LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

If you guys don't mind, could you share how much you "pay to play" around the league? What's the maximum you would pay? How much fundraising are you actually involved in? (Former players, if you could share that past info. for us).

I believe the Western State boys pay $200 for Spring and $100 for Fall at this point. Up from $50 for fall and $150 for Spring. Jersey, Shorts, Helmet provided.

CSU-Pueblo is an unbelievable $40 - all equipment provided!

Boise State has to pay $200 for fall and $200 for spring. I believe it went up from last year...

We also have to buy our own gear and we also do many fundraisers. Im sure there is more, but Im not an officer so...

Boise State paid dues of $400 to $550 (depending on when players started i.e. fall or spring). On top of that, all players have to buy their own gear (helmet, gloves, arm guards, sticks). Boise State also works concession stands at all home football games that earn around $400 each, and most home basketball games that $200 each. Then there is always the welcome kindness of strangers that we put toward our travel budget.

Last year Mines dues were free for fall and $150 for spring. This year they were $200 for spring, and again free for fall. Players have also paid their own for road trips and travel. Dues have included shorts, practice jerseys, and either a hoodie or a boathouse jacket. This year we also fundraised about $2000 in a Texas Hold'em Tournament.

UVSC paid $150 for the fall and $600 for the spring,

By way of comparison, here is a snippet from the article in the Duluth Budgeteer on the UMD team:
"The team, however, does not receive many of the perquisites of a varsity program. The university gave the club $725 this year, but the money does not nearly cover the club’s $90,000 yearly operating budget. (Yikes!) The team does some fundraising but the team mainly relies on alumni and player dues.
“Our alumni help us out a lot,” said Litman. “We think of ourselves as a family.”
New players to the team must pay yearly player dues of $1,875 while the dues for returning players are $1,575. The increased fee that new players pay includes a team helmet, gloves and bag. The team dues also cover all travel expenses except food. For most games the team travels on a bus. The team also covered the travel expenses when they flew to North Carolina to play games against North Carolina State and Wake Forest."

That's some serious cash to play! When I ran a club team in Grand Rapids for 15 years our dues were $50, and THAT was like pulling teeth from some of these tightwads. If you're laying out that kind of green you better be dedicated, and I'd like to see some playing time please!

Laxfan, you're talking about a ranked A team budget, which is naturally going to be significantly higher than a typical B team right now. I think that gap will close a bit as B teams start traveling more - spurred on by their own national championships.

Our budget is significantly higher than UMD's (about 2 1/2 time higher), but our players pay $2,000 in dues - pretty similar to theirs. I believe most of the top A teams are in that range, a few even higher (especially if they add in other things you must purchase or pay for). In our case, playing time is NOT guaranteed. I'm sure that's the same at most MDIA teams. To my mind, it's about value. If the players see a value in it, they'll pay whatever is needed.

I think of it, and explain it, this way sometimes: A typical 4 day summer lacrosse camp when you're in high school costs around $500. If you travel to the camp it could go up to $800 or more. For four days! College lacrosse is a life experience that encompasses weeks and pays off forever. A couple grand is one of the best bargains you're ever going to see.

We didn't get to our dues and budget overnight though. When I took over 8 years ago dues for the year were around $500. The players had to pay extra for some required gear and some travel. Dues provided about 90% of our budget. We built up to where we are now. My recommendation to teams that are struggling with this is to work backwards. What does it cost to run a season the way you'd like to run it? What do you want to build up to (organizationally, not financially) over the next few years, and what will that cost? Start with the season as you envision it and base dues on that cost (with some margin for error), then add to it each year until you get to your ultimate vision. Make sure the team shares your vision and plan, and make sure your school approves of where you're going. Involve parents and alumni in the fundraising/booster process. You'll get there.

Thanks for all the information. At first I was shocked at $2,000. I know a few years ago CSU was charging $1,800 but I bet that's higher now though as they run close to a $200,000 budget as i've heard. That could be totally off these days though so don't hold me to it. The way I would justify that is that it's comparable to a fraternity. The friendships and experiences you have with the team are forever just like a fraternity. And sometimes playing lacrosse feels like a fraternity - a brotherhood type of bond. I know I was up in Logan Utah one time, all the hotels were booked because a huge football game the next day, and I ended up crashing at a Lacrosse Captain's house. I never even met the guy, but I knew the coach. The guy slept at his girlfriend's house and me and 2 other friends slept at his house. It was weird but we were desperate.