Does anyone really want to go to Denver in the summer? My son's team is going to the qualifier and will likely be invited (not definitely, of course) and half of the team does not want to do it. I've spoken to parents from other teams as well and, though they would never admit it to the coaches, they have no desire to spend that extra money to fly away from the beaches that they wait 10 months to go to. It's the 4th of July for God's sake. It's just such a stupid idea. The NLF tournament at Lehigh is a much better option. No need to do both.
I've discussed attending the WSYL with a dozen coaches and even more parents and have heard nothing but great things. Can you say the same thing about the NLF? The teams are full of holdbacks, they blackball the best competition, and the directors are the same unscrupulous owners that parents are warned to stay as far away as possible. Yea...lets support that.
NLF opened the Club Championship up to about 30 teams. I saw a posting of the list of competing clubs and it was both substantial and varied. Not just the NLF members. I'd rather my son play against holdbacks in PA than play diluted, weak teams in Colorado. It's too far and is being played at a terrible time.
They have to open it up to be relevant, however, because so many people/clubs are turned off by the core NLF teams, they may not be interested in the NLF tournament, regardless of the fact that it will be a very competitive. I realize that there are great teams in the NLF (some of the best nationally), and the convenience is a plus, but you do have to deal with the holdbacks (yes, I know that it is a part of lacrosse life, so spare me the lectures), for better or worse, and putting aside the cost/convenience, the WSYL is an opportunity to compete on a level playing field. My son has, and will, have the opportunity to play the NLF teams at other national level tournaments, so the WSYL offers something different. While some may view the opportunity as a waste of time/money, others do not, and guess what, that's OK
