(Clearwater, FL) January 20, 2021 – Halo LAX’s Director of Events, Joel Franklin joined Erin Smith and Lauren Davenport of US Lacrosse and World Lacrosse’s TJ Buchanan Saturday in an all-star panel at the LaxCon digital conference presented by US Lacrosse. Together, they shared their expertise and outlook on the small-sided movement of 6-v-6 lacrosse. As a compliment to traditional lacrosse play, 6onLAX (by Halo LAX) and Flex6 (of US Lacrosse) formats feature less players, a smaller field, and a faster-paced game style. Each participating panelist and organization shared their perspective on the potential for this short-sided game to have long-lasting positive effects for the growing sport of Lacrosse.
“The 6v6 discipline is an incredible tool for global growth of the sport,” said TJ Buchanan, Director of Sport Development at World Lacrosse. “The reduced roster sizes, smaller field of play, unified field markings, and the simplified and harmonized rule sets make it easier than ever before for both new and existing countries to grow participation.”
World Lacrosse, the international federation for men’s and women’s lacrosse, serves a mission to develop lacrosse throughout the world to positively impact the lives of its participants and communities. The organization is comprised of nearly 70 National Governing Body members and holds five World Championships. World Lacrosse holds the vision for lacrosse to become an official Olympic sport in 2028. A vision that is shared by Halo LAX and US Lacrosse alike.
“US Lacrosse is excited about small-sided play through our Flex6 community-based program to introduce new players to the sport in a highly accessible and affordable way, and also encourage lifelong participation in the sport true to our athlete development model and organization’s mission. We believe the insights shared at LaxCon through this session with Halo LAX and World Lacrosse will increase participation in the sport,” said Erin Smith, Senior Director of Sport Development at US Lacrosse.
US Lacrosse, the National Governing Body for the sport, hosts the LaxCon conference annually and features coach development workshops, courses for officials, training and skill development sessions, networking opportunities, and industry-leading topics like the 6-v-6 format.
Joel Franklin, Event Manager for Halo LAX said, “The opportunity to collaborate with US Lacrosse and World Lacrosse to bring the 6onLAX style game to the national stage at LaxCon is an honor. As we launch into the 2021 events season, 6onLAX is one of the most important tools we have to grow the sport and reach new participants. By making the game smaller, we can make the sport bigger.”
Halo LAX launched in 2020 as the first events brand of the Sports Facilities Companies with a mission to grow the sport of lacrosse and provide exceptional events. Now in its first full season, Halo LAX is slated to host events across the country at venues such as Iron Peak Sports and Events in Hillsborough, NJ and Grand Park Sports Campus of Westfield, IN. Registration for 6onLAX events by Halo LAX is now open for the 2021 season. To register or learn more about becoming a host site for a Halo LAX event, visit http://www.halolax.com/
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About Sports Facilities Companies: The Sports Facilities Companies serve destinations, communities, and athletes across the country with the strongest portfolio of trusted, quality brands in the youth and amateur sports industry including facility development and management services by Sports Facilities Advisory, LLC (SFA), Sports Facilities Development, LLC, and Sports Facilities Management, LLC (SFM), SFM Network, and high-quality events by Halo LAX, Amp Events, and Hype Nation volleyball. Since 2003, the firms have served more than 2,000 communities, supported more than more than $10 billion in community based and sports tourism projects and have hosted more than 100 million visitors and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact through the SFM Network. For more information, visit: sportadvisory.com and sfmnetwork.com.