World Lacrosse welcomed Pakistan as its first new member of 2024, and 92nd overall.
Pakistan will be a part of the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union, which now holds 20 members. World Lacrosse has added 19 members since the start of 2022 and more than doubled its total membership in the last decade.
World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said: “I am delighted to add Pakistan as our newest member and want to offer the growing lacrosse community in the country the warmest welcome to our family. Thanks to the APLU for its tremendous work in nurturing lacrosse hotbeds across such a diverse continent and ensuring Pakistan Lacrosse is ready to join this group of committed members.”
The APLU has now added members in three consecutive years, adding Uzbekistan in 2023, and Iran and Cambodia in 2022.
The APLU’s membership spans across the continent and originally began with Australia, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, China in 2004. The APLU doubled in size in 2012, and then again in 2022, with members now representing the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific Rim.
The APLU will host four of the next five World Lacrosse championships, beginning in August with the women’s U20 championship in Hong Kong, China. The men’s U20 championship in set for 2025 on Jeju Island in Korea, and the men’s and women’s championships will take place in 2026 and 2027 in Japan.
The APLU is also looking to increase the number of regional events to present more international competition opportunities to its newest members, such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
