BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM FCA - Fellowship of Christian Athletes

About 60 boys there last evening by my estimate. Two local 2026 teams that have folded (Looney's, Hardshells) and two more are undergoing change (Koopers/True due to the recent acquisition). These events have left a bunch of boys without a club for next season, so tryouts this year will have a large turnout at the 2026 year group. I heard Predators had 70+ boys at their tryouts.

Enough talent was at FCA tryouts to build two new (A and B team) rosters that would be competitive at their appropriate levels....that is, if there weren't other club teams which will pull away the best players to their programs. Not a lot of roster movement at this age on the top (HoCo Elite level) teams, so not many spots open. Expect a few of these boys will be picked up by top clubs, if they haven't already. The mid-tier (HoCO AAAA and AAA) teams will pick up some more.

Sadly, if no other local club starts a second 2026 team, some of the remaining boys may not make it onto a club roster.

There were 70+ at Preds but they were spread across two age groups on the turf field. A 3rd age group on the grass with 40ish.

I think at the 2026 level, Koopers will end up with a robust "decent" roster because many AA-AAA parents will tolerate the True Inc. shenanigans in the background, especially if they haven't been burned by True before.

Wife confirmed that FCA looks were 50% chrome red helmets, 25% yellow, 25% orange. Some misguided KP kids as well. Rumors across age groups of "Hawks defections" to FCA look to be overblown.......unless secret agreements are already in place. Which, since this is the most non transparent sport of all time, could be the case.

Lots of kids at FCA last night. Especially at the 26 class.

The first night at Preds tryouts there were lots of Looney's, Iroquois National, and Team USA helmets on the field.

They all got cut because they couldn't hang with the returning Preds.

#TalkOfTheTown

LOL! You do know that the guys who run Preds tried to negotiate the entire Looneys team coming to them, right? The better Looneys players didn't want to go to Preds, so it fell apart. Plan was to move the existing Preds 2026 down to make a B team. The 2026 Preds went, what, 3-4 in single A at Hoco? Yep, talk of the town alright. Lmao...

Plenty if quantity just not enough quality for this team to be elite Maybe competitive at the lower level.

26 team is bringing in some good talent. Future is bright for the team.

Your wife is incorrect. There was only 1 yellow helmet last night, an attacker. Another yellow was there tonight, a pole. Only three chrome red helmets both nights. The rest were chrome orange and other random helmets.

Close, but let's make a few things clear.

This Spring, the future of the Looney's 2026 team began to look uncertain. A number of things led the parents to worry about the team and the club - no new uniforms, no off-season training, no position training, an AWOL director who didn't communicate with the teams/players/families, a loss of key players and a resulting decline in the performance of the team (lost players = lost games), coaches missing practices and games, etc..

In May, in an attempt to allow the boys to keep playing together, a Looney's team parent reached out to the Predators club directors to ask if the team could move over intact. The Preds directors did not approach the Looney's team, and they didn't really "negotiate" anything.

Preds held an info session for the Looney's 2026 families in June and offered to accept the team into their club. It was a kind and considerate offer, but several boys had already been looking/guest playing elsewhere, so the team began to disperse to other clubs. Although the director was made aware of the parents' concerns, nothing was done. Some of the families are now scrambling to find a roster spot for their son, unfortunately in a year with multiple other teams folding or in turmoil.

Yes, some of the boys (and parents) were concerned about moving from a formerly Elite HoCo team to a newer club that played at a lower level in HoCo. Others believe the Preds will improve and will likely join the club.

If there is anything to be learned, it is that poor leadership can doom a solid team with good players. The Looney's 2026 team went from winning the NXT Platinum Cup and HoCo Elite in the Fall of 2020 to disbanding a short 20 months later.

It is a shame, and a failure of what was supposed to be adult leadership by paid professionals. The boys deserved better.

😂

You sound like the type to advocate for participation trophies.

Nice comment. Go back to sleep. The MIAA is weak and will not do anything about OOS kids players until schools other than BL, CHC, McD step up and demand changes. Not saying their families cannot move to Maryland and & attend school & play lax. MIAA should consider making them attend school for a year w/o playing, just like local players need to sit out a year if going Varsity to varsity. Or lift the Varsity transfer rule so existing players can move on as the "OOS Expert" moves in to take playing time away from a local player.

