MBYLL Mission, Philosophy, Season Goals and Our History

As Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League (MBYLL) concluded its 2013 spring season & continues to look for ways to improve the league & organization in preparation for our 2014 spring season; we’d like to reinforce MBYLL’s mission, philosophy &  goals to all our member towns & coaches; and share some history & key reasons why MBYLL continues to grow & thrive today.
 
Mission:  Our mission is to teach, grow and honor the game in your town & every community in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by providing leadership, guidance, training and structure to all town & city programs participating in the MBYLL’s spring game schedule and the annual MBYLL Jamboree held each June at the end of our season.
 
Philosophy:  Our philosophy in the MBYLL Classic program is all players participate equally (i.e. equal playing time) in all games on evenly balanced teams based on a player’s grade, age, skill, size & experience—U15 (7th & 8th), U13 (5th & 6th), U11 (3rd & 4th) & U9 (1st & 2nd)—playing a local game schedule in their region.  There are NO ‘A’ or ‘B’ or ‘stacked’ teams, nor standings or playoffs, at any level playing in the MBYLL Classic program & our traditional league games on Sunday’s. 
 
Our MBYLL Select program is an additional town-based playing opportunity—NOT a replacement for—a players participation in the MBYLL Classic program.  MBYLL Select team players must also participate on their MBYLL Classic team (Why?  See Goals below).  MBYLL Select has Division-based standings, playoffs, State Championship & All-Star games.
 
Our coaches are trained and certified to be teachers of the game & role models focused on player development, teamwork & learning the fun•damentals—especially the ‘fun’ part.  MBYLL is an inclusive organization open to all towns & cities where, collectively, we strive to always provide a safe, enjoyable, learning experience for all participants in an environment not swept up in the pressure filled, win-at-all-cost mania too common in youth sports today.
 
Goals:  Our primary goal is all MBYLL players, coaches, parents, officials and program leaders will have a fun experience while always demonstrating role-model sportsmanship on and off the field as together we learn, share and teach the fundamental skills and teamwork required to play the game well.  Responsible growth & participation in every member town is a secondary goal.
 
MBYLL provides training, guidance, certification & grade + age-specific rules of play for all member towns, coaches, players & officials with a particular focus on player safety, sportsmanship and fair play for a positive, fun experience for all participants. 
 
Honor the Game:  We honor the game by practicing positive coaching, teaching life lessons beyond the playing field and by developing a strong community among all MBYLL players, coaches, parents, officials and fans that will last a lifetime.
 
As MBYLL town members, we continue to improve our lacrosse knowledge & program capabilities each season as we learn, share and teach the game based on speed, stick skills, athleticism and teamwork—and not physical intimidation.
 
Your League:  Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League (MBYLL) represents 160+ towns split in to five geographic regions—for local game scheduling—in eastern & central Massachusetts with over 20,000 players in 1st to 8th grades on 950 teams and led by 2,000 active MBYLL & USL certified coaches this spring.  Below are some of the services and value the organization provides its members along with a few key highlights about what Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse, your league, represents today:
 

• MBYLL is one of the largest youth lacrosse leagues & organizations in the United States w/ over 50,000 players, parents & coaches.
• MBYLL Jamboree held each June is the largest youth lacrosse event in the USA w/ over 450 teams & 25,000 players, coaches & fans.
• MBYLL Jamboree event sponsors & partners contribute over 40% of our total annual operating budget—keeping member fees low.
• MBYLL funds & organizes coaching education, certification, clinics & online training for all our coaches & town leaders each spring.
• MBYLL funds & organizes our Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) partnership for workshops & online Coach, Parent, Player courses.
• MBYLL mandates all our coaches be MBYLL-certified at least every 2 years thru MBYLL & USL-integrated Level I/II/III coaching clinics.
• MBYLL funds & organizes the (8) Sunday, mid-week & MBYLL Select spring game schedule w/ over 6,000 games played each season.
• MBYLL funds & coordinates with EMLOA to contract for referee Assignors to schedule game officials for all MBYLL league contests.
• MBYLL funds & contracts with EMLOA to train, certify or re-certify all MBYLL Associate Officials (AO’s) each spring for town members.
• MBYLL funds & organizes the Regional Referee Coordinators & our AO support resources in each of our five geographic regions.
• MBYLL is led by an all-volunteer board of directors who—like MBYLL town leaders & coaches—are all passionate about the game.  

    Thank you for your participation and efforts in making Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League a continued success ...