The World Series of Youth Lacrosse has folded after nearly seven years of action. The WSYL has been the most prestigious youth lacrosse event in recent history, consisting of the 24-best U13 teams and 24-best U14 teams in the world competing for the title of world champion.
The WSYL has been a pivotal event in youth lacrosse for a numerous of years now. The event was originally founded back in 2014 by Jake Steinfield, the founder of Major League Lacrosse. His inspiration came to him as he was watching the Little League Baseball World Series in the summer of 2014 and felt there was a need to provide the youth lacrosse player with the premier experience in youth sports.
The goal was to create the best youth lacrosse event in the world, which included the best players, best facilities, and the best gear. Steinfield reached out to the founder of Warrior Lacrosse, Dave Morrow, to get Warrior to play a pivotal roll in this event. Warrior ended up being a major sponsor, providing all of the gear for the event moving forward. Steinfield was also able to gain major investors, like Coca-Cola Company, to help fund the event.
In order to have an accurate representation of teams from across the country, WSYL held regional qualifiers months prior to the event to determine what lacrosse clubs would receive an invite the the World Series. U.S.-based teams had to participate in a Regional Qualifier for the opportunity to qualify for the Championship Series. The top two teams from each of the four brackets in the preliminary round advanced to the playoffs to compete for the Warrior World Series of Youth Lacrosse title in the Championship Game.
The event has received some criticism over the years for not actually representing every league and region in the nation. The East Regional Qualifier represented six states and consisted of nine different teams, whereas the Central Regional Qualifier represented 17 different states but only consisted of three teams.
This isn’t the only criticism the event has received in recent years. A dispute took place this summer where a tournament mom called the Haudenosaunee National Team “trash” and that it didn’t belong at the event.
This was met with public outcry from the community about how this kind of behavior does not belong in the sport. Both the WSYL and the Haudenosaunee released public statements regarding the incident.
The World Series of Youth Lacrosse has created memories for young players that will last a lifetime. The event achieved its goal of creating the best youth lacrosse event in the world, and it will be a shame to see it go.
Now for the other lacrosse news from the week of Oct. 25-Nov. 1, 2021.
Last Week in Lacrosse
Jamie Ortega signed an NIL deal with Epoch Lacrosse, becoming the company’s first female athlete partner.
Charlotte North launched a new line of apparel to coincide with her national championship and Tewaaraton Award from last season.
NLL training camps kicked off over the weekend after taking a year-long hiatus. The NLL begins its season on Dec. 3.
ESPN has gained the NLL broadcasting rights and will showcase all 139 NLL games across an ESPN network or platform this season.
November marks the start of Native American Heritage Month. Many prominent lacrosse figures took to social media to discuss what this month means to them.
Get Caught Up on LAS Content
Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days.
HOW JAMIE ORTEGA’S EPOCH ENDORSEMENT IS HELPING HER ACHIEVE DREAMS
Jamie Ortega signed an endorsement deal with Epoch Lacrosse, making her the company’s first female lacrosse athlete partner.
LAS VEGAS LACROSSE: POTENTIAL COACHES FOR THE NEWEST NLL FRANCHISE
Nick Zoroya takes a look at potential head coaches for the latest NLL expansion team in Las Vegas.
THE ULTIMATE LACROSSE HEADS BUYERS GUIDE 2021-22
Tucker La Belle continues his Ultimate Buyers Guide series, with last week’s iteration focusing on lacrosse heads.
NLL EXPANSION CANDIDATE CITIES
Where could we possible see the NLL expand to next? Nick Zoroya lists out all the realistic options for an NLL expansion team..
LSM U: WHO HAS PRODUCED THE BEST LONG STICK MIDFIELDERS?
Ryan Conwell dives into the stats to figure out what school can claim the title of LSM U.
