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National Collegiate Box Series: 2020 season update

By USBOXLA Announcement, 05/15/20, 6:00AM PDT

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Amid continued health and safety concerns during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) is confirming the cancellation of the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) and the Connecticut Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CTCBLL) 2020 regular season and playoffs.

The Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL) will be pushing the start of their potential National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) season into mid-July, while the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL) announced last week that they would be delaying their inaugural NCBS season until the spring of 2021.

The 2020 NCBS National Championship will also not be taking place this summer. 

Although government officials in Colorado and Connecticut have proposed the reopening of both states – albeit in two very different approaches – USBOXLA, NCBS and league officials do not feel hosting games within those proposed rollouts would allow for either sanctioned league to ensure the required health and safety standards are met for participating players, coaches, officials and other staff.

OCBLL league management have been closely monitoring state-required safety measures during the recent gradual reopening of Ohio, and are still optimistic a shortened season can be accomplished this summer. The league’s new proposed 2020 schedule includes the following key dates:

Combine – July 12
Draft – July 14
Regular Season – July 20, 22, 26, 28 and 30
Playoffs – August 3 and 5

“Although hugely disappointing, as previously stated several times since the pandemic began back in March, the health and safety of the athletes participating in our leagues is our number one priority, and always will be,” said NCBS Commissioner, Niko Blankenship. “After closely reviewing the proposed reopening of Colorado and Connecticut and the various phases that included, fitting even a shortened season in either state was not advisable.”

Prior to the pandemic, the 2020 NCBS season would have included 20 college-aged teams and upwards of 400 roster opportunities across the four previously mentioned regions. Last year, the OCBLL’s Rivermen captured the first-ever NCBS National Championship at the USBOXLA Nationals in Irvine, California.

Additional NCBS updates, for Ohio and otherwise, will be made in coming weeks. Players in Colorado, Connecticut and Upstate New York that had already paid partial or full registration fees will be contacted by a league representative about refund options shortly. 

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.

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