LONDON, Ont., Canada – The 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championships are just over one month away. The tournament will end on the heels of another global championship, the World Cup of Soccer in Germany, early next month.
The Lacrosse tournament, which runs from July 13-22, is expected to be the largest lacrosse event in history, promising to draw tens of thousands of fans to London, Ont., "The Forest City."
The International Lacrosse Federation, which oversees international lacrosse competitions and global development of the game, is excited about the prospect of bringing the games back to Canada for the first time since 1986, when Toronto's Varsity Stadium played host to the event.
"This event will mark an important period in the growth and development of lacrosse at an international level," said Stan Cockerton, Vice President of the ILF and a native of Oshawa, Ont. "It's great to see countries like Bermuda, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic fully embracing the sport. The growth of the game is very positive."
Twenty-one teams will compete for the world championship at TD Waterhouse Stadium at the University of Western Ontario and the North London Athletic Fields. Another 47 teams will compete in a less-competitive 2006 Frank's Red Hot Festival and about 20 teams will compete in a National Development Program (NDP) Lacrosse tournament. Over 100,000 players, family members, coaches, officials, administrators and fans are expected to attend the event.
With a national television deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation imminent and other television contracts in the works, the event will also garner the highest level of global media coverage in the event's 49-year history.
For more information on the tournament, please visit
www.2006worldlacrosse.com.
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:54 pm