A style of lacrosse played in an enclosed area similar to a hockey rink surrounded by boards and plexiglass.  Like ice hockey, each team can have 6 players on the floor at a time, typically 5 players and 1 goalie.  The playing surface is typically cement or turf. Most teams consist of 15-20 players and 1-2 goalies on a team.

Box lacrosse is more physical than field lacrosse and requires more equipment due to the allowance of cross checking. In addition, the goals are smaller in dimension at 4’9” across by 4’ high vs the traditional 6’ by 6’ in field lacrosse.

The majority of US kids have not played real box lacrosse, a big reason why the US struggles to beat Canada in international indoor play.  That is why coaching is critical.  For the CT Collegiate Box Lacrosse League, this isn’t meant to be a fun summer activity per se.  We are looking to improve the overall skills of field players and develop box players that have the potential to one day play pro in the NLL and have assembled former accomplished indoor players with successful coaching abilities. 

Yes.  Our goal is to help players develop their understanding of box lacrosse and improve their overall lacrosse skills.  We believe this will help improve player's abilities in field lacrosse and provide them with an experience that gives them the knowledge and confidence to potentially play in the NLL. Currently there are limited opportunities for US Collegiate players to learn and play box lacrosse and, until other states begin offering similar programs, we will accept players from NY, NJ, MA, RI & CT.

“If I had my choice, I would have every player under the age of 12 play box lacrosse exclusively or at least a majority of the time. The number of touches of the ball and the ability to develop better stick skills in a game of box lacrosse far surpasses what happens on a field. Learning how to pass and catch in traffic, understanding how to shoot, and developing a sense of physicality are all positive traits developed by the box game.”
6X NCAA Championship Coach Bill Tierney, University of Denver

"I think all young kids should play box (lacrosse) first."
5X NCAA Championship Coach John Desko, Syracuse University

"When you watch Canadian kids score, when you see their skill level around the cage, you wonder to yourself, 'Jeez, are we teaching kids [in the U.S.] the wrong things?"
4X NCAA Championship Coach Dom Starsia, University of Virginia

“Box lacrosse (played normally in Canada) is played in thawed ice rinks over the summer. The smaller spaces and smaller goals lend to hyper advancement of skills and scoring ability. The results in our college game are not only undeniable, they are borderline astounding”
NCAA Championship Coach Andy Shay, Yale University

"We are looking forward for our Denver (field) players to have an opportunity to play competitive box lacrosse during the off season in a safe and structured environment in the NCBS. I believe college athletes will get more out of a league like this then just playing summer field lacrosse" NCAA Championship, Matt Brown, University of Denver

Highly competitive.  This is not meant to be a summer fun league.  We have the highest caliber coaches for a reason – to teach the game of box lacrosse at the highest level, make field players better and open opportunities for players to potentially play in the NLL.

Ages can range from 17 to 22.  We anticipate that the majority of players will be Freshman through Junior Collegiate players and graduating HS College commits. Exceptions will be made, please inquire if you are unsure of your eligibility.

The inaugural Collegiate season will be 6 weeks. The first 5 of which will be the regular season entailing one practice and one game a week. The playoffs will take place during the 6th week where the first place team will play the fourth and the second place team will play the third with the winners of each game playing a playoff game for top of the division and the losing teams playing for third place.

Youth leagues will follow a similar format. Details to follow at a later date.

We have tried to keep times and dates consistent.  Practices will be Monday to Wednesday, anywhere from 6:00pm to 9:30pm and games during the same time on Thursdays – nothing on weekends.  Our aim is to avoid overlap for the players and coaches with their summer programs - we recognize that there are many field camps and tournaments which occur on weekends.  In addition, many of the College athletes and coaches work/intern during the day so it was important to have practices/games start after business hours. 

3 of the top 5 players with the highest average goals scored in a career in Men’s NCAA Division 1 Field lacrosse grew up playing Canadian box lacrosse.

Approximately 90% of players currently in the National Lacrosse League are Canadian

Yes, you will need insurance provided by USBOXLA (cost ~$25) as well as provide a signed waiver which will be provided. Lacrosse is a physical sport. Our focus will always be on the safety of the athlete. However, players may be hurt and therefore are required to maintain insurance.  

The CTBLL Collegiate Division will follow the National Collegiate Box Series rules. Note that there are other box lacrosse rules such as those established by the CLA, NLL, and US Lacrosse. The various rule books have slight but important differences.

Yes. The one main exception is that the Junior A box lacrosse league is a longer season with the Provincial Champions earning a place in the Canadian National Championship Minto Cup. We are hopeful that within a few years the growth of box lacrosse will enable a somewhat similar format to allow the best teams/players an opportunity to play for a national championship at the Collegiate (Junior) level.

There is high demand for a men’s league, and we do plan on offering one. Unlike youth players that play during the winter and the Collegiate players that play during the summer, the season for a Men’s league is to be determined based on interaction and feedback from the community.  Please provide suggestions and comments through our registration form.  

Not currently. We envision the development of box lacrosse athletes in the US will begin at the youth level and progress through to the Collegiate, or Junior, level after which players will be eligible to play professionally in the NLL. We see the NLL expanding and with it, the likelihood of affiliated development teams. As the growth of box lacrosse in the US continues, we will adapt accordingly and will help provide whatever level of play is necessary.

Box lacrosse is a physical sport and involves more contact and checking versus field lacrosse. Full box lacrosse equipment is required and includes a helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, bicep pads, rib/back pads, mouth guard and lacrosse stick.  There are no long pole sticks in box lacrosse.  Please visit our Equipment Section to learn more.

The total cost will be $795. This includes 6 practices (1 ½ hours) and 5 games (1 ½ hours). There is no fee for initial registration, $25 dollars due before tryouts, and the balance is due only after a player is drafted to one of the four teams. Payment is accepted online via, credit card, debit card, ACH, other.

Once a player is selected to a team and pays in full, there will be no cancelation refunds unless under certain circumstances such as injury.  As a rule of thumb, if we can find a replacement  player, we will refund cost on a pro-rata basis. 

We are working to establish filming for the games. In addition, we are currently working on a relationship with Krossover that will allow coaches/players access to enable viewing and coaching analysis.