Tentative lacrosse deal brings relief
Zach Currier and Jake Withers are relieved the National Lacrosse Team Players Association and Canadian Lacrosse Association have reached a tentative agreement to allow Canada’s best players to defend their Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Field Lacrosse Championship next month in Israel.
Also relieved are organizers of the 2019 FIL World U19 Women’s Field Lacrosse Championship to be hosted in Peterborough.
Canada’s participation in that tournament was in jeopardy had Canada not sent a team to the men’s worlds.
It took some intervention by the FIL to get the CLA and
NLTPA to come to an agreement which was announced by the FIL on Tuesday.
Currier and Withers are both on the long list of 34 players eligible for 23 spots on Canada’s final roster.
If selected, it would be the first time for each of them representing Canada at the senior men’s level.
“It’s great we’ve come to terms even if it’s tentative,” said Currier, “so that we don’t take a huge step back with the sport of lacrosse in Canada. It would have been a big blow if we didn’t get to send a team for the next eight years.
We would have been suffering the consequences. It’s great they’ve reached an agreement. I’m thankful for the guys on our side who have been fighting for change.”
The NLTPA was formed last fall to seek better conditions for national team players. Canada’s former national tam managers were at odds with the CLA for several years over medical insurance, players costs and other issues.
“It’s a relief and one more step closer to making my dreams a reality,” said Withers. “I’m just fortunate to even be considered one of the top 34 in the running to represent Canada at the world games.
Seeing the NLTPA and CLA finally reach an agreement is good for me and my dreams but it’s also good for Team Canada and lacrosse in general.
It would have been very detrimental not only to Canadian lacrosse but the game of lacrosse on a global scale when the defending champions might not have been at the biggest tournament in our sport.”
The FIL press release said conditions of the tentative agreement are confidential at this point.
Had Canada not sent a team the men’s squad would also have been barred from the 2022 world championships and relegated to the B Pool for 2026.
Canada would also have been barred from sending a team to the next FIL event which is the U19 tournament in Peterborough.
Fred Blowes, co-chair of the local organizing committee, said it’s a relief for everyone to know Canada will have a tam competing here in August 2019.
“We’re thrilled,” said Blowes. “We’ve put a lot of work in the last year-and-a-half getting prepared for this event.
We’re happy to hear things are a go now. Although we have to wait for an official agreement from both sides, all things look positive.
We just confirmed last week we have 21 countries attending the event.”