Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/15/09
Inside Lacrosse has listed Philadelphia as No. 5 in its ‘Best Lacrosse Towns” feature for its October issue.
The magazine gave these ratings under “The Game”:
Pro Rating: 90
College Rating: 88
High School Rating: 95
Youth Rating: 92
Potential/Upside Rating: 88
Cited as highlights for the city by Inside Lacrosse were the fact Philly has had a pro team, either indoor or outdoor, since the 1970s; has hosted three NCAA championships weekends (men in 1992 and 2005-06 and women in 2007) and has an established prep scene.
Also mentioned by Inside Lacrosse:
*Penn has sponsored men’s lacrosse for 93 seasons.
*Drexel and Villanova have made the NCAA Men’s Tournament discussion on a regular basis.
*Division III programs like Haverford College and Cabrini have had much success.
*Philly has top high school programs like La Salle, Haverford School and Malvern Prep and has produced top-level DI recruits.
*The sport is spreading in all directions from the city, through the state and into South Jersey.
*The Duke’s Lacrosse Club was ranked No. 1 in the magazine’s preseason rankings.
*At the pro level, the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings have won six indoor championships since 1989 and are a consistent draw. The only negative was that the Barrage – which won Major League Lacrosse titles in 2006 and 2007 – were disbanded.
The magazine gave these ratings under “The Life” — 91 points overall
Lacrosse Scene Rating: 90
Marquee Event Rating: 88
Facilities: 95
Names: 94
The magazine lists these key points:
*The Wings have a strong following and have won many championships.
*The Main Line features many great rivalries at all levels.
*The United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, consisting of nearly a dozen indoor and outdoor fields, has hosted numerous big lacrosse events.
*The sport continues to grow as more high schools field teams.
*The Thursday night league of the Summer Lacrosse League of South Eastern PA remains a strong club league and formerly had open eligibility, allowing the top high school players to get experience against top club players.
Other highlights from Inside Lacrosse:
HEADstrong’s Nick Colleluori Classic (2008-10)
Biggest Names:
From Here: Ken Clausen, Kyle Sweeney, Tony McDevitt
Lives Here: Brian Dougherty*, Bill Miller, Mike French, John Christmas*, Jake Bergey*, Brian Voelker
* – also from Philly
