In the mid 90’s, youth lacrosse in Vermont began to take shape. The need for an organized league became apparent. Cliff Crosby of St. Albans, along with several other youth coaches, began the Northern Vermont Youth Lacrosse League (NVTYLL). Annual league meetings were held in the Timber Lane Dental Office kitchen and schedules were made on cardboard with a sharpie! At that time, the league consisted of only six teams. Teams were comprised of players from grades 5-8. Towns struggled to field teams with rosters of fifteen players. Seasons were limited to a schedule of roughly twelve games. Each Saturday, jamborees were held and played in a three game format. On any given Saturday the ENTIRE league may be playing at one event!
In the early 2000’s, with the rapid growth of the league and the game, other age divisions were formed. The introduction of the 5-6 level as well as a few early 3-4 teams made an appearance. The league was also able to begin fielding summer select teams in the early 2000’s. Vermont lacrosse players were now competing at national level tournaments and drawing attention doing so. By the mid 2000’s, the NVTYLL 7-8 Select Teams were beating teams from lacrosse hot bed states such as Virginia, North Carolina and New York.
By 2008 or so, league meetings were now held in massive conference rooms due to league expansion. Those conference rooms were outgrown and the need for procurement of Town halls became necessary to conduct the annual meeting. The 5-6 and 7-8 teams began playing for a league championship. High school and college coaches began asking NVTYLL coaches about players seen at weekend jamborees. Our league had gained validity with its level of play and our players were eager for more.
Today, the growth of the game and our league is nothing short of remarkable. Over the course of the last twenty years the Northern Vermont Youth Lacrosse League has grown as fast as the game of lacrosse itself. As roster sizes increased, so did the number of towns fielding teams. Our program involvement grew from six to in excess of twenty! Not only are there many more towns playing lacrosse, there are youth teams at four different levels. There is a Kindergarten-2nd grade level, a 3rd-4th grade level, a 5th-6th grade level and a 7th-8th grade level..
The NVTYLL has had the backing of USA Lacrosse from the very beginning and continues that relationship today. With USA Lacrosse coaching programs that are offered, the NVTYLL has a USA Lacrosse certified head coach for each team at the 5-6 and 7-8 levels. The league is committed to continued lacrosse education for its coaches as well as its players. With the support of USA Lacrosse, NVTYLL board members, coaches, players and their families, NVTYLL has grown to what it is today, a league committed to honoring the game and passing the love of the game on to its participants. If you haven’t experienced the excitement of lacrosse, please ask anyone affiliated with the NVTYLL! We will be happy to get you started with the fastest game on two feet!