At this moment, a group of Midwestern box lacrosse teams are working together to form a super league. This league will be a competitive travel league for men known as the "Midwest Lacrosse Association." So far, the league has accepted teams from Detroit, St. Louis, Louisville, Naperville, Evansville, and a team in Wisconsin.
Teams are encouraged to sell tickets, merchandise, etc. as a means of funding travel and facility time. This is strictly an amateur league, however, and teams will be responsible for providing a home venue, uniforms, equipment, and referees. All travel accommodations are the responsibility of the individual teams.
To answer the obvious question: Yes, I have spoken with the league's director. In fact, I was one of the first people he contacted. To answer the next question: No, we do not plan on participating during the league's inaugural season next fall. We still have the option, but major concerns with funding, travel, referees, and the facility are holding us up. The limited number of players with adequate experience who are willing to commit to the intense travel schedule is another hurdle. Unlike fielding a team in the Great Plains Lacrosse League, we would most likely not have the benefit of having college players available to fill our ranks.
As the league continues to expand, we may reconsider joining. The key factor will be the addition of teams closer to Des Moines. Right now St. Louis is the closest at 4.5 hours on the road. Throw in Kansas City (2.5 hours), Minneapolis (4 hours), Lincoln (3 hours), Omaha (2 hours), and the travel becomes much less of a burden.
We also need to continue to increase our player depth in the metro. We need to continue to acclimate players to the box game to build our skills and confidence level. Finding the number of guys that can commit will be vital as well. We will also need to build a referee pool (which we need to do any way).
As far as the facility issue, while the Soccer House may be inappropriate for a competitive travel league, we don't have many more options available. With the league running during hockey season, the MISF is undoubtedly out of the question. SportsPlex West and Champions (on the south side) both lack boards. Figuring out where to play the higher calibre games will be an major issue...
