CCLA Championship Tourney

[tjg1012]

Right on I-75 and they have nice facilities and lighted fields.

[jimh3983]

Any recent news on where it looks like this is going to be held?

[Andy Sharp]

In case you didn't catch the comissioner's email today, it's looking like the tournament will return to East Grand Rapids.

More info can be expected in the near future.

[laxfan25]

East Grand Rapids is also going to float a bond issue to add another artificial turf field, where the practice football field is. That will give them three turf fields in a 300 yard radius. Pretty soon they're going to be applying to host the MDIA Championships! (Nice to be in a wealthy suburb, and my taxes reflect it!)

[zolander]

It is nice to play on a nice turf like EGR. We had an EGR Alumni on our team and he told us how ridiculous football boosters are along with lacrosse bringing a lot of attention on and off the field (i.e. American Pie). Anyway, (Andy) you guys are blessed to play on such a nice field; I loved playing there the two times I had the opportunity. As far as MDIA Championships go, I think they should be hosted randomly instead of in one location for an extended period of time.
I'm not in the hierarchy of this league so I'm very ignorant and uninformed of how things are done, but at Bowling Green would be cool, I wish JP could get us in the big house that would be awesome (even though I'm done playing)! Some of our alumni have told us that they got to play inside Spartan stadium during the early days of the CCLA in '95/'99 era. So the possibilities are almost endless, who knows what the future will bring...

[John Paul]

Actually, getting games and tournaments into major college football stadiums is not that hard. We played in the football stadiums at MSU, Ohio State, Indiana, Northwestern, Georgia Tech and a few others back when I played. To be honest, it always sucked. With a stadium that big, even 5,000 fans looks empty and feels second class. Plus, no major college football program is going to allow lacrosse lines to be painted on the field.

The Dallas organizing committee looked into the SMU stadium for the championships. It's not as big as the really big stadiums, but still too big for what we're doing. Plus, the line issue. Also, to run a tournament that needs a lot more staffing, renting a stadium like that is really expensive.

[Zeuslax]

Since it seems firmly cemented that the tournament is going to be held at EGG, I can speak to Carnegie Mellon's small piece in this. The university and administration where very interested in having Carnegie Mellon host the tournament. Ultimately, the notification process was just a little too late. The ball just didn't get started early enough. (To no fault of the league or anyone by the way) As was stated at the league meeting, as soon as the tournament is over we need to start planning and preparing for next years. The university is very receptive for a proposal next year.

The school and the athletic department had all the usual questions and comments. One thing that really stood out, was the apprehension that the school wouldn't have to do much leg work. Of course being our first year in the league, it many ways it felt to soon in the schools eyes. I think they wanted to step back, see what we're all about, and see where we're (the CCLA and CMU lacrosse) heading. The payment for the facility they couldn't care less about. Mostly it was logistical timing. During, prior, and after the event there are going to be a number of events. The university would have to ensure proper scheduling.


The facilities are correct. A main field with a stadium (both are lighted) and an adjacent grass field. You can see two games easily. An active lacrosse community, parking, dining, lodging, facilities attached, and many others that a major metropolitan area offers.
There are some negatives of course. Pittsburgh is not a central geographical location in the CCLA, and an outdated/complicated press box. Lastly, and probably the most important, Carnegie Mellon was voted the ugliest university in America by Playboy last year.

In many ways, club lacrosse is this unknown entity. When you start mentioning sponsors, TV, concessions, # of teams, tickets, ect...Its an undertaking that the whole league needs to be aware. We can make this tournament anything we want. We just need the right planning, money, and willing/committed individuals to do the leg work! The latter being the most important. Sorry if my silence on this topic was perceived as anything other than respect for the board members putting everything together for us.