YCLA: About the York County Lacrosse AssociationWhen the 11 charter clubs of the York County Lacrosse Association formally adopted a set of Bylaws in the fall of 2005, it marked another milestone in the rapid development of youth lacrosse in York County. The organization that began with 25 participants in 1996, is quickly approaching another mark of distinction as its participation has reached 1,855 student athletes in 2008. The YCLA is comprised of clubs from 12 different school districts in York County, plus New Oxford in Adams County. Within the last year, four clubs, South Western, Red Lion, Central York and New Oxford, were formally recognized by their districts as varsity sports at the high school level, while the remaining nine still operate independently from the school systems. The other charter clubs include Wildcat Lacrosse Club (Dallastown), Northern York, South Eastern, Spring Grove, Warrior Lacrosse (Susquehannock), the Shooting Irish, York Suburban and the newly-formed Canine Lacrosse Club (West York). In the summer of 2006, the YCLA accepted Eastern York as its 12th member, while New Oxford was approved as the 13th member in December of the same year.
HistoryLacrosse was introduced to York County in 1996 when Larry Heim and Judy Shopp, two local attorneys, brought together 25 boys from five different high schools to form a travel team. The group, coached by Bill Middleton, did very well against teams from the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas. In 1998, Bob Rhein took over the coaching reins and, after his first season, spearheaded a campaign to promote the sport's growth, including shooting contests at church carnivals and free clinics throughout the fall. The results were dramatic as the participation numbers grew exponentially from 25-to-80-to-160-to-300 boys between 1998 and 2001. In the fall, 2001, the decision was made to dissolve the original York Lacrosse Club into individual clubs that would be run within the local communities. Thus, eight clubs, including Biglerville in Adams County, were in operation and began a round-robin scheduling format under the auspices of the York County Lacrosse League. Growth By Year
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