| LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS | ||||
| Title: | 3 Year Emerging Sport for Girls and Boys Lacrosse | |||
| Author: | Keith Maly | |||
| School: | Millard North | |||
| NSAA District: | 2 | |||
| Proposal for: | Activities Manual | |||
| Classes Affected: | All | |||
| Activities Affected: | None | |||
| This proposal: | WILL increase costs to the school WILL increase costs to the NSAA WILL increase travel for participating schools WILL NOT decrease a student's or coach's instruction time | |||
| Implementation date: | 2027-08-09 | |||
| Sections affected in Activities Manual: | Page p.44 & p. 45 | Article 2 | Section 2.14.1 | |
| Summary: | Boys' Lacrosse and Girls' Lacrosse shall be added as emerging sports beginning with the 2027-28 NSAA calendar year, under the same emerging sport framework the NSAA Board of Directors applied to girls' wrestling in 2020: a three-year emerging period, no NSAA postseason during that period, optional school adoption, and Board authority to fully sanction at any point if participation warrants.
The final season window would be set by the NSAA Board of Directors. The authors present two fully researched, recommended window options, each a compressed second-half window designed so that no student is asked to choose between lacrosse and an existing sport at tryout time: a spring option (practices beginning Week 40, contests Weeks 42 through 46, concluding by approximately May 20) and a fall option (practices beginning Week 13, contests Weeks 16 through 19, concluding by approximately November 13, before winter practice begins). Either window avoids tryout-time competition with existing sports. Option A: Spring Window (1st season Spring 2028) Existing spring rosters set (soccer, track, baseball, tennis, golf) - Weeks 35-37; Approximate Date: March 16th, 2028 Lacrosse practice begins: Week 40; Approximate Date: April 2028 1st Contests: Week 42; Approximate Date: April 10th, 2028 Regular Season: End of Week 46 Approximate Date: May 20th, 2028 NSAA Spring Championships: Weeks 45-47 Approximate Date: May 8-26th, 2028 Option B: Existing fall rosters set (football, volleyball, softball, XC, golf, tennis) Weeks 6-8; Approximate Date: August 2027 Lacrosse Practice Begins: Week 13; Approximate Week: September 27, 2027 1st Lacrosse Contests: Week 16; Approximate Week: October 18, 2027 Regular Season: End of Week 19; Approximate Week: November 13, 2027 Winter Sports Practices Begin: Week 20; Approximate: November 15, 2027 | |||
| Rationale: | Students are playing lacrosse now, in club programs outside school athletics: an established boys' association with varsity and JV divisions, a growing girls' league, and programs at feeder schools. The 2024 statewide AD survey (67 schools; 20,497 students represented) found District 2 with the highest projected participation and the strongest likelihood of support for emerging-sport status.
The emerging sport framework worked exactly as designed for girls' wrestling: designated emerging by the NSAA Board of Directors in May 2020, fully sanctioned by unanimous Board vote in May 2021 only after participation proved itself, first state championship in February 2022, and 185 Nebraska schools with nearly 2,000 participants by 2025-26. A spring option aligns with the national calendar and the existing club season; the fall option answers spring congestion and opens the sport to spring-sport athletes. Both are compressed, second-half windows that avoid tryout-time competition with existing programs. Presenting both, with the choice reserved to the Board and informed by member schools, ensures the season placement serves Nebraska schools rather than dividing them. Proposal adds boys' and girls' lacrosse together, as a package, expanding opportunities for female student-athletes in step with male student-athletes. Girls' lacrosse offers a team sport with among the strongest college participation rates of any girls' sport. | |||
| Pros: | --Zero cost and zero obligation for schools that do not opt in; full local control for schools that do.
--Two researched season-window options give the Board and member schools control over placement, with minimal overlap with existing sports either way: no tryout-time competition for athletes, and requested dual-participation flexibility as a backstop. --Three-year evaluation window ensures any future sanctioning decision is made on real Nebraska participation data, not projections. --Follows the successful girls' wrestling emerging-sport model, a proven NSAA pathway. --Flexible formats (6v6 or full-field), a single combined class, and co-op eligibility make participation realistic for schools of many sizes. During the emerging period, only Varsity level is included. JV remains at the club level. --Adds boys' and girls' opportunities together, strengthening gender equity in Nebraska activities. --Brings existing club players, coaches, and officials into the school-based, education-centered activity model the NSAA exists to provide. | |||
| Cons: | --Adopting schools will incur startup costs (equipment, coaching stipends, transportation, officials).
--Season window carries a trade-off: the spring option overlaps the championship period for other spring sports, while the fall option faces November weather and departs from the national spring calendar. --Compressed season means fewer total contests than a full-length season. --Nebraska lacrosse has two stable assigning associations for officials; however, officials will need to grow with statewide participation. | |||