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Want To Play Major League Lacrosse? Here’s Your Chance

Still living the lacrosse dream, hitting the weights, the track, and the wall, all with a overly obsessed passion? Do you play men’s club and think to yourself, “this just isn’t serious enough“? Do you miss getting all bloodied and bruised each weekend, and traveling around the country?

mll lacrosse connor martin
Think you can hang with Passavia and CBC?

Perhaps you have what it takes to play Major League Lacrosse… and here’s your slim chance!

The MLL has opened up their player registration pool, and interested players can register with the pro league until December 5th, 2012. This registration makes you eligible to play for the 2013 season, and players who did not register for 2012 now have a chance to get their names back in the league hat.

You can find the registration form and instructions for submission, on the MLL’s website.

An important note to current college players: If you register for the 2013 MLL Season, you forego any remaining NCAA eligibility. Players do not need to register for the 2013 Collegiate Draft if they are still in school. There is no registration required for that.

So now that you know how to register, I’ll try to set some guidelines for you on if you should register. Making an MLL team is incredibly tough, so if you’re not doing what I’ve laid out below, your chances are even slimmer:

  1. Training – Are you in really good shape? If not, you can probably kiss your dreams goodbye. During tryouts, many MLL teams will do a TON of running to see who can hang. If you’re not a big name and on the team already, being in great shape is simply a must.
  2. Stick Skills – Is your stick as good as it was in college? Then you need to get better. The pace of play, and skill required, in the MLL is nothing like any other field lacrosse out there. It’s super fast, and you need to have the skills if you want to get a look.
  3. Do You Play… A LOT? – Playing once or twice a week probably won’t hack it. Beyond the skill and athleticism of MLL players, there is also a very high game IQ. If you don’t know the ins and outs of lacrosse better than the back of your hand, you’re behind the 8-ball already.
  4. Are You LOCAL? – If you live in Texas, and aren’t a huge star already, the chances that any MLL team will take a risk on you are probably pretty slim. It’s added costs of travel, harder to get to the limited practices and harder to crack a line up. Want to play for an MLL team but aren’t getting a ton of love? It helps if you live in the area.

So basically, the boxes you need to check are Athleticism, Skill, Lacrosse IQ and Living Locally. If you’re in better shape than you were in college, play all the time (and rip it up), love the game and have kept learning, and live near a team, it’s worth a shot.

To be honest, it also helps to know someone on a team (player, coach, owner, etc) who can drop your name as someone to consider, or if you have a great personal story you are willing to share. There are just so many players vying for such a small number of spots. Any little bit can be a difference maker!

You might not ever hear from anyone. It’s possible. Or you might end up filling a much-needed gap, and shock the world by becoming the next Rookie All-Star. But even if you get invited to camp and then are asked to attend some practices as a stand-in, it could be worth it… it just depends on what your dream is, and if you’re willing to follow it.

Why not, right, Mitch?