Is Northeastern Lacrosse a NCAA program?
No, Northeastern University’s Lacrosse program is not a member of the NCAA; however we are a nationally recognized intercollegiate club team, participating as a Division I member of the MCLA.
Why would someone want to play Lacrosse at Northeastern?
We feel our program represents an extremely unique opportunity for individuals that love the game of lacrosse, to both play the sport and enjoy the variety of opportunities that come along with attending a large University.
Quite simply Northeastern University is a great place to get an education. Northeastern is a leader in cooperative education (voted #1 by US News & World Report) which means that students graduating don’t just get a college degree, but get years of hands on experience working at companies in their chosen profession. Combined with the city of Boston and proximity to Fenway Park, Northeastern offers a unique opportunity for students looking for a top tier education in one of the country’s most exciting cities.
Our team offers a very competitive lacrosse experience, on a national scale without the overwhelming pressures and time-commitment of a big time Division I varsity lacrosse program. Our student-athletes are expected to maintain full dedication to the program and team commitments, but are given the latitude to focus on academics. Players are encouraged to take part in various activities beyond lacrosse and we are proud of the diversity of experiences our players graduate from the University having participated in.
We also represent an opportunity for players who are interested in joining a respected and highly rated program. All members of our organization are committed to winning a National Championship and we prepare, practice, and work towards that goal on a daily basis.
Who does the team play?
Northeastern Lacrosse is a Division I member of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) (formerly the USL-MDIA or USLIA), the largest lacrosse league in the world. The MCLA is made up of over 200 teams currently divided into 9 conferences that represent virtually every region of the country.
Northeastern is a member of the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League, with 15 teams throughout the Northeast. Other Conferences include the CCLA (Midwest), the SELC (Southeast), the Great rivers Lacrosse Conference (Midwest), the Lonestar Alliance (Texas), the UMLL (Upper Midwest), the RMLL (Rocky Mountains), the WCLL (West Coast), and the PNCLL (Pacific Northwest). All of the programs in the MCLA are club teams that operate as “virtual varsities”. They are coached, highly structured teams, many with large budgets that compete on a national scale.
Along with our PCLL schedule, Northeastern also travels nationally during our spring break having played teams like Georgia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, UC – San Diego, Michigan, Arizona and Texas in the past few years. The opportunity to play such a wide variety of schools and visit these various locations is definitely one of the many plusses to playing for a top level MCLA program.
Is there a post-season tournament?
The PCLL tournament is held on the last weekend of April. The winner of this tournament, along with the champions from the other 9 conferences, earns an automatic bid to the national championship tournament in mid-may. Six other at-large bids are available to the rest of the teams in the conference who do not win their conference championship.
This past year the tournament was held in Denver, Colorado and the championship game was televised nationally.
What is the difference between an MCLA team and a club team not in the MCLA?
The MCLA represents a different type of structure. While there are various other talented club teams that are not a member of the MCLA, most do not have coaches and typically do not follow NCAA rules of play, nor do they have as strict eligibility requirements as the MCLA does. The US MDLIA on the other hand is directly affiliated with US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse. Its purpose is to provide a “virtual varsity” experience for student-athletes at schools where there is no varsity lacrosse.
What does “Virtual Varsity” mean?
Virtual Varsity is a term often used by top-level MCLA teams as a way of distinguishing themselves from what many people associate with a typical “club” program.
Virtual Varsity refers to the effort by the team to operate as if it were a Varsity program at the Institution. Attendance at all team events is considered mandatory and teams work on short and long term plans to try and develop a nationally respected program.
Will there ever be varsity lacrosse at Northeastern?
It is possible, but at this time there are little to no plans for Northeastern to move to Varsity in the near future.
We are very proud of our affiliation with the MCLA and feel we represent a fantastic opportunity for any individual that is looking to play lacrosse at a highly competitive level, despite our not being an NCAA Varsity program.
How does playing MCLA lacrosse at Northeastern differ from playing NCAA lacrosse at other schools?
Our philosophy here at Northeastern is that we want to do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level possible and represent the University in the best possible way. As such, we look and act like a varsity program at practice and during games and we require our student-athletes to work hard to achieve team and individual goals. In addition, every one of our players must follow MCLA rules and regulations regarding academic eligibility.
