Background - The IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship is in its fourth edition as the only junior-aged world box lacrosse championship tournament. Formerly known as the U-19 World Lacrosse Challenge in 2015, the tournament was rebranded as the World Junior Lacrosse Championship in 2016 to better represent the nature of the competition and align with the public knowledge of world championship tournaments of other sports, namely hockey.
Objective - To provide an opportunity for junior-aged lacrosse players to compete internationally and to develop the skills and abilities of all participants, including players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and executive to build a sustainable business ecosystem for the sport of lacrosse.
Strategic Context & Scope - Establish, develop, administer, promote, and progress a national domestic Major Junior lacrosse league, international program, and international championship for junior-aged players. The mentioned competitions are available to athletes who are at least sixteen (16) years of age and no older than twenty (20) as of the 31st day of December of the current season of competition. The programs are devised for athletes who seek a greater or different challenge than that which might be available through Junior A, B (Tiers), C and/or Intermediate competition. The principal purpose of these programs are to prepare athletes for a career advancement in professional and international lacrosse competition combined with education advancement for life.
Major Junior Lacrosse League:
- Maintain the eligibility of all athletes for NCAA competition and offer academic resources and development
- Allow players to achieve maximum skill development at the highest competitive level of junior lacrosse
- Broaden the development base in alignment with National Team High Performance Development Program
International Program:
- Inclusive to any and all junior-aged players while attract the best players, coaches, and officials in Canada
- Regional Combines as evaluation camps held in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan
- Management, coaching, and player selection will be based on having a national presence with fair and equitable provincial representation
International Championship:
- An open and inclusive tournament offering quality athletic and cultural development allowing players to achieve maximum skill development at the highest competitive level of junior international lacrosse and providing a unique opportunity to players
- Heavily market the tournament, nations, players, coaches, and officials to broaden the base of development in coordination with national team programs
- Manage the business from a profit-driven perspective, as a non-profit organization, in order to invest back into future championships and legacy programs
- Strengthen relationships in the lacrosse community by promoting the tournament and national team as the vehicle to develop youth lacrosse and skill development in Canada and internationally through legacy programs and partnerships