Seriously, show me on the doll where Preds hurt you.

Why? So your son can make the team? Or if on the team see the field
?
You are obviously passionately opinionated on the topic. Just trying to understand why?

He is trying to get his son to a more competitive Lax program for his senior year; obviously not happy where his son is currently playing.

Agree 100%. If OOS players are ok, lift varsity transfer rule.

If it’s about players who may lose a position to a OOS kid, I agree 100% they should be able transfer without penalty.

As long as they are technically within the rules there is not a violation. And it gives the new kids great opportunities.

No doubt MIAA should drop transfer rule. I agree that CHC, BL & McD and any other operation that actively recruits OOS players should step up for the sake of the league and agree to it. There should not be two sets of rules. We already have enough of that behavior in this country. No dog in fight here. I still hit the wall.

Let’s face it FCA is a business like any other private club. The difference is that they use religion as a front for their real purpose. Other teams may choose championship and recruitment as there front. I have heard directly from a direct source at FCA that they follow the rule of 3rds. 1/3 is there for Christ, 1/3 is there for social reasons, and 1/3 is there for personal gain. Don’t have a problem with this, just wish that religion wasn’t used for personal gain. But yet again the church has been doing for centuries. Not all FCA Employees/players are the latter 2/3rds, a few I have met are committed to Christ and happen to be really good players.

What a word salad. FCA hides behind a cloth of secrecy to promote lacrosse. Then they use every dirty trick in the book to win. Knock it off and get off the high horse.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that FCA staff have to raise support for their own salaries. So nothing really like a business if that is true. Sounds more like a church / minister operation.

That's actually true. All the player fees go into the program.

Schools like CH and BL (and even LB) like the way the HS rules are currently aligned.
They recruit as many kids as possible, even the ones they don't really want to keep them from the competition. Then let the transfer rule do it's magic to keep unhappy kids locked in, and THEN bring in MORE kids who can actually play.
Barring the influx of major scholarship cash for laxers in a school (like happened at Spalding) they can ensure there are only 4-5 decent top teams in the league at any one time.
Meanwhile, you can also ignore the recruiting rules and gut the occasionaly gut a competitor's middle school that's going through an administrative transition.
Win, win, win!

FCA is totally not a business.

Then why do they charge so much?

They get free help from CH hs players and free use of CH fields. Field rental is the biggest cost driver In club lax.

Seems like a lax-version of The Righteous Gemstones.

Because Jesus.

FCA is a business and they do not put Christ first nor the players. Maybe the change over in leadership has changed that outlook but I doubt it. Went an entire season with only 2 huddles, which are supposed to happen at each practice and game. They never used the bibles they provided the players. Stop using Christ as a way to draw players and make money. It is truly shameful. And the coaching was the worst we’ve ever had and before you say anything we chose to leave and did not register for tryouts. It was not a decision based on the players skill, it came down to lack of coaching and ethical behavior.

Just curious what age were you involved with?

FCA- We are Christ-centered.
PS- tryouts are on Sunday morning.

😂

Imagine that.

Good luck. You’ll learn soon enough. The words don’t match the actions.

26 and 27. However 26 was more in alignment with the mission than the 27 team.

Given the new help with ‘27s, the mission will be taking more of a back seat.

What/who is the new help with the 27’s?

Paul Rabil

More pronouns and black fingernail polish. Less huddles.

That would be hilarious. But not true.

I heard KR from Krabs. Kan’t konfirm.

FCA is a non-profit organization. Their coaches are not paid and the people that run it at the very top level need to source their own paycheck through donations.
FCA is not as much money as the other NON-REC clubs and all the money you pay goes to the kids in cloths and retreats and other things like that. I know that people like to detest on FCA but I have been nothing but happy so far!!

Simple question- How much a year?

Depends on the team. $1500 - $2900 I believe is the estimated range.

Look FCA is not for everyone that is for sure, but we have had two boys be a part of the program 2026 and 2029. The culture is great, but the depth of the religious portion has totally to do with the coach of each team. Some defintiely do it way better than others.