As a club team, however, we do not receive much financial support from the University. We have to do extensive fundraising to ensure that we can run the kind of program we do. While we are fortunate to be able to use various Northeastern facilities as well as various fields in the City of Boston.
As a program with no scholarships to offer and a firm commitment to academic excellence, we don’t expect our players to make the same kind of time commitment as Division I varsity players do. While we expect all of our team members to be 100% committed to the team, we understand that academics come first. Our philosophy is more in line with Division III lacrosse principles – a balance between academics and athletics. That said, this is not a team for casual student-athletes. Just like our varsity counterparts here at Northeastern, our student-athletes take great pride in representing their university and themselves in the best possible way. They work very hard toward team and personal goals.
How can I join the team?
Our season is broken down into two parts, fall and spring. The fall season consists of three practices a week and several scrimmages. We use the fall season to gauge the talent of newer players and develop team chemistry. If you are interested in playing, please contact us by filling out either the Recruits or Contact pages. The fall season runs from late September through early December.
Participation in fall tryouts is highly recommended to join the team. However, we have had some players tryout in the winter. They are usually transfers or individuals who were abroad during the fall, and don’t recommend players on campus to wait.
Can I join after my freshman year?
Yes. We appreciate that starting school or transferring to a new institution can be a lot and adding lacrosse immediately can be difficult. If during your career at Northeastern you are interested in joining our program we are interested in your trying out for the team.
Can I play and participate in the Co-op program?
Yes. We are very proud of the educational experiences available at Northeastern and encourage all our players to take part in them. We typically have close to a quarter of the team at a time participating in the Co-op program and schedule all practices and games so that there are little to any conflicts. If for some reason a conflict does arise the program is insistent on players meeting their school and work obligations first before attending to those of the team.
What do I have to do to be eligible to play?
MCLA eligibility rules are based on NCAA rules, but slightly simplified. MCLA players have four years of eligibility in college lacrosse (club, MDIA or varsity). In order to play, you must carry at least 12 credit hours throughout the regular season. The only way you can carry less than 12 credit hours is if it is your final semester of school, and you are taking the courses you need to graduate.
In addition, the MCLA requires that all participants be undergraduate students at that school, or if they are graduate students, that they received their undergraduate degree at the same school. Transfers from NCAA varsity programs do not need to sit out a year before they are eligible to play.
The MCLA conducts periodic eligibility checks to ensure that all players are eligible.
How much will it cost to play?
Since lacrosse is a club sport, we do not receive a great amount of financial support from the university itself. Our budget is a lot higher than what we receive from the school. The team gets the rest of the money in three ways; 1) player dues 2) fundraising 3) donations/sponsorships.
Dues: The Northeastern Lacrosse program is very committed to limiting the financial impact on our athletes. Our yearly dues per player can range between $800 and $1200. This is substantially less than many of our peers and we work very hard to make sure any adjustments to dues are only made when necessary.
Fundraisers: The team participates in various fundraisers throughout the year to help defer costs to the individual. Some fundraisers we have done recently are date auctions, t-shirts, restaurant deals, and a goal-a-thon (where people donated $0.10 to $1.50 per goal we scored. Part of that money went to the team, while a portion went to support Metrolacrosse (an Boston lacrosse group who helps spread lacrosse through the city’s youth).
Donations/Sponsorships: Northeastern Lacrosse is a non-profit organization, therefore when parents/alumni/companies donate to us, they can write those donations off their taxes. It is an easy way for us to make money, and for our followers to get some tax relief.
What kind of commitment does it take to play for Northeastern?
Playing lacrosse at Northeastern is a commitment. Players are expected to participate in upwards of 14 hours of team activities during the fall and 18 during the spring. In-season the team spends several weekend days traveling and the entire spring break away. Tournament schedules can force our seniors to miss graduation ceremonies, and everyone has to stay in Boston two weeks into spring term in the event the team makes the national championship tournament. There are definitely sacrifices to playing, however we feel these sacrifices are well worth the opportunity to represent our school on the national stage, along with the friendships made while here.
If you are looking for an opportunity to be a part of something special, to continue or start your lacrosse career at a highly competitive level, Northeastern is the perfect place.
