International box lacrosse is coming to Altona North.
Both the Next Gen Series and the IIJL Commonwealth Cup are being hosted at Alan Lewer Box Court.
The inaugural Next Gen Series is an under-16 mixed championship is a three-match series where the champion is decided by total aggregate goals across all games.
The Next Gen Series develops young box lacrosse athletes through competitive play, sportsmanship and community engagement, providing a national stage for emerging talent.
The two teams, the Kings and Sting are selected by a national draft.
The cup will involve players from Canada, New Zealand and Australia competing in a three-game round robin to select the ABL eastern and western Allstars.
The Allstars will face Canada in the final.
Australian Box Lacrosse president Richard Benedierks said it would be a pretty exciting event.
He is also the Next Gen Series Commissioner.
“We’re proud to present back-to-back national and international box lacrosse showcases at Alan Lewer Box Court,” he said.
Benedierks said the under-16 event came about as there were no box lacrosse events internationally for that age group.
Box lacrosse is the indoor version of lacrosse and played on indoor hockey rinks in Canada.
In 2024, women’s box lacrosse came to Australia and it was a big success.
“We didn’t have a vehicle for a pathway,” he said. “We’d taken under-21 boys to Canada and now there’s an under-21 girls world championship.
“This is open to all kids. We’ve got kids from Canada coming down to our domestic seasons.
“These events celebrate skill development and international competition for emerging athletes,”
Benedierks said they hoped there would be some locals involved in the Next Gen event.
He said getting Canada out for the All-Stars game was massive.
Both events will be held from 28 February to 2 March.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/k2uavzy5
