Groundbreakers – Women and Lacrosse
Part of the significance of the re-introduction of box lacrosse at the 2022 Canada Games is the addition of women’s lacrosse for the first time. Although often overshadowed by men’s events in National Competition, women’s lacrosse has a history equally as rich and diverse as its male counterpart. Box lacrosse was used to promote equality amongst nations and gender; Indigenous women used lacrosse as a platform to challenge traditionalism and represent their sovereignty. Much like women’s hockey, box lacrosse provides women an opportunity to advocate gender equality in both society and sports.
Organized lacrosse has existed for non-Indigenous women since 1890, however emphasis in both Haudenosaunee and non-Indigenous communities was placed on men. Haudenosaunee women often remained involved in the sport, whether as spectators, supports, or organizers.33 While their participation in Canada was restrained for most of the 20th century, women’s organized lacrosse flourished in Britain and the United Sates alike. The first recorded organization of women’s lacrosse occurred at St. Leonard’s School in Scotland after educators and former Headmistress Louisa Lumsden observed a match in Montreal in 1884.34 The United States Women’s Lacrosse Association (USWLA) was formed in 1931 by Joyce Cran and Rosabelle Sinclair, who attended St. Leonard’s School before returning to the United States. To prevent losing players to the rival sport of field hockey, Cran proposed that women’s lacrosse was the ‘ideal game for girls’ and allowed for a more positive posture, enforcing radical expectations of femininity.
Women’s lacrosse appeared to follow the early rules established by Beers with limited contact, and no protective gear. Whereas men’s lacrosse underwent modifications, most notably rule changes in relation to box lacrosse, women’s lacrosse remained on the field and almost the same until the 1990s. In 2014, women’s lacrosse in America underwent drastic changes when the field boundaries were repainted, and eyewear was made mandatory.35
Women’s lacrosse in Canada was fought for by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous women who continued to encounter resistance. Female lacrosse players found success at collegiate and regional levels, and as more women enjoyed the sport in the 1970s, a desire for international competition grew.36 The first Women’s Lacrosse World Cup was played in 1982 at Nottingham, England and has occurred every four years since. After the formation of the all-Indigenous men’s lacrosse team, the Iroquois Nationals, in 1983 Haudenosaunee women hoped to form their own team and engage in the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) and play at the Women’s World Cup. In 1986, Haudenosaunee women successfully established a team with the help of non-Indigenous advocate Carol Patterson. Patterson was the wife of Iroquois Nationals co-founder Wes Patterson and pushed for more female involvement in lacrosse. Unfortunately, they were disbanded by traditional clan mothers who thought Haudenosaunee women were best supporting the game while the men represented their society through sport.
Today women’s lacrosse in Canada exists on the field at the collegiate level, and both as box and field in amateur divisions. The Women’s Lacrosse World Cup, now known as World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, continues to be played with its own rules separate from men. The inclusion of women’s box lacrosse in 2022 marks not only the first instance of women’s lacrosse at the Canada Summer Games but signifies a growth in the sport as its own separate entity worthy of greater competition.