Rendezvous at the Zoo

During the weekend of April 14-15, lacrosse teams and families will be flocking to Rathmell Sports Park for the 15th annual Dan Anderson Lacrosse Classic. 

Tournament Director Tom Lewis said the U.S. Youth Games wanted to host the event in the Birmingham metro area as a way to increase support for the sport as Birmingham plans to host the upcoming World Games in 2021.

“Lacrosse is one of the sports played in the games, and we are trying to grow the sport, not just in the Over the Mountain communities, but throughout all of Birmingham and its surrounding communities,” Lewis said. 

The tournament is played in honor of local lacrosse advocate, Dan Anderson “who gave so much to the game in the early years here in Mountain Brook,” Lewis said.

Lewis said 45 teams, which include club teams from Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Huntsville, Mobile as well as some from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky, will be competing in four divisions: girls high school, girls 15U, boys 15U and boys 13U. Games will begin with the first four rounds of the tournament April 14. Round five, playoff games and championship games will be played April 15. 

Lewis described it as “nonstop lacrosse from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon,” noting that the games will only last 30 minutes.

During the weekend, Lