FAQ

Short answer is “Yes.” Western Pennsylvania Youth Lacrosse Association (“WPYLA”) requires that if you live in a school district that has a youth lacrosse program, you must play for that program. This is regardless of if you go to a private school outside your residential area. The exception to this rule is if you live in a school district that currently does not have a youth lacrosse program. Then your options are to join the closest program to your area.

For example, if a player lives in the Knock school district and Knock doesn’t have a youth lacrosse program, that player can choose to play for either Butler Youth or Mars Youth.  Similarly, if a player attends St. Kilian School, but lives in the Seneca Valley School District, then that player would have to play for Seneca Valley. They cannot choose to play with another program.

• Spring (main) Season. :During out spring season (March – June) practices are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30 pm. Days of practice and time of practice may be altered due to weather conditions, field conditions, and available daylight. Any changes to practice days, times and locations will be communicated through coaches and/or the board.
• Summer Tournament: if you son chooses to play in Mars Summer Tournament league (June-July), practices are typically held on Sundays at Adams Township Community park from 6:00-7:30.
• Fall Skills and Travel: If you son’s chooses to participate in fall skills clinic or our fall tournament team, practices are typically held on Sundays 6:00-7:30 at Adams Township Park. NOTE: As fall daylight lessens, practices will eventually move to 4:30-6:00.
• Winter Skills. Our winter skills sessions (Jan-Feb) take place on Friday evenings.

Mars Youth Lacrosse utilizes three primary locations for practices. The fields at the Treesdale Community Center, the rectangle field at the Adams Township Municipal Park, and the fields at the Middlesex Township Building.

Mars Youth Lacrosse home games are typically played at either the Mars Athletic Complex (MAC) or Lefcon field off of Three Degree Road and Doc’s Way.

Most games are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays in season. Occasionally a game may have to be rescheduled due to weather related cancellations and may have to be played during the week.

• Teams can play anywhere from 15-20 games during the season. The younger teams tend to play fewer games than the older teams. The older teams also participate in one extra tournament plus the year end WPYLA Championships. Below is an example of the number of games played by age division:
  • 8U – 11-13 games
  • 10U – 12-13 games + WPYLA Championships
  • 12U – 12-14 games + Hudson (OH) Tournament + WPYLA Championships
  • 14U – 12-14 games + Hudson (OH) Tournament + WPYLA Championships

• 8-10U (K-4^th grades): Teams in grades K-4^th are evenly split based on the perceived talent of the players. This is done so that better skilled players play with players who are learning the game in order to help develop their skills. Team will be evenly divided by the appointed coaches.
• 12U-14U (5^th-6^th and 7^th and 8^th): Players on the 12U and 14U teams participate in a tryout to determine who gets placed on the Competitive Team and who gets placed on the Development Team. Tryouts are arranged by the board and conducted by the Mars High School lacrosse coaches. Parents and youth coaches are prohibited from attending or participating in the tryouts. There are opportunities for players from the Development Team to play their way onto the Competitive Team and vice versa.

The following pieces of equipment are required:

Field Players:

• Lacrosse Helmet (hockey, football or other sport helmets are not permitted replacements)
• Mouth guard
• NOCSAE-approved chest protector
• Elbow pads
• Gloves
• Protective Cup
• Cleats
• Lacrosse stick

Goalies:

• All of the equipment listed above, including:
• Throat Guard (MYLA provided)
• Goalie Chest Protector (MYLA provided)
• Goalie Girdle (Optional and MYLA provided)
• Shin Guards (Optional and MYLA provided)

All equipment except for balls and goals, etc. must be purchased by the player. Some goalie equipment is provided by the program (see equipment above).

Mars does not offer an equipment exchange program.

A USA Lacrosse Number is your membership number provided by USA Lacrosse. A USA Lacrosse Number is required for any player or coach involved in Mars Youth Lacrosse. A USA Lacrosse Number is required because players and coaches who are currently registered members of USA Lacrosse, and who are in good standing, are covered by the USA Lacrosse Insurance Program for the term of their membership.

• Spring Season: For our Spring season we play all local teams. The furthest a player may have to travel is about an hour away. If your son is on an older team (12U or 14U), the team may play in a tournament in Ohio about 1.5 hours away.
• Summer and fall tournament teams. If you decide to play on our summer or fall tournament teams, the tournament locations could be up to 4 hours away in some cases.

Spring season runs from the first week of March through the first week of June.

Mars Youth Lacrosse has options to play year-round. Our primary season is in spring. However, we also have opportunities for summer and fall travel teams as well as fall and winter skills sessions.

Winter Skills is an 8-week indoor lacrosse program that the Mars Youth Lacrosse offers from the first week of January through the last week of February. This program is offered to help build kids lacrosse skills and get them conditioned for the beginning of our Spring season. Winter Skills sessions are coached by our youth lacrosse coaches with the assistance of high school players and coaches and, at times, local college players (e.g., RMU).

You will need full equipment (see equipment above) for Winter Skills as there is some game play and game situations that introduce contact.

There is no mandated skill level required to play on Mars Youth Travel teams (Fall or Summer). Depending on the number of players registered we may decide to have an “A” team and a “B” team, where the more proficient players play up on “A” and the kids who are still developing play for the “B” team. All teams are registered for tournaments at their determined level. For example, the A team would play against A teams, B team would play other B teams, etc.