FAQ

1. WHAT IS WLAL’S BACKGROUND?

2. ARE THE WLAL WOLVES A COMPETITVE CLUB TEAM?

3. WHEN ARE THE WLAL WOLVES LACROSSE SEASONS?

4. IN WHICH LEAGUE DO THE WLAL WOLVES PLAY?

5. WHAT ARE THE AGE-BREAKDOWNS FOR WLAL WOLVES TEAMS? 

6. WHAT IS THE COST OF REGISTRATION TO PLAY FOR WLAL? 

7. WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED AND WHERE DO I GET IT?

8. WHERE AND WHEN ARE PRACTICES?

9. WHERE AND WHEN ARE GAMES?

10. WHO COACHES FOR WLAL WOLVES?

11. DOES MY CHILD NEED AN ACTIVE US LACROSSE (USL) MEMBERSHIP TO PLAY WITH THE WLAL WOLVES?

12. WHY IS THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM DIRECTING ME TO RENEW MY CHILD’S USL MEMBERSHIP EVEN THOUGH THE MEMBERSHIP IS STILL CURRENTLY ACTIVE?

13. DO THE WLAL WOLVES OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS?

14. CAN I VOLUNTEER OR HELP WLAL?

15. CAN I MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO THE PROGRAM?

WHAT IS WLAL’S BACKGROUND?

West LA Lacrosse (WLAL) is the longest-running youth lacrosse program in Los Angeles. For more than a decade, WLAL has proven to be a seminal nucleus for the sport in this region. WLAL’s mission is to grow the sport in Los Angeles by providing affordable, accessible, developmental youth programs at the community-level. WLAL is a 501(c)3 non-profit public-benefit corporation driven entirely by parents and volunteers. 

ARE THE WLAL WOLVES A COMPETITVE CLUB TEAM?

WLAL is a community-recreational program with a focus on developing fundamental and foundational lacrosse skills. While we have very experienced and extremely talented players, we also welcome beginners at every age level. There are no try-outs needed to play for the WLAL Wolves. Our teams feature a wide range of experience and skill, and we consider this a signature aspect of playing with WLAL. Beginners are challenged to compete against experienced players, while experienced players are challenged to help their teammates improve. When the numbers enable us, WLAL will sometime divide up players within an age-division into separate “American” and “National” teams, grouping kids with similar experience and skill levels. This is done to maximize all players on-field time and to gain the healthiest match-ups with other teams in the league. While WLAL’s focus is squarely on development as opposed to winning, our teams and our players have a long history of success. WLAL has logged many Championships in both winter and spring season, and also in off-season tournaments. WLAL alumni are increasingly playing competitive high-school lacrosse and also on nationally-ranked club teams.  

WHEN ARE THE WLAL WOLVES LACROSSE SEASONS?

WLAL Wolves teams play in two different primary seasons: Winter & Spring. Winter Season generally runs from the first Saturday of January through the final weekend of February. Spring Season generally runs from the beginning of March through the end of May. WLAL also runs a Fall training program (no games). WLAL also assembles teams that compete in Summer and Fall tournaments outside of these primary seasons.

IN WHICH LEAGUE DO THE WLAL WOLVES PLAY?

During the Winter season, all WLAL Wolves teams play in the West LA Lacrosse League, which is managed and run by WLAL. This Winter League draws participation from nearly a dozen regions around Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Culver City, El Segundo, South Bay, Torrance, Palos Verdes, Westchester, and more. During the Spring season, WLAL does not operate the league, but rather we place our WLAL teams in Spring leagues run by other organizations, such as the Los Angeles Youth Lacrosse League (LAYLL). 

WHAT ARE THE AGE-BREAKDOWNS FOR WLAL WOLVES TEAMS? 

THE WLAL Wolves field teams in the following grade divisions for both boys & girls: K/1st; 2nd/3rd; 4th/5th; & Middle School (6th-8th).   

WHAT IS THE COST OF REGISTRATION TO PLAY FOR WLAL? 

Player registration pricing for our 2019 Winter Seasonis as follows (early-bird/late):

Boys K/1:  $250/$275;Boys 2/3, 4/5, & MS:  $299/$325

Girls K/1:  $200/$225;Girls 2/3, 4/5, & MS:  $275/$300

Please note that Spring registration is more expensive than winter, due to a longer season and higher team-registration prices that are set by the spring leagues we play in. 

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED AND WHERE DO I GET IT?

Boys need helmets, mouthguards, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, sticks, and cleats. Girls need goggles, mouthguards, sticks, and cleats. Please be aware that girls and boys lacrosse sticks are different. All lacrosse equipment is available at sporting goods stores like Dick’s and Big 5. While WLAL does not formally operate an equipment-rental program, we can, on a case-by-case basis, rent out some equipment packages when needed. 

WHERE AND WHEN ARE PRACTICES?

All WLAL practices are held at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center. Your coach will identify a day between Monday and Friday, and a time slot between 4:00-7:00pm. Most of our teams run 90-minute practices while some run 2-hour sessions. Some of our teams hold one weekly team practice session, while others run two.  

WHERE AND WHEN ARE GAMES?

Games during Winter Season are played at an array of fields around the west side of Los Angeles including Mar Vista Rec Center, Culver City HS, Santa Monica HS, and Manhattan Village Turf in Manhattan Beach. During the Spring season, we also commonly play at Campus El Segundo. Winter Season games are generally held on Saturdays, while Spring Season games are usually Sundays. The specific time/locations are announced during the season and communicated out to families through their coaches. Please note that during Spring, WLAL does not control the game scheduling or when those schedules are announced, since WLAL does not operate the spring league. 

WHO COACHES FOR WLAL WOLVES?

Most of WLAL’s coaches are volunteer parents who have played lacrosse. We have parent coaches who have played at the high-school, club, and NCAA Division 1, 2, & 3 levels. We also employ professional coaches who have played at the college level and have coached youth lacrosse for many years. If you are a WLAL parent with lacrosse experience or a coach who wants to get involved, please contact us at westlalax@gmail.com.  

DOES MY CHILD NEED AN ACTIVE US LACROSSE (USL) MEMBERSHIP TO PLAY WITH THE WLAL WOLVES?

Yes. All youth lacrosse programs in America require their players to have an active USL membership due to insurance provisions. USL Membership is separate from any WLAL Wolves registration fees. You can obtain your USL Membership HERE - . You are also able to register for your USL membership during the WLAL registration process. 

WHY IS THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM DIRECTING ME TO RENEW MY CHILD’S USL MEMBERSHIP EVEN THOUGH THE MEMBERSHIP IS STILL CURRENTLY ACTIVE?

The system will not accept a registration unless the player’s USL membership is valid through the end of the season you are registering for. For example, if a player’s USL membership expires on January 30, the system will require renewal, since our Winter league ends in February. Please note: renewing your USL membership will extend it an entire year from the current expiration date, not from the time of registration. 

DO THE WLAL WOLVES OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS?

WLAL is dedicated to making youth lacrosse accessible for all families. If your family’s circumstances make the registration fee untenable, please send a message to westlalax@gmail.com, and we will do our best to address the situation with you. 

CAN I VOLUNTEER OR HELP WLAL?

Yes! We are entirely driven by parent volunteers, so we need your help. Whether you have lax experience and want to help coach, or you want to be a team-parent who helps your coaches at practice and/or games throughout the season, reach out and let us know: westlalax@gmail.com