BALTIMORE - US Lacrosse announced that it will place a bid to host the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Men’s Lacrosse World Championships. Currently, US Lacrosse is looking for locations in the United States that would be able to host the largest international lacrosse competition in the world. Venues have until April 10, 2009 to submit an Intent to Bid application to US Lacrosse.

The Men’s Lacrosse World Championships has grown from 11 countries competing in 1998 to 38 countries expected to compete in 2014. The event is held in July over a span of 10 days of competition. The 2010 World Championships in Manchester, England (www.2010worldlacrosse.com) will be the first men’s championship conducted by the newly-formed FIL (www.icfld.com), which is a result of the merger of the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) and the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF).

"We will reach out to convention and visitors bureaus across the country to help vet out ideal locations to host what is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the men’s game," said Sarah Oglesby, US Lacrosse’s director of special events. "It would be an honor and great opportunity for our country if the United States were chosen to host the 2014 FIL World Championships. We really want to put our best foot forward."

US Lacrosse had the privilege of hosting the 1998 World Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore, Md. It was the largest international lacrosse event in the history of the sport with over 55,000 fans over the course of 10 days, plus it was broadcasted on multiple local and national media outlets.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in the country and since the inception of US Lacrosse in 1998, the game has grown exponentially. Currently, there are over 500,000 lacrosse players in the United States, with participation growing the most at the youth and high school levels.

Important Deadlines:
Intent to Bid Due: April 10, 2009
Invitation for Formal Bid: June 1, 2009
Formal Bid Due (Invite Only): September 1, 2009

Bid applications can be found online at http://www.uslacrosse.org/events/rfp.phtml

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse. US Lacrosse has more than 250,000 members in 62 regional chapters around the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse strives to provide programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game. To learn more about US Lacrosse, please visit www.uslacrosse.org.