Grand County Goes Big with Lacrosse: Club + High School Teams are Growing Our Mountain Kids' Love for the Fast-Paced, Fun "Medicine Game"
For a small mountain town, our local kids have more and more opportunities every year - especially when it comes to youth sports! Between the amazing programs offered by the Fraser Valley Recreation Association and Granby Recreation, and the dedication of local community members who have volunteered countless hours to build club teams like the Fraser Valley Hockey Association, Grand County Soccer Club, 8058 Peak Volleyball Club, and Fraser Valley Lacrosse Club, our mountain kids have no shortage of ways to get involved and experience all the benefits of playing a team sport.
Lacrosse, spearheaded by the Fraser Valley Lacrosse Club, is one of the fastest-growing sports in the county. The popularity makes sense - the game is a natural fit for families drawn to Grand County. Outdoor play combined with high-energy, adrenaline-pumping action feels like a win for those adventure-seekers who choose to call this place home. And having those snow-capped Rocky Mountains as the backdrop on the fields doesn’t hurt either!
Dubbed “the medicine game," lacrosse has roots in Native American traditions, bringing people together for a shared purpose and played with respect and intention, making it as much about connection and well-being as it was about competition, and we for sure see that with our local players.
Since getting started in 2016, the local lacrosse program has really taken off. It now serves over 130 players and offers both girls’ and boys’ competitive teams for first through eighth graders, as well as a co-ed K–1 “Mini Sticks” program. The club also helped pave the way for the boys team that now plays at Middle Park High School, a huge win for our community!
If you live here in the mountains or are thinking of making a move, I want to make sure you're in-the-know about this awesome opportunity for our local kids.
FRASER VALLEY LACROSSE CLUB
The Fraser Valley Lacrosse Club reflects the same welcoming spirit you’ll find throughout Grand County. FVLC creates opportunities for players of all ability and experience levels, whether kids are brand new to the sport or already have a few seasons under their belt.
The club creates an inclusive environment where kids can build confidence, develop skills, and genuinely fall in love with the game while growing as both players and teammates. FVLC is a “recreational club”: there are no tryouts, and the mission is centered on growing the sport and giving every kid the opportunity to experience the game. They offer beginner clinics and additional practice opportunities to help newer players get up to speed, and their directors and coaching staff (including some former D1 players!) consistently emphasize teamwork and support regardless of experience and ability. And they provide so many opportunities for players who want to be challenged, with plenty of ways to develop, practice, and hone their skills!
TEAMS
The club offers teams for boys and girls, with the girls program really growing after bringing on a paid, girls-specific director, Lisa Horton (a former college lacrosse player), in 2024 to partner with the wildly passionate and capable, long-time local, and FVLC founder boys director, John Vella. Currently, the club has seven teams:
BOYS
- 1st/2nd Grade Boys
- Intro-level team focused on fundamentals and fun
- Includes practices, inter squad scrimmages, and limited tournament play
- 3rd/4th Grade Boys
- Builds foundational skills and game understanding
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
- 5th/6th Grade Boys
- Increased focus on team concepts and game strategy
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
- 7th/8th Grade Boys
- More advanced competition and full-field play
- Emphasis on lacrosse IQ, systems, and competitive development/high school team prep
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
GIRLS 
- 1st–3rd Grade Girls
- Beginner-friendly introduction to the sport
- Focus on basic skills and small-sided play
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
- 4th/5th Grade Girls
- Transition into more structured gameplay
- Some reduced field formats (like sixes/8v8)
- Full-field 10v10 league play
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
- 6th-8th Grade Girls
- Full-field competition in the spring (12v12)
- Reduced field for some sixes play in the fall
- Regular league playdates + tournaments
SEASONS
FVLC breaks its programming into fall and spring seasons, with the spring focused on league play and the fall offering a more laid-back experience, with 2–3 mountain tournaments each season.
SPRING
The club partners with the Arapahoe Youth League (based on the Front Range) for spring league play. Games are typically scheduled one day each weekend from April through May, with a commitment to keeping travel within two hours of Grand County for weekend games. Playoff weekends can often include two days of play.
The spring season brings tournament play, too! It varies each year, but boys teams typically compete in a weekend tournament in Aspen in May, and all teams participate in a Memorial Day tournament in Steamboat Springs.
FALL
The fall season kicks off with practices in September and includes 2–3 mountain tournaments, each lasting one to two days. Games can be either sixes or traditional field lacrosse. Tournament locations often include Vail, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, and Evergreen, though they can vary between boys and girls teams.
