Information - General Info

St. Albert Rams Lacrosse Club and Local Lacrosse

St. Albert Rams Lacrosse Club is a minor lacrosse association that is part of the Greater Edmonton Lacrosse Council (GELC) and operates from February to July each year. Other minor box lacrosse clubs within the GELC include Beaumont Raiders; Fort Saskatchewan Rebels; Leduc Crush; North Edmonton Wizards; Parkland Posse; Sherwood Park Titans; South Edmonton Warriors; West Edmonton Blues; and Westlock Rock. The Rams have teams in all age Divisions, U7 through U17.

St. Albert also has three major lacrosse teams: the Junior B Tier I and Junior B Tier II Crude; and the Junior Ladies Drillers. The major lacrosse league that all three of these teams play in is the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL).

The Rams are always looking for new people to support the Club as Board Members, Officials, Coaches, Mangers, Trainers or as one of the many other valuable volunteers required to make our teams, Club, and sport operate successfully. There are a series of Coaching and Referee clinics conducted each year within the Edmonton area.

Season Details

The GELC will be operating the same programming in 2024 as was offered in 2023, which includes “A” at U13, U15, and U17. Regular season game play starts 16 April with playoffs the last week of June and first week of July. Key dates are listed further below.

The Rams operate out of Servus Credit Union Place and Jerome Iginla/Kinex Arenas in St. Albert however, there are occasions where facilities in Morinville and CFB Edmonton may also be used. The Rams are one of three Clubs in Zone North which includes the North Edmonton Wizards and Fort Saskatchewan Rebels. All “A” level teams, U13, U15, and U17, will be formed with players from all three Clubs. If there are not enough or too many players to form subsequent teams at each of these age Divisions, the B teams may also be formed with players from two or more of the Zone Clubs. The Zone teams could be hosted out of any of the three locations which could result in St. Albert players being based out of North Edmonton or Fort Saskatchewan for the season. This is only for the U13 and up Divisions, the U7, U9, and U11 Divisions will all be based out of St. Albert facilities for all practices and home games.

Evaluations will commence in early to mid-February for the 2024 seasons with “A” evaluations having to be complete by 4 March. All other evaluations will be completed by 15 March. Preseason practices will be conducted from 16-March to 15 April and the GELC regular season is from 16 April to end-June with playoffs following and concluding before Provincials. The following table details the days of the week and times, by Division, that practices and games are normally scheduled in St. Albert. These times are subject to change based on floor availability and the GELC game schedule. However, whenever possible, every effort will be made to schedule according to these days and times.

Equipment Requirements

The GELC is a member of the Alberta Lacrosse Association (ALA) which is governed by Lacrosse Canada (LC) (formerly the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA)). The ALA reintroduced contact at younger age Divisions in 2017 which includes “place-and-push” at U9 and unmodified contact at U11. Therefore, full equipment is required for all U9 Divisions and above, which consists of the following: helmet (NOCSAE or CSA approved), cage/mask (Lacrosse Canada approved), protective gloves, shoulder and arm (elbow) pads, back/kidney protector, mouth guard, and a jock or jill strap. Running shoes and a stick are also required and kneepads are optional. Hockey equipment can be used except for the kidney protector which is unique to lacrosse. However, lacrosse specific equipment provides better fit, protection, flexibility, and dexterity. This is particularly true of items such gloves and arm guards. There are also lacrosse specific cages (masks). There are youth lacrosse sticks that have a thinner handle and smaller head. The stick can be as short as 26 inches (66.0 cm) for U7 and U9. At U11 and U13 sticks cannot be any shorter than 34 inches (86.4 cm) and at U15 and above sticks cannot be shorter than 40 inches (101.6 cm) nor longer than 46 inches (116.8 cm).

The following is a list of some of the local retailers who carry various selections of lacrosse equipment:

Source for Sports St. Albert. https://www.sourceforsports.ca/pages/st-albert-source-for-sports.  Has a selection of lacrosse equipment and carry everything required to completely outfit a player. They sometimes carry equipment in Rams colours and with the Rams’ logo. This store is located at 580 St. Albert Trail, St. Albert; phone number is 780 458 0000.

Sport Chek St. Albert. http://www.sportchek.ca/.  Has a small lacrosse section with a limited selection of sticks and equipment. The store is located at 375 St. Albert Trail, St. Albert; phone number is 780 460-0220.

United Cycle. https://unitedsport.ca/pages/shop-best-lacrosse-equipment-sticks-balls-edmonton-canada.  Has a large selection and variety of lacrosse equipment and carry everything required to completely outfit a player. In most cases, if not in stock, they are willing to order. They are located at 7620 Gateway Blvd, Edmonton; phone number 780 433 1181.

Canadian Tire. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/sports-rec/team-sports/lacrosse.html?adlocation=LIT_TeamSports_Lacrosse_en.  Carry typical Canadian Tire level of equipment; limited selection. The St. Albert store is located at 40 Bellerose Drive, St. Albert; phone numbers is 780 459 5545.

Totem Outfitters. https://totemoutfitters.ca/summer-gear Carry both new and used sports gear and have a good selection of lacrosse equipment and sticks. If unsure about spending money on new gear this is a great option to purchase used equipment; availability varies. They are located at 7430 99 St., Edmonton; phone number is 780 432 1223.

Slash Lacrosse:  https://slashsports.ca/. Is the closest lacrosse specialty store to St. Albert and carry a wide range of both player and goalie equipment. They are fully stocked on site year-round. They are located at #103-303A Larch Close, Red Deer County; phone number is 403 347-5274.

Fundraising

Fundraising is essential for the Club to operate and reduce registration fees. One of the main fundraisers for the St. Albert Rams is the annual Baggataway Tournament. The other critical aspect to the Rams’ program is the volunteer shifts which occur throughout the year and could include bingos or casinos; these events result in significant revenue for the Club. There are also opportunities to represent the Rams at St. Albert’s Canada Day or Sports Day, as well as Rams’ events such as evaluations and the Baggataway Tournament. Volunteer commitments are mandatory for every player’s family, or they will be assessed a $250 fee. The Club volunteer commitment must be completed by the evaluation period of the next season. In addition to the events mentioned above, volunteer commitments can also be credited for filling the following Club and team positions:

Member of the Board of Directors

Head Coach

Manager

First time Assistant Coach if completed the Community Development Clinic that year

Club volunteer shifts are approximately four to six hours in duration but could be as long as eight hours. Additional volunteer credit may be given to a Club member who has already completed their initial volunteer commitment as follows:

Four to six hour shift -  $100

Over six hour shift -  $150

Additional details regarding volunteer commitments can be found in the St. Albert Rams’ Regulations located on the Club’s web page.

Important Dates for 2024

Lacrosse Links

St. Albert Rams - http://www.ramslacrosse.ca

Greater Edmonton Lacrosse Council - http://gelc.ab.ca

Alberta Lacrosse Association - http://www.albertalacrosse.com

Alberta Lacrosse Referee Association - https://albertalacrosserefs.ca/

Lacrosse Canada - https://www.lacrosse.ca

World Lacrosse - https://worldlacrosse.sport

Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League - http://www.rockymountainlax.com

National Lacrosse League - http://www.nll.com