Bob DeMarco today commences his tenure as the fourth president of World Lacrosse following his election by the organization’s General Assembly in November. His initial terms runs through the end of 2028, and includes the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
DeMarco outlined his vision for lacrosse over the coming years with three key goals:
- Grow the game: “First, I want to continue to grow the game around the world. I have been involved in development of the sport internationally since the early days and I am proud to have been part of the phenomenal growth in recent years. World Lacrosse has gone from 58 to 92 member countries in the last seven years, and I would like to keep that trend going as well as further develop the sport in our existing member nations.”
- Maximize Olympic opportunity: “Next, I want to maximize our opportunity at LA28 to further popularize the sport while demonstrating the values of the game and the passion of lacrosse athletes and fans, while also pursuing Brisbane 2032 inclusion.”
- Strengthen the federation: “I also want to support the World Lacrosse staff to continue to build a strong, stable and sustainable International Federation through positive governance, and growing revenues and assets.”
In 2025, the World Lacrosse calendar features the 2025 Men’s U20 Championship on Jeju Island in Korea as well as a women’s sixes competition at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China. Additionally, three Continental Federations will hold championships that will also serve as qualifiers for senior World Lacrosse field championships in 2026 and 2027.
In 2025, World Lacrosse is also looking forward to announcing further details on the 2027 Sixes Championship and the format and qualification process for the Olympic Games.
The full press release on DeMarco’s election at the 2024 General Assembly can be found here.
DeMarco and WL CEO Jim Scherr also joined Terry Foy on Inside Lacrosse Podcasts to discuss the growth and evolution of lacrosse, the pivotal role of the sixes format, and the vision for maximizing lacrosse’s Olympic debut.
