HISTORY OF LACROSSE IN CROATIA
Lacrosse in Croatia first started in 2011, as a project of two sport enthusiasts with the dream of one day fielding a lacrosse team in their hometown of Zagreb. The Croatia Lacrosse Association (CLA) was established in 2016 and joined the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL now World Lacrosse) becoming its 53rd member. Croatia Lacrosse’s first National Men’s team attended the 2016 European Lacrosse Championships in Godollo, Hungary and participated in the Festival that ran alongside the main tournament. In 2018, CLA succeeded in attaining official recognition by the Croatian government of lacrosse as a sport. CLA also became a member of the Croatian Olympic Committee, and participated in the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships in Netanya, Israel.
In only a few short years lacrosse in Croatia has experienced significant growth. Lacrosse is currently being played in the three cities of Zagreb, Varaždin and Split. Our women’s program was started in 2017 and has practices running in Zagreb, Varaždin and Split. In 2019, the CLA started youth clinics at the American International School of Zagreb (AISZ). All this hard work has laid the foundation for development of lacrosse in Croatia and future Croatian lacrosse players that will represent their home country on an international level. The Croatia Lacrosse Foundation was established in 2020 to support the growth of lacrosse in Croatia and to serve as a mechanism to connect lacrosse players and coaches with Croatian roots with the lacrosse program in Croatia. The CLF is organized and run 100% by volunteers. The CLF encourages anyone with an interest in supporting the growth of lacrosse in Croatia to get involved.