Look at the teams at these “National” events in Texas and Florida. Texas had 3 age groups (2027-2029) playing one another. Half of the teams in that bracket were Team 91. 91 has multiple “National” teams of the same age. Save your money. Tournament in Florida had much better teams and better attended but still it’s really for the clubs that have a hard time finding good competition within driving distance of their homes. The east coast have a problem finding great competition. I think the National teams are a huge waste of money and devalue the main clubs they represent. If the AA team isn’t playing the top competition they get rid of it and just have a national model. It’s a money grab. The AA teams can find tough competition all along the eastern seaboard. In my opinion National teams are the club’s way of trying to open up a new revenue stream and kids have been getting college scholarships without ever needing this in the past.
Exactly. National teams make sense for good, athletic players who live outside of lacrosse hotbeds, and whose families are willing to make a pretty big investment of time and money, so that they can get elite level coaching, teammates, and competition several times a year. But for kids already playing on elite level east coast teams who have good local lacrosse 8-9 months a year (or more), playing on these teams seems a bit much.
I would even argue that the standard for "elite" lax is so high from MA to DC and so low everywhere else that AAA players in this region can have a whole boatload of fun on a national team. But it's just fun and money. I don't think they're getting any substantial benefit that they don't already receive by having FCL, Inner Circle, and so many others available locally, and good coaching/teams to play from March to July (whether AAA or elite).
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