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Who Wants To Play Lacrosse In Turkey?

This Fall, a brand new international lacrosse event becomes a reality, and you have the chance to be involved! In late September (the 23-28th), Turkey Lacrosse will host the TL Open, in Alanya, Turkey, which is in the southern portion of the nation, on the beautiful Mediterranean, also known as the Turkish Riviera.

Here are some quick notes on the tourney, why you should go, and what makes it different from other events out there:

– Second international field lacrosse tournament in Turkey (the first was small and took place this past June)

– First tournament played with new common field line markings for both men and women on same field. This is something to keep an eye on and VERY interesting in lacrosse’s Olympic push!

– 16 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams, with 23 maximum players allowed for each team

– Each team will receive a local liaison throughout event

– ALL-INCLUSIVE resorts for all tournament housing, minimum of 4 games per team, ground transportation is included

– Beach lacrosse fun tournament on 23rd and 24th September 2013

– Main tournament from 25th to 28th September 2013. Main stadium holds 15,000. Playing surface is natural grass

– The will also be clinics for players, coaches, umpires, referees and youth, and professional players Jonny Christmas, Kyle Sweeney, and Jordan Hall will all be in attendance!

Jordan Hall Hamilton Nationals MLL lacrosse lax
Hall MLL balling…

We got the chance to speak with Jordan Hall about his involvement, and it only made us more excited to make the trip. Oh, did we mention that? LAS will be hitting up Turkey, and you can come with us! But more on that a little later! For now let’s check in with Jordan…

How important is a passionate leader? Turkey is lucky to have Patrick Dougherty taking care of business… has his passion been contagious?

Haha, Pat’s vision is hard not to see. He has been busy locking down sponsorships, players, teams, venues, accommodations, and the list goes on. Whenever I had a question about the tournament he was already working on the answer and we are over 9 months out. Enough time to watch his baby come to life.

Why Turkey? What drew you to what was happening there?

After speaking with Pat on what he was planning to do, I wanted to make sure I could get there. Growing the game wherever possible is a way of giving back to a sport that has become such a big part of my life. I also have had great experiences in Hawaii, Prague, Vegas and Ocean City tournaments, so why not go to another place I have always wanted to travel to?

What can the lacrosse community do for this fledgling program? How will you be staying involved?

I think having some pro players come over and run clinics will be a great start. Guys like Johnny Christmas and Kyle Sweeney are experienced instructors, and great players, but more importantly, they are passionate about the sport. When you have teachers like that, their feelings are infectious and this tournament and clinics will be a great way to raise lacrosse awareness in Turkey. Luckily Reebok also stepped in with a generous donation and will be providing over 150 free heads to the Turkish lacrosse community.

Who else will be going to Turkey with you? What are your expectations for the trip? Ever been before? What do you guys have planned so far?

I have never been but am really excited about it. I have always wanted to see Istanbul after seeing it in so many movies. I am hoping some of my Reebok counterparts will come join me as well as teammates in both leagues. The more the merrier! Traveling to these tournaments has always been like a vacation with friends and I hope this one is no different. Also hoping some of the Turkish guys can point me towards the “must do’s” of the country before I head home.

Where can Turkey lacrosse go in the next 2 years? How about 5?

I am hoping participation continues to grow. I know equipment in Europe is hard to come by and hoping Reebok can be a leader in the area. Also coaching may hamper the growth of the sport, but I am sure Pat has been working on a solution to that. Once kids have access to the gear and someone to coach them, I think everything else will fall in place. It’s hard not to enjoy the sport once you pick up a stick.

SOFIA_CUP_2011 turkey lacrosse
Turkey Lacrosse wants to welcome YOU!

We couldn’t agree more!

We are incredibly excited about this tournament, and want to support the movement, so we’re going to try to put together a team of great guys who want to go over and play. If you’re interested in joining Team LAS for a little international excursion, drop us a line via email, (info@lacrosseallstars.com – subject: “Turkey Lacrosse Open”), and we’ll get you on the list!

If you’ve got a team that wants to go over to Turkey this year, we recommend that you check out the tournament website. It’s packed with info and countdown bar that lets you know exactly how long you have left until the tourney starts! We may be NINE MONTHS away, but that doesn’t mean the excitement isn’t here already!

We’ll be back with more international lacrosse info from Turkey, Thailand, Germany, and Ireland later in the coming months!