Men's Participation - Professional

1. Major League Lacrosse, an outdoor professional league, debuted in 2001 with six teams located along the East Coast. The same six franchises return for the 2002 season.

2. The National Lacrosse League dates back to the mid-1980s. Thirteen teams from the U.S. and Canada competed in the indoor league in 2001-02.

Men's Participation - College and University

1. Nearly 25,000 men play lacrosse at over 400 colleges and universities which currently have lacrosse programs that are sanctioned either by the athletic department or the club sports department.

2. 210 participating NCAA Division I, II and III universities and colleges compete for national championships.

3. 24 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) teams compete for national championships.

4. Over 200 participating NCAA Division I and III universities and colleges are building towards varsity programs by offering structured intercollegiate "club" programs.

5. The average program has 45 to 50 players.

6. The NCAA-sponsored men's lacrosse championship tournaments have consistently been in the top five of national attendance for collegiate championships.

Men's Participation - High School

1. More than 72,000 men play lacrosse at 1,600 high schools which currently sponsor programs that are either sanctioned by the athletic department or recognized as school affiliated club teams.

2. Lacrosse programs began in eastern preparatory schools and have expanded to public and parochial schools nationwide. Since January 2000 alone, four states (California, Georgia, Illinois and Minnesota) have sanctioned lacrosse. The NFHS reported 74,225 male and female students played in 2001, a 20 percent increase from 2000 and better than a 100 percent increase since 1995.

3. More than 1,250 high schools sponsor varsity programs.

4. Over 350 high schools are building towards varsity program by offering structured interscholastic "club" programs.

5. More than 600 schools have junior varsity and freshman programs.

6. The average program consists of 35-40 players.