What are the House and Recreation Leagues?
First and foremost the two programs are intended to make sure the children play at an appropriate level to their skills. This is to ensure the players develop quickest, have fun and be satisfied with their lacrosse experience. All players are intended to be placed in a division with teams of similar abilities, to maximize development. No players gain from 10-0 games. All players will benefit from 3-2 games, in contention until the end, every minute matters.
Placements are the process of determining the best fit for individual players, teams and the entire EBLAX organization to maximize player development while having fun. All players develop at different times and intervals during the younger years, even during the season, there are no set formulas. The goal is to build teams that consist of players with similar abilities, in a competitive atmosphere, while fostering skills development, and helping to mold quality individuals that will have the confidence to succeed in all aspects of life, not just lacrosse. We place players with 2 years or less into our house program as a default to build the fundamental skills.
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RECREATION LEAGUE:
This program is part of the RI Youth Lacrosse League. For returning families, this is the format East Bay Lacrosse has always offered. Practices are held on average 2 times per week with games on Saturday. This program is for girl's in grade 1 & up and boy's in grade 3 & up.
Travel: Games are played at "home" (East Bay fields) and away throughout the state. Fields locations and directions are on our website. Some away fields are as close as Providence, others as far as Narragansett. In years past the oldest children would play the first game (appx. 8:30) followed by the next lower grade groups, and so on. The schedule has not been set, this is only for reference.
Teams: An average sized recreation team is 18-20 players, sometimes more. The East Bay Bristol County Lacrosse League serves: Bristol, Warren, Barrington, Somerset, Rehoboth and Swansea. All our teams, regardless of program, are made up from these towns.
Games: The recreation program follows the US Lacrosse Youth Lacrosse format and regulations.
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HOUSE LEAGUE
This is the program offered by East Bay Lacrosse for all boys in grades 1 & 2. Practices are held on average 2 times per week with games on Saturday. It is a smaller team format that does not involve travel.
Evolution of House League:
There are several ideas behind the creation of the house league. The focus of this league is to teach sound lacrosse fundamentals and practice good sportsmanship in an environment where everyone plays.
The smaller teams allow for more time with the ball and more individualized instruction. Our focus is to make sure players will get a solid foundation of lacrosse. These skills are essential for players to move up with confidence and competence. Some fundamentals are cradling, passing & shooting, catching, ground balls, and all of the above while on the run!
Local: The house league can also be considered the "local" league. Players on house teams will not travel around the state for games. Practices will be held on local fields with games on Saturday mornings, also locally. However, while you don't have to drive all over the state for games you do still get the experience of playing against teams that are not made up entirely from your neighbors or classmates as we serve the entire East Bay region.
Teams: The team size and game format is smaller than a US Lacrosse regulation youth lacrosse game. There will be on average 12-14 players per house team and the games are 7 vs. 7. Practices are held in a group setting so there are at any given time 4 - 8 coaches running different skill stations. Players can move form shooting drills, to dodges to catching depending on their specific needs. Players who are strong in one area do not have to wait around for their teammates to learn a specific drill to be able to move on. All house players from all teams will work in unison for part of the practice and scrimmage with their individual teams later.
For games., teere are 7 players on a field per team. This includes 1 goalie, 2 defender's, 2 midfielder's and 2 attackmen. The house league will also follow the rules set by the US Lacrosse Youth Lacrosse format regarding penalties, checking etc. .
The smaller team and game format translates into more playing time for the kids. More playing time, means more learning!
Please send any questions to
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