The first USBOXLA Nationals happened in 2014. Just a handful of teams from California, Colorado and Washington attended the tournament in Irvine, California.

Since then, the USBOXLA Nationals have grown every year, this past summer seeing nearly 1,000 players from all over the country and even Canada competing in five different divisions over three jammed-packed days of safe, sanctioned, and successful box lacrosse. 

Representatives from US Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League – the NLL also sponsoring the weekend’s USBOXLA Nationals All-Star Games – were in attendance this year, in awe of how massive the country’s biggest youth box lacrosse tournament has grown in such a short period of time. 

Well, in 2018 the USBOXLA Nationals will be ballooning yet again, and in order to accommodate the record-breaking interest next year’s event has already ignited, the USBOXLA Nationals are moving to Huntington Beach, California. 

The 2018 Nationals will be held on seven pads across two nearby venues. The Rinks in both Huntington Beach and Irvine, where the Nationals were first born, will host in excess of 200 games from August 3-5, as well as a pre-tournament clinic, all-star games, and an individual skills event. 

“We keep growing as an association on an almost daily basis,” said USBOXLA Co-Founder Shaydon Santos. “Every new member wants to be at the Nationals. We’ve outgrown the facility in San Jose, but now between Huntington Beach and Irvine, we have the perfect pair of nearby venues to host by far the biggest and most competitive box lacrosse event to ever take place in the USA.” 

This past year’s edition of the Nationals saw teams from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Canada compete, while interest from new clubs in Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, and other states is already pouring in. 

“The goal was to start an event similar to what I experienced growing up in Canada and playing box lacrosse with the Whitby Warriors,” added Santos. “Each year we get closer and closer to that goal, providing Americans an amazing experience they won’t find anywhere else in the country. I’m confident what we offer teams in 2018 will be bigger, better, and more fun than anything else we’ve done in previous years. I can’t wait!”

Registration for the 2018 USBOXLA Nationals opens Friday, December 15, 2017. Keep watching USBOXLA.com and all of our social media (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) to stay informed.