US Lacrosse Nationals come to DE Turf on Aug. 3-5

Lacrosse players, recruiters and fans from all over the country are coming to see what Delaware has to offer as the 10th annual US Lacrosse Nationals are coming to DE Turf Aug. 3-5. 

Since opening its facilities in April 2017, the DE Turf Sports Complex in Frederica has consistently brought in top-caliber soccer, lacrosse and field hockey tournaments. 

Having hosted 20 tournaments with roughly 40,000 visitors last year, the complex is set to bring more than 100,000 visitors from more than 40 events in 2018. 

The US Lacrosse Nationals will bring 24 girls’ lacrosse teams and a thousand people to the First State. US Lacrosse, the national governing body of the sport, will attract teams from California, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, New York and many others.

“We’ve capitalized on the location of Delaware,” said Delaware Sports Commission Chair Matthew Robinson. “We sit right in the middle of several major population centers like New York, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. We’re a great central location for mid-Atlantic events, and we hear that all the time.” 

Youth teams in the 14U, 13U and 12U divisions qualified for the event based on a point system awarded through more than 50 qualifying tournaments. US Lacrosse was able to host up to 90 teams, but due to a short turnaround from the qualifiers to the national tournament, only 24 teams will make the trip to Frederica.  

Last year’s winners and New York natives, teams Igloo and Yellow Jackets 2022 Blue, earned automatic qualifiers to this year’s prestigious tournament.

“To finish the lacrosse season with the US Lacrosse Nationals is icing on the cake for us,” said DE Turf Executive Director Chris Giacomucci. “The US Lacrosse Nationals is considered the national championship for youth lacrosse across the country … and for those teams to finish their summer here in Delaware, it means a lot to us.” 

Located off Exit 83 on Route 1 and just 25 miles away from Lewes, the DE Turf complex features the state’s premier sports campus, comprising 12 synthetic turf fields, five of which are lighted, a championship stadium that can sit 700 fans, free public Wi-Fi, and a multipurpose educational programming room. Coming off a hugely successful first year in existence, Giacomucci is looking to take the next step. 

“I think it’s safe to say that with our early success, we’ve been able to establish ourselves as one of the preeminent sport facilities not only on the East Coast but in the country,” he said. “We’ve been very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish, and I think the sky is the limit for this facility. We look forward to building larger events to continue to build the brand that is DE Turf here in central Delaware.”

The tournament follows a hectic club lacrosse summer season for both national lacrosse brands and DE Turf, as the All-American National Classic was held there just two weeks ago. With one of the nation’s largest showcase tournaments, DE Turf welcomed Gov. John Carney during its opening ceremonies July 16 in front of more than 3,000 people from 33 states and Canada. 

“The economic impact was felt during the week, so we were able to bring good business in to local restaurants and hotels, which again is our mission statement,” Giacomucci said. “We want to generate economic impact to central Delaware.”

That mission statement has helped invigorate the Kent County economy, a trend Robinson thinks can continue. 

“It’s great. It brings people to the state for the first time,” Robinson said. “And it also brings visibility to the state; people who haven’t been here before get exposed to it and potentially return for non-sport reasons. With that great event with teams coming from all across the country, the state will see the economic impact from that.” 

Robinson and the Delaware Sports Commission have developed a great relationship with US Lacrosse in recent years. The University of Delaware’s 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championships hosting bid finished second only behind this year’s host: Netanya, Israel. 

That relationship has culminated in the DE Turf complex landing the 2018 US Lacrosse Nationals. 

“It’s a great new facility with a good location,” said Paul Krome, US Lacrosse senior marketing manager. “Obviously it has the proximity to the beaches, with families who are able to come and take some extra time or go in the evenings to enjoy the various resort towns along the coast. It’s also a good location because while we do have teams from all over the country coming, most of the teams are from the Eastern Seaboard.” 

The now high-in-demand facility is doing more than just bringing in revenue for the state; it’s also raising the quality of sport. Team 302 club lacrosse coach and founder Jay Motta spoke of nothing but great experiences regarding DE Turf, even hosting a camp there just last week. No matter if it was practice, camp or a tournament, Motta’s program has gotten great usage out of the facility. 

“While you’re there, I think it makes our guys feel like college or pro athletes playing at such a nice venue,” said Motta, who said DE Turf has allowed the club to better connect to the lower parts of the state. “It’s always nice to be down at the Turf.” 

For a former University of Delaware player and assistant coach who’s been living in Delaware for more than 20 years, Motta has taken notice of the significance that DE Turf’s high-level tournaments bring.

“It means a lot,” he said. “With a place like this, Delaware is finally getting the recognition it deserves. It has been a strong lacrosse community for a long time, and we’re able to show that to the rest of the country.” 

Delaware will have a sizable presence on the 2023 All-American Aim team (NJ/DE) in the tournament, having 11 of the 18 players representing Wilmington and Hockessin. 

The championship games will be broadcast live on US Lacrosse’s social media platforms thanks to a newly formed partnership with the Synthesis Multimedia Productions group.