Discover Lacrosse Highlights Successful 20th Anniversary Year

CityLax, the country’s largest nonprofit dedicated to advancing lacrosse opportunities for urban youth, is proud to announce that the 20th anniversary year in 2025 was one of its most successful to date.

CityLax’s Discover Lacrosse, which introduces lacrosse to middle school aged students through in-school, gym-class programs, visited 12 NYC public schools with three weeks of programming in each school, reaching an estimated 1,000 kids. Most recently, the Discover Lacrosse program wrapped up an in-school program at two KIPP middle schools and PS 109 middle school, capping a successful year of free programing for underserved communities.

“As always, we had a blast introducing the sport to middle schoolers,” said CityLax Program Director Ryan Garling. “Our goal is simple: introduce a sport that most of the kids haven’t had exposure to prior. We give them a brief history of the sport, then get right into it.  Our program allows the kids to learn the basics, practice the fundamentals, and most importantly, to have fun!”

CityLax’s Discover Lacrosse program provides lacrosse sticks and other equipment for the kids to enjoy the basics of the sport with the goal of generating enough interest for the school to begin its own CityLax after-school program and eventually compete against other schools in a middle school league and  throughout the 5 boroughs .

“Ryan and his team do an amazing job introducing lacrosse to students across the five boroughs,” said CityLax CEO Rich Lisk. “We are excited that our Discover Lacrosse program is always such a big hit and we are looking forward to our winter clinics and what 2026 has to offer.”

In 2025, the CityLax Winter Clinics, which are free for students in grades 6-12, visited all five boroughs, with six clinics in each borough. The winter clinics are for all skill levels and if athletes don’t have equipment, CityLax provides it at no extra cost.

The 2026 CityLax Winter Clinics will be held at Hunter College High School (Manhattan), Columbus High School (Bronx), Curtis High School (Staten Island), Forrest Hills High School (Queens) and Brooklyn Tech (Brooklyn). To learn more about CityLax’s 2026 winter clinics click here.

The 2025 CityLax free Summer Camps at Long Island City High School were held over two weeks, with the first week for boys and the second week for girls. CityLax also hosted six free play days at Pier 40 during July-August summer evenings. These free camps and play opportunities help students-athletes stay sharp and fine tune skills, while still learning the lessons that help them grow into great teammates on and off the field.

In 2025, CityLax ran over 50 free lacrosse programs throughout NYC, reaching over 1,000 new student-athletes, while continuing to support over 1,000 other student-athletes already involved at different levels.

All CityLax programs are free thanks to the generous support of donors and CityLax fundraising efforts. CityLax provides all equipment for student-athletes who are unable to afford it on their own.

The year also saw CityLax continue to grow off the field. Lisk was brought on as CEO in October, Premier Lacrosse League great Rob Pannell was elected board president and the CityLax Advisory Board grew to over 20 members. Pannell, 36, who plays for the Maryland Whipsnakes, is Cornell’s all-time points leader and still ranks among the NCAA DI points leaders.

“As we enter our 21st season of programming, we are seeking new and innovative ways to accomplish our fundraising goals so we can continue to provide free programming for underserved communities,” added Lisk. “As in any sport, teamwork is essential. Without the support of our great donors, board members and co-founder Mat Levine, none of what we do would be possible.”

In total, CityLax has introduced lacrosse to more than 20,000 student-athletes in over 70 NYC public schools. Student-athletes who participate in the CityLax program have a 99% graduation rate and many have returned to the program to be mentors and coaches for the next generation.