The sport of lacrosse dates back to the ancient North American Indian game of baggataway, which played an important part of their social, cultural and spiritual heritage. French missionaries are believed to have given the sport its name, likening the stick to a Bishop’s crozier.
The history of international lacrosse dates back to the 19th century when a Canadian team played the Iroquois. In fact, lacrosse was an Olympic exhibition sport at the 1908 London, 1912 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, and 1948 London games.
The first world Lacrosse championships were held in Toronto in 1967, although the first ILF governed event was held in 1974 in Melbourne. The championships have been dominated by the USA, winning all but one of their world championship matches over the last 35 years.
The development of the box lacrosse game occurred in the early 1920's when Canada's two most popular sports were combined -- the skills and action of field lacrosse, with the speed and action of hockey. By the mid 1930's box lacrosse had virtually taken over from field lacrosse.
Box Lacrosse is the uniquely Canadian version of lacrosse, which was developed as the indoor answer to the outdoor game. The game was developed by a group of hockey promoters; the early rule changes from the field game included reducing the number of players and playing the game indoors in a hockey rink. It has achieved considerable success and is the most popular version of lacrosse played in Canada.
Box Lacrosse has also enjoyed growth in the United States, Australia and Europe in recent years. The World Box Lacrosse Championships were held in the Czech Republic in 2002 and in Canada in 2003.
