard 'Norvans'

Military teams

• 1943–1944 Vancouver Army
• 1944–1944 Vancouver HMCS Discovery Navy

Nanaimo

• 1951–1954 Nanaimo Native Sons
• 1955–1958 Nanaimo Timbermen
• 1959–1964 Nanaimo Labatts
• 1975–1981 Nanaimo Timbermen

Burnaby

• 1962–1962 Burnaby Norburns

See also

• Lacrosse
• Box lacrosse
• British Columbia Lacrosse Association
• Major Series Lacrosse
• Ontario Lacrosse Association

External links

• Western Lacrosse Association official website