An enduring passion for lacrosse led a bunch of graduates from The University of Hong Kong to set up the Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association (HKLA) in 1993.
“Lacrosse has had a presence in Hong Kong for over 60 years – it’s not new to the city,” said CEO Raymond Fong. “At the time, though, it did not exist beyond HKU. So the association was set up by a few alumni who wanted to continue playing the game after leaving university.”
Today, HKLA functions as the governing body of lacrosse in Hong Kong and regularly participates in global and regional tournaments. It is also a member of the World Lacrosse (WL), Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union (APLU), as well as the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee Hong Kong, China (SF&OC). It is one of the few national sports associations working full-time to develop and promote lacrosse as a major sport in the city.
The mission, said Fong, is to grow the sport by providing support and resources and promoting accessibility. “Lacrosse is not an elite sport. It is played by people from all levels of society, and we are committed to providing opportunities to develop skills and attitudes that will enhance the lifelong enjoyment of the game. It also helps to develop confidence, discipline and teamwork, which benefits all aspects of life.”
In 2014, HKLA re-established the Hong Kong Lacrosse Open, one of the major tournaments in Asia. This year, the competition took place in March, with the Hong Kong men’s team defeating rivals Fogo Japan to lift the cup. And for the first time, Hong Kong will host the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship from15 to 24 August at Mong Kok Stadium.
“We outperform other regions as all our teams are firmly on low double-digit rankings among around 100. In Asia, we are second after Japan,” said Fong.
With lacrosse returning to the Olympic Games in 2028, it is getting plenty of public attention and garnering more participation. Fong said HKLA plans to offer more coaching and training programmes to meet the demand. “We also need to organize more high-level competitions and tournaments to advance our competitiveness further,” he explained.
However, the manpower crunch in Hong Kong has affected operations. “Like other SMEs, we suffer from high turnover,” said Fong, adding that HKLA is also facing a shortage of administrative professionals to handle the growing load of governance and compliance work.
As an HKGCC member since 2022, HKLA has benefited from the many networking events organized by the Chamber. Looking ahead, the association is looking to form partnerships with corporations in the private sector.
“Since we are in the sports development business, we largely rely on funding and sponsorship,” said Fong. “We believe lacrosse is a vibrant sport with lots to offer.”
Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association Ltd
HKGCC Membership No.：HKH0952
Established：1993
Website：www.hklax.org