FAQ
Q: When is lacrosse season?
A: Lacrosse is a spring sport, similar to baseball. Our teams generally begin practicing toward the end of February and play games from mid-March through mid-May. Our Kindergarten teams have a slightly shorter season that runs from late March through mid-May.
Q: Do I need to reside in the township to play?
A: Yes, only exception is our Futures (K/PreK) Clinic. All K thru 8th grade players need to reside within the STHS school boundaries. Players from Cheltenham area as well as Northwest Philadelphia are also permitted to play for Spartans.
Q: Where do practices take place?
A: Cisco Park is our home field. We may also have some practices at at Church Rd Athletic Complex (corner of Church and Paper Mill). Prior to daylight savings time, most practices will be held in a nearby gym, indoor facility or a nearby turf field.
Q: How are teams divided and decided on?
A: In order to maximize player development, players will be placed on skill appropriate teams beginning in 3rd grade. Therefore, it is possible that players may not have teammates in their exact grade level within their respective division. Please see our league's (SEPYLA) division structure below:
FAQ (Cont'd)
Q: How often do the teams practice?
A: During the spring season, our teams practice twice per week. Our K thru 2nd grade teams typically practice once per week after games begin.
Q: What nights do we practice?
A: Practice schedules are not finalized until February. Most commonly, 3rd thru 8th grade teams will practice either on Mon/Wed or on Tues/Thurs.
Q: Which age groups are available?
A: Spartan Lacrosse is open to all boys in K thru 8th grade. Our PreK / K clinic is co-ed. For girls in grades 1-8, please visit the SGLC website.
Q: When are games played?
A: During the spring season, our teams generally play games on Saturdays. These teams typically play 8 games per season. Our K thru 2nd grade teams typically play 5-6 games per season.
Q: Where are games played? Do we have to travel?
A: We attempt to schedule about half of each teams’ games at home (Cisco Park). The away games are mostly scheduled within Montgomery and Bucks County area with occasional away games in Berks or Delaware County.
Q: What kind of equipment do I need?
A: All players in our K thru 8 program will need to provide their own equipment including both protective gear and a stick. The club provides goalie equipment to all goalies. The protective gear required by the league is found here.
Q: What kind of lacrosse stick should I buy?
A: There are three kinds of boys lacrosse sticks: short stick, used by attack and midfield players; long stick, used by defense and midfield players, and a goalie stick. The basic lacrosse skills can be best learned with the short stick, and the club requires all K thru 2nd grade players to play with a short stick. The club has a few goalie sticks that will be loaned to players wishing to try the goalie position. The stick consists of a head and shaft. If your son is new to lacrosse and buying a stick off the rack, pick one with the deepest pocket available. Learning to catch and scoop is easier with a deep pocket.
Q: Can my child play lacrosse in addition to another sport?
A: Yes. Many players (especially younger players in the program) tend to play both baseball and lacrosse.
Q: Is Lacrosse a contact sport?
A: Yes, lacrosse is a contact sport. Boys in K thru 3rd grade play with minimal physical contact. The focus is on developing their lacrosse skills. From 4th grade and up, physical contact is allowed and is taught by coaches appropriately.
Q: The season wasn't long enough. What other playing opportunities are out there in the local area?
A: Lacrosse is a spring sport however there are many travel (club) teams in our area that offer year round programming.
Q: Can my son play Club lacrosse in addition to Spartans?
A: Yes, many Spartan players play both club lacrosse and SEPYLA (township based) lacrosse.
Still have questions about Spartan Lacrosse?
Please send inquiries to SpartanLax2000@gmail.com
Message From Our Founder:
The Spartan Lacrosse Club was founded in 1999, hosting its first summer camp in July of that year. The inaugural season of 2000 saw the Club enter the Southeastern Pennsylvania Lacrosse Association (SEPYLA). The Club entered 2 teams in the 5th and 6th and the 7th and 8th grade divisions. The Club also began its first 3rd and 4th grade intramural program that year. The first season saw about 80 boys register.
Registration numbers rose steadily for the next few years. The Club was then able to enter 4 teams in each of the competitive SEPYLA divisions. The Clubs enjoyed such an abundance of players in 2005 that Matt Higgins, founder of the Spartan Club, helped a few parents from Plymouth Whitemarsh township start their own program, which became the Conshy Bulldogs.
In the winter of 2001, the Spartan 3rd and 4th graders had an opportunity to play a halftime exhibition at one the Philadelphia Wings games. After scoring a goal, 4th grader Kevin Farrington celebrated with a head-spinning break dance bringing the drunken Wings fans to their feet screaming for more. Kevin was thus nicknamed “Flashdance” Farrington. This episode was the genesis of the now world-famous Spartan nickname tradition. (Nicknames that have included such memorable monikers as: “Hollywood” Higgins, “Rocket Pocket” Resch, “Concussion” Concannon and of course, the pasta twins “Linguini” and “Fettuccini” Fillipini).
In 2011 the Club began it’s first season with 1st and 2nd graders. The number of players in that age group has steadily risen and the Club will begin another new group in 2020, this time including kindergartners.
The Club was founded to simply give the boys in Springfield Township and Chestnut Hill an opportunity to play “the fastest game on two feet”. The goal of the coaches and the Program Director is to teach the boys the fundamental skills of an incredibly exciting sport, while having a lot of fun. The modest aspiration of the Club is to enable those skills to help the boys make and play on their high school teams. Instilling respect for: The Native American traditions of the game, the coaches, teammates and opponents is an overarching objective of every practice.
The Club has experienced steady growth throughout its 20+ years. Many players have gone on to play in local high schools, some have gone on to play in college (including winning national championships) and even professionally.
Let's Go Spartans!
- Matt Higgins
