FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2018
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Federation of International Lacrosse and its board of directors are proud to announce the admittance of Ecuador and Ukraine as its newest members.
The addition of Ecuador and Ukraine will bring the number of member nations in the FIL to 62 countries. Ecuador adds another South American country after additions of Argentina (2002), Chile (2017), Colombia (2013) and Peru (2012). Ukraine joins Bulgaria (2008), Estonia (2013), Latvia (2004), Serbia (2010), Slovakia (2004), Russia (2011), and Turkey (2010) as members nations in the eastern European region.
“The nations of Ecuador and Ukraine are exciting additions to our member organization,” said FIL President Susan Redfern. “We have growing presence in South America and Eastern Europe continues to add strength to an already strong region. FIL continues to grow at a rapid pace as the world discovers the dynamic game of Lacrosse, which we believe is built for modern times.”
FIL’s member nation growth from 2002 to 2018 has been 233%. FIL began in 1972 with five member nations. The recent World Championships in Netanya, Israel in July 2018 saw a record 46 countries compete. The United States defeated Canada on a last-second goal to win the World Championship.
“In line with our long-term plans for growth, as an organization, we will continue to aggressively pursue international member nation expansion,” said FIL CEO Jim Scherr. “We see the germination of new clubs on all continents now. Our goal is to continue to strengthen our member organizations and network our community globally to support the growth of our game.”
## www.worldlacrosse.sport ##
Media Contact:
Jim Scherr, CEO
Phone: 719. 330.4029
Email: jscherr@filacrosse.org
