The FIL Board of Directors unanimously agreed to recognize the Peru Lacrosse Association and Jamaica Lacrosse Association as Full Members of the international federation. The national federations were first accepted into FIL in 2012 (Peru) and 2013 (Jamaica), and now meet the requirements for Full Membership.
As stewards of a sport that is enjoying explosive growth in participation and popularity around the globe, FIL now has 62 member-national federations worldwide.
The decision to award Full Membership Status highlighted a busy three days of activity for the FIL Board of Directors, which met in Philadelphia alongside the highly successful LaxCon Convention and Fan Fest, organized by US Lacrosse.
The Board welcomed the participation and contributions from Sachio Yamada of Japan, a member of the newly-established FIL Athletes Commission and the first athlete representative to participate in a FIL Board Meeting.
The Board met with leaders from Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse and agreed to establish working groups from both organizations to identify areas of mutual interest and cooperation in support of the continued growth of lacrosse. The Board reaffirmed its gratitude to Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse and the Haudenosaunee for their historic and lasting contributions to the game. The Iroquois Nationals delegation was led by Oren R. Lyons, Honorary Chairman and Co-Founder of Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse.
The Board received an update on preparations for the 2019 FIL Women’s Lacrosse U19 World Championship in Peterborough, Canada and 2019 FIL Indoor Lacrosse World Championship in Langley, Canada from the organizers of those events. The Board also discussed ongoing preparations related to the inclusion of lacrosse in the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Board received a detailed report on the successful effort to secure Provisional Recognition from the International Olympic Committee, which was awarded to FIL in November 2018, and ongoing efforts to continue raising the profile of lacrosse globally amongst international sport leaders.
The Board received status reports and recommendations in areas that include sport development, governance and anti-doping.
FIL Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr reported to the Board on operating results and accomplishments for 2018 and strategic priorities for 2019. The Board also reviewed and approved the operating budget and schedule of meetings for the international federation in 2019. The 2019 FIL General Assembly will be held Aug. 11-13 in Peterborough, Canada.