To embrace the need for travel, the club secures hotel blocks for tournament weekends to help families get a better rate and to give players a chance to spend time together off the field. Fall play has a really fun, relaxed vibe and a different rhythm compared to the more structured league play in the spring.
PRACTICES
In both fall and spring, teams typically practice two times each week, with third practices added when possible/needed. With our mountain climate, it's hard to know when the weather will allow outdoor practice, so teams flex with the weather. When possible, practices are scheduled at the Fraser ballfields (Fraser Valley Sports Complex just north of Fraser), but the club utilizes the Granby Dome for practices before the fields are dry or when weather precludes outdoor practice.
COST
Registration fees vary depending on season and tournaments scheduled, with fall registration typically being significantly less than the spring league play + tournaments combo. Fees are currently around $300 in the fall and closer to $500 in the spring. All players have to purchase a USA Lacrosse membership (around $30) each year; the membership covers insurance for the club.
The club also offers scholarships and incentives. Scholarships are need-based and evaluated each season, but the club is committed to giving every kid the opportunity to play! AND, they just rolled out an incentive program for first-time players, offering 50% off registration fees, free gear rentals + a free uniform for players ready to give it a go!
PARTNERSHIPS
The club partners with the Fraser Valley Recreation Association for use of the ballfields for practice, local nonprofit Rocky Mountain Express for summer play opportunities and year-round clinics, 10th Mountain Lacrosse out of Summit County, and local public schools.
Fraser Valley Rec generously donates field time for practices, which is such a gift to the program. Rocky Mountain Express is a local nonprofit that gives players opportunities to get extra reps and practices each summer, as well as offering winter clinics. RME helps push kids to develop their game, introduces box lacrosse, and coordinates opportunities for tournament play across the continental U.S. 10th Mountain Lacrosse gives players another chance to join tournaments and game opportunities, helping them sharpen their skills and connect with other mountain-area players. FVLC has also partnered with local EGSD schools Fraser Valley Elementary, Granby Elementary, and East Grand Middle School to bring lacrosse into PE classes using Hackees Lax equipment.
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Several FVLC players who are looking for year-round play opportunities join Front Range club teams that practice one-two times each week and schedule tournaments across the country. While not local, the players who pursue these opportunities enjoy the added challenge and opportunities to play (while still playing with FVLC). Families partner together with carpooling to make competitive club play a reality for their lacrosse players!
MIDDLE PARK HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TEAM
We are so grateful for our high school boys lacrosse team to have gotten its start in 2022 and still be going strong! The community and Fraser Valley Lacrosse Club is working toward establishing a girls high school team in the next few years. If you'd like to check out MPHS lacrosse team, you can watch their Youtube channel with livestreams. They play in both fall and spring. Check out their schedule here. We all love to come out and support home games with our black and purple! We've even had several high school players move on to play college lacrosse, FVLC even gives scholarships to graduating seniors who've been active in lacrosse here in Grand County!
SUPPORT
If you'd like to jump in to support the lacrosse efforts here in Grand County, Birdies for Braden is a great way to give to the cause! The annual golf tournament in honor of of a local lacrosse player who lost his life takes place every September at Pole Creek Golf Club with proceeds going to the FVLC scholarship fund as well as MPHS high school team support.
If giving directly to help support lacrosse in the county is a way you'd like to partner with the local lacrosse club, you can always give online.
THE COMMUNITY
It's been just as fun to watch the sport grow and our kids experience the beauty and challenges of the game as it has been to see lacrosse bring people together, typical for the Fraser Valley community. With siblings often at different practices, families tend to hang out at the fields, catching up while the kids play, turning evenings into impromptu social hours. The familial vibe really comes together every Memorial Day weekend when all of the teams head to Steamboat Springs for a tournament that feels more like a Grand County get together, with families camping, cheering, and spending the whole weekend together. It’s one of those things that reminds you what makes this community so special.
SEE YOU ON THE FIELDS!
Supporting my own kids playing with the Fraser Valley Lacrosse Club, I’ve seen firsthand the impact lacrosse has on our youth and our community, so I’m all in with supporting the club, the boys high school team, and the potential girls high school team!
And if the growing opportunities for youth in Grand County have you ready to take the leap and move to the mountains, I’d love to support you on your real estate journey. Reach out to schedule a buyer’s consultation, learn more about the local market. and tap into my years of experience living and raising my family here in the Fraser Valley!
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