Box lacrosse
Founded 1932
No. of teams 7
Country Canada
Current champions Victoria Shamrocks
Official website TheBoxRocks.com
The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the Major Series Lacrosse champion for the Mann Cup every September. The championship is hosted alternately between Ontario and British Columbia every year.
The calibre of lacrosse in the WLA is very high, as the majority of its players also play in the National Lacrosse League during the winter months, while the WLA schedule runs from mid-May to August.
The league consists of the following teams:
• Victoria Shamrocks
• Coquitlam Adanacs
• New Westminster Salmonbellies
• Maple Ridge Burrards
• Burnaby Lakers
• Nanaimo Timbermen
• Langley Thunder
League History:
Box lacrosse adopted by British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association on May 4, 1932
1932-1933 Senior Box Lacrosse League (under BCALA umbrella)
1934-1967 Inter-City Lacrosse League (ICLL)
1968 National Lacrosse Association (Western Division)
1969-present Western Lacrosse Association
New Westminster Salmonbellies
1888-1931 founded on May 12, 1888; played as field lacrosse club
1932-1950 New Westminster Salmonbellies (merged with New Westminster Adanacs)
1951-1951 New Westminster Commandos
1952-1953 New Westminster Salmonacs
1954-1954 New Westminster Royals
1955-1958 New Westminster Salmonbellies
1959-1966 New Westminster O’Keefes
1967-present New Westminster Salmonbellies
Maple Ridge Burrards
1937-1937 Vancouver Burrard Olympics
1938-1949 Vancouver Burrards
1950-1950 Vancouver Burrard Westerns (merged with Richmond Farmers)
1951-1951 Vancouver Combines
1952-1958 Vancouver Pilseners
1959-1969 Vancouver Carlings
1970-1993 Vancouver Burrards (transferred to Surrey)
1994-1995 Surrey Burrards (transferred to Maple Ridge)
1996-present Maple Ridge Burrards
Victoria Shamrocks
1950-1982 Victoria Shamrocks
1983-1993 Victoria Payless
1994-present Victoria Shamrocks
Coquitlam Adanacs
1965-1967 Coquitlam Adanacs (transferred to Portland)
1968-1968 Portland Adanacs (transferred to Coquitlam)
1969-present Coquitlam Adanacs
Burnaby Lakers
1986-1989 Richmond Outlaws (transferred to Burnaby)
1990-present Burnaby Lakers
Langley Thunder
1994-1999 North Shore Indians (transferred to Kelowna)
2000-2001 Okanagan Thunder (transferred to North Vancouver)
2002-2003 North Shore Thunder (transferred to Langley)
2004-present Langley Thunder
