Fernandina Beach Youth Lacrosse registration opens for 2020 season


Fernandina Beach Lacrosse
Press Release
Submitted by Roger Rydell
September 25, 2019

Amelia Island Nassau County Youth Lacrosse (AINCYL) today announced the opening of registration for the upcoming 2020 spring lacrosse season. Interested families can register their children on the AINCYL webpage: https://www.ameliaislandlacrosse.org/. The announcement comes on the heels of the group’s highly successful inaugural season competing in the North Florida Youth Lacrosse League (NFYLL) this past spring.

Annual registration fees for the season are $200 for the first child and $175 for all subsequent family registrants. According to AINCYL Board Vice President and Head Coach, Carl Bazarian, all registrants must also be members of USLacrosse (the youth sport’s sanctioning body) at a cost of $35 per year. “The registration fees are applied to equipment purchase and/or loan, referee fees, field rentals and maintenance, as well as storage facilities. The USLacrosse membership covers insurance and other ancillary costs associated with coach and referee sanctioning.”

For the 2020 spring season, the AINCYL plans to field youth teams in the 8-year and under, 10-year and under, 12-year and under and 14-year and under age groups. All teams will play according to boy’s youth lacrosse rules (that permits body contact and therefore requires protective equipment). However, girls may also register and play.

“We are expecting to have somewhere between 50 and 60 players for the spring 2020 season,” noted Mr. Bazarian. “In order to assess play level and to properly introduce new players to the sport, we will be holding regular practice sessions beginning this fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the Central Park football field between Atlantic and Beech Streets on Amelia Island. All registered players are welcome to participate in these fall practices,” he said.

Mr. Bazarian noted that while Tuesday and Thursday practices would continue into the New Year, Saturdays will transition into game days once the spring 2020 season begins in late February.

The Amelia Island Youth Lacrosse teams will compete against teams in Duval County and St. Johns County. Those competitions usually take place in a “jamboree” format (two games per team per Saturday) in a central location convenient to members of the NYFLL, such as Fruit Cove just north of Jacksonville. The AINCYL will also play host to a few games in 2020 at the Hickory Street field in Fernandina Beach. The group will also participate in a regional tournament held each year in Savannah, Georgia.

Lacrosse is among the fastest growing sports in the United States and is played at hundreds of colleges and universities across the country including The University of Jacksonville. The sport is also growing at the middle and high school level. According to Mr. Bazarian, Amelia Island will establish its first high school boy’s “club” lacrosse team this coming spring. The sport originated among Native American tribes in both the U.S. and Canada (where it is the country’s National Sport along with Ice Hockey).

“We are extremely excited about this coming season and I urge all interested players and parents to register early and join the fun,” said Mr. Bazarian. “

For more information interested parties may visit the AINCYL website (noted above). They may also visit the AINCYL Facebook Page, or they may reach out directly to Mr. Bazarian at: [email protected]

AINCYL is a non-profit, 501c3 organization.