Effective immediately, the USBOXLA-sanctioned National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) will allow Canadians currently enrolled in an NCAA program to register and compete in any of the four full-time NCBS leagues: Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL), Connecticut Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CTCBLL), Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL) and Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL).

In addition to playing for a recognized NCAA program (DI, II or III), interested Canadians must register and take part in the league’s player combine and draft in order to play a full season. 

Any Canadians registering after the league’s pre-season combine and draft, will be placed on a waiver wire where teams specific to the league they registered for will have the opportunity to pick or pass on the player through a predetermined selection order. A previously rostered player cannot be dropped to create space for a player selected off the waiver wire. An NCBS team will require an already available roster spot or trade a player(s) to make room for anyone they are selecting via the waiver.

An NCBS team can have a maximum of 4 Canadians rostered at any one time during a single season through the following scenarios: 4 runners OR 2 runners and 1 goalie OR 2 goalies.

While the NCBS was created to allow more American collegiate players to get better for their upcoming school season and increase their chances of one day playing in the National Lacrosse League, the inclusion of experienced Canadian box lacrosse players also allows the NCBS to create an even higher skilled and competitive environment for American college athletes. This new rule will give Canadians interested in taking part in the NCBS an opportunity to compete in these leagues, but also provide the best possible training and playing environment for Americans looking to improve through an NCBS season.

Representatives from each league as well as the NCBS management team were consulted prior to finalizing this newly implemented roster rule.

The 2020 NCBS seasons in Colorado, Connecticut, Ohio and Upstate New York are still tentatively scheduled to start as planned. USBOXLA and NCBS officials are continuing to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the required distancing and isolation measures being implemented by all levels of government. 

Players interested in taking part in an NCBS league this summer can apply at usboxla.com/college-play. If NCBS seasons are cancelled, players will be fully refunded.

About USBOXLA
The US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) is the country’s largest and most recognized box-specific governing body operating today. USBOXLA is a 501(c)3 charitable corporation whose mission is to develop and promote box lacrosse in the United States through a unified organization that provides high-value services, programs, and benefits to its members. Founded in 2010 by current University of Denver Associate Head Coach, Matt Brown, and former National Lacrosse League player, Shaydon Santos, USBOXLA has grown from a small regional association to one that presently serves over 25,000 individual members all over the US, all playing box lacrosse the right way.

About the NCBS
The National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) was established by the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) in 2018. The highly skilled series provides American collegiate players an opportunity to improve their overall lacrosse skillset through box lacrosse, to compete for a national championship, and also increase their chances of one day playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). First formed in 2017, the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) predates the formation of the NCBS, joining the series when it was officially launched a year later. In 2018, the Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL) was established with teams based in both Columbus and Cleveland. In 2019, over 200 US-born collegiate players competed in the NCBS, while new leagues in 2020 are expected to double the number of Americans taking part in this ground-breaking box lacrosse movement.