Ontario Lacrosse Association continues to Accelerate Action for women in sport

International Women's Day saw many sports organizations around the world reflect on the progress they've made to Accelerate Action for equality for women and girls in sport, and discuss steps still needed to drive further change.

One organization was the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA), a member association of Lacrosse Canada (LC), the national governing body for lacrosse in Canada. 

"We are proud to celebrate the contributions and achievements of our female athletes, coaches, officials, and lacrosse leaders. This year’s theme, Accelerate Action, reminds us that progress happens when we continue to push forward and create more opportunities for women and girls in the game. Today and every day, we are committed to providing equal opportunities and empowering women and girls to feel seen, supported, and inspired - whether it’s playing, officiating, coaching, or volunteering. Let’s keep the momentum going and Accelerate Action together. Happy International Women’s Day," said the OLA. 

Governing body of amateur lacrosse

The OLA exists to improve, foster, perpetuate and govern the sport of lacrosse within the province of Ontario. In addition to coordinating the operation of the sport, the OLA provides informative resources, technical development programs and additional supplies for those interested in the 'fastest game on two feet.'

The organization is the provincially-recognized sanctioning governing body of the amateur sport of lacrosse within the province of Ontario. The OLA governs box lacrosse, men’s field lacrosse and women’s field lacrosse and is empowered by the national governing body, the Canadian Lacrosse Association. 

OLA is the largest provincial lacrosse governing body within Canada, consisting of 33,000 players, coaches, trainers, officials and volunteers. 

Among other associations, the OLA oversees eight senior women’s box lacrosse associations and 18 women’s field lacrosse associations.

Promoting universal inclusion

The OLA recognizes the sport plays a major role in promoting the universal inclusion of all groups in society. It is committed to the principle of offering inclusive and available opportunities to everyone who wishes to play lacrosse, and encourages the registration of under-represented populations across the province. 

"The unique ability of sports to transcend linguistic, cultural and social barriers makes it an excellent platform for inclusion. The sport of lacrosse has a long tradition of encouraging the involvement of female participants. Of the 30 leagues which fall under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Lacrosse Association, 28 are co-ed or female-exclusive. OLA member associations are encouraged to offer local opportunities for female athletes to play, coach, officiate and administer and govern the game of lacrosse both in co-ed and female-exclusive competition," says the OLA.

Amplifying women in Hall of Fame

The Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum recognizes and celebrates the great game of Lacrosse, through historical, cultural, and athletic contributions to the sport; celebrating past, and present achievements in Canada’s national sport, across the province.

Meet the many impressive women inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame:

2024 - Mary-Ann McIntyre

2022 - Jennifer Johnson

2020 - Marion LaDouceur

2020 - Joanne Stanga

2016 - Filomena "Mena" Briscoe

2005 - Janice Mt. Pleasant

2002 - Ruby Lang

2001 - Kerri Hardill

2000 - Sharon Hrinco

2000 - Julie Norton

1999 - Barb Boyes

1999 - Gail Cummings-Danson

1997 - Joan Gostling

1997 - Helen Sawicki

Celebrating the Ontario lacrosse community

As one of the oldest team sports in North America, the origins of lacrosse lie with the Native American people who lived in Ontario, Quebec and western New York. The first written rules were established in 1867, and although formal amateur provincial competition began in 1887, the Ontario Lacrosse Association was not established as the provincial governing body of the sport until ten years later. 

While initially only played outdoors, the game eventually found interest from arena owners who wished to ensure that their properties would be utilized year-round as opposed to only in the winter. In the 1930’s, the birth of “box lacrosse” (indoor lacrosse) increased the popularity of the sport among both athletes and observers. Although official competition was impacted by the number of participants available during both World War I and World War II, lacrosse teams have maintained activity on an annual basis since the inception of the Ontario Lacrosse Association.

Ontario lacrosse has the most active base in the country, and the highest active participation levels for any organized lacrosse association, by far. Since its inception in 1997, the OLHOF’s mission has been to recognize and celebrate the historical, cultural, and athletic contributions within the Ontario lacrosse community; as well as to provide educational information resources about the game and its rich history.