FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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DCL offers our "Try Lacrosse" clinics throughout the year to give girls who have never played lacrosse before the opportunity to be exposed to the game in a fun and safe environment that also demonstrates how we teach the game. This is the perfect opportunity for a prospective player to "try before they buy" or for a new player who is already registered for the Spring season to get more comfortable before training starts. More info HERE.

The short answer is NO! But the best answer is to share the story of Dallas' own Charlotte North. Charlotte grew up playing basketball and dreaming of playing in the WNBA. At 13, a friend introduced her to lacrosse, and she quickly fell in love with the game. Despite "late" exposure, Charlotte's talent was undeniable. She worked hard to develop her skills and caught the eye of college recruiters. Initially committing to Duke, she later transferred to Boston College where she exploded onto the national scene. Her exceptional skill, speed, and scoring ability propelled her to stardom. She led BC to a national championship in 2021, earning numerous accolades including the Tewaaraton Award. Read her full story HERE.

Girls who live in our league-approved geographic area (most of Dallas ISD plus the Lake Highlands community) and attend a school that does not sponsor a lacrosse program.

DCL's approved geographic area is I-635/LBJ to the North and East, I-30/East R.L. Thorton to the South and I-35E/Stemmons to the West, with the exception of the Town of Highland Park (who have their own program that supports HPISD).

Per league rules, she would have the option of playing for either DCL or the West Dallas Catholic school feeder program, but she cannot play for both.

Mandatory equipment includes: a girl's lacrosse stick, eye protection, and a mouthguard. Cleats are highly recommended. See our Recommended Equipment List HERE.

Fall isn't open to new players due to the fact that we use uniforms from the prior Spring season and it's a short season (~5 weeks) so we don't progressively ramp up our training like we do in the Spring. We want to ensure that your daughter's first experience with the game is a positive one. Consider joining us for our Fall and Winter clinics instead (more info HERE)!

Absolutely. We never want to let "perfect be the enemy of good" when trying something new. Obviously, players get out what they put in and the more time spent training the game of lacrosse will result in a better overall experience for players, but conflicts will not result in any playing time impact at the K-4th Grade level. At 5th Grade and above, while she would still play, regular conflicts could impact playing time.

We cannot take specific requests due to our scale and the priority of team balance. Additionally, we feel that one of the benefits of team sports is making friends with girls from other schools!

We do! Go HERE for more information. 

Fall is a optional season open to returning players only. It runs for a total of 5 weeks and is a supplemental program for girls who want to keep their skills sharp during the off-season. 

A prerequiste for playing Fall lacrosse is registering for Spring.

For sponshipship inquiries, go HERE. For all other areas of support (coaching, operations, partnerships, etc.) reach out to us HERE and we will make sure that your interest goes to the correct director!

DFW has a number of options for additional training outside of DCL:

• Camps & Clinics: The quick and easy option - a few days of dedicated lacrosse training!
• Small Group Training: For girls who want more than camp but aren’t ready for the commitment/demands of travel ball.
• Private Lessons: A great way to get tailored training on your schedule.
• Travel Lacrosse: Big commitment with a big pay-off.

We are happy to discuss the best option and resources for your daughter!

It's important that we first outline the difference between "Town" and "Travel" clubs as it relates to girl's lacrosse in Dallas. DCL and the teams we play are considered Town programs - we are non-profit organizations who recruit and train girls from a specific geographic area (or certain school(s) in the case of private school programs) and play similarly-styled teams, primarily in the Spring. Travel clubs are for-profit organizations with professional coaching staffs that pull girls from multiple Town programs into "super teams" for training, development and play outside of the traditional Spring season. Unlike in sports like soccer\ or volleyball, lacrosse athletes will always play for their Town program first with some choosing to supplement that with Travel to improve their skill level with the goal of playing in high school or beyond.

While the decision to play Travel is very dependent on the individual player (more is not always better at a young age), it can be a great way to satisfy girls who are internally motivated and have a passion for the game - I would let that guide your decision. Travel clubs are offered for girls as young as 3rd Grade but the entry window can safely be as late as 6th Grade for most athletes. Travel club tryouts are generally in August with most programming in the Fall and Summer. There is a significant amount of training (~25-30 practices a year) and travel for most tournaments (usually to fun destinations though)!

DCL will continue to add a grade level every year until we offer a full K-12 program for Dallas ISD & Lake Highlands girls. The target date for our first high school team is 2028 with a Junior Varsity. Our goal is to offer a full K-12th Grade offering (including a Varsity and JV) no later than 2031.

We hope so! As the rules currently stand, this is how it would work:

• Does she live in DCL feeder boundaries and attend a DISD high school or Lake Highlands HS? Then YES.
• Does she live in DCL feeder boundaries and attend a private high school that does not offer lacrosse (Lakehill Prep, Dallas International, Dallas Christian Academy, etc.)? Then YES.
• Does she live in DCL feeder boundaries and attend a private high school that offers lacrosse (Hockaday, ESD, Ursaline, Bishop Lynch, etc.)? Then NO - she would be mandated to play for her school program.

Lacrosse is not a University Interscholastic League (UIL) sport. Essentially what that means is that in the state of Texas does not offer it as a public school sport. Instead, we would be a Dallas ISD/Lake Highlands club program that draws from a defined boundary and operates like a high school team in the following ways:

• Follow UIL and TEA rules around No Pass/No Play, conduct expectations for players, coaches, and participants, etc.
• Strive to emulate UIL Varsity and sub-varsity teams with trainers, access to facilities, varsity letters, and work closely with school ADs and ISD administrators.
• Eligibility rules based on school attendance and ISD boundaries.

Possibly but unlikely any time in the near future for the following reasons:

• UIL sends a survey out that gauges interest across the ISDs in the State of Texas on activity levels and interest in new activities like lacrosse.
• Lacrosse's lack of geographic diversity, and the lack of knowledge of lacrosse in non-urban areas, yields a low level of interest in adding lacrosse as a UIL activity.
• School funding issues would drive fewer UIL activities rather than adding new ones that require new equipment and facilities utilization/modification.
• UIL statement re lacrosse: “At the current time due to school funding and our lack of geographic diversity there is not a groundswell of interest in ISDs across the state. Our public school programs should continue to build their relationships with their school and local ISD, follow all UIL and TEA rules, and emulate UIL activities so they can be prepared for a transition to UIL if and when the time comes."

Absolutely not :) While we support lacrosse in all forms, it's important to our culture that we don't do anything to dilute the experience for Dallas girls!

Dallas' boys lacrosse program is an entirely seperate organization named Dallas Youth Lacrosse.