COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) is excited to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached between the Canada Lacrosse Association (CLA) and National Lacrosse Team Players’ Association (NLTPA) that permits Canada to defend its world championship title at the 2018 FIL Men’s World Championship in Netanya, Israel, July 12-21. The agreement between the players and member federation is confidential and was reached on June 8th.
The differences between the elite players of the NLTPA and the CLA have been settled with a shared vision on the promotion and growth of the Lacrosse in Canada and support of worldwide efforts to grow the game. The Board of Directors of the CLA and the players are set to meet later this week to ratify the agreement for all parties.
“On behalf of FIL and the lacrosse community, it is exciting to see Canada and its athletes agree in principle for Canada to field a full team at the 2018 World Championships,” said Sue Redfern, FIL President. “This agreement is extremely important for the continued growth and recognition of Lacrosse throughout the world as we build our presence for inclusion in a future Olympic Games.”
The 2018 FIL Men’s World Championships will feature 47 countries in Netanya, and will be telecast on Sport 5 in Israel, ESPN, and streamed world-wide. The United States and Canada are the only two countries to win the FIL Men’s World Championships. Canada claimed the gold medal at the 2014 FIL Men’s World Championships by outlasting the United States, 8-5, in Denver, Colorado.
The initial Men’s World Championships was a four-team invitational tournament in 1967. Since 1974, the FIL Men’s World Championships has been conducted every four years. The 2014 FIL Men’s World Championships featured 38 countries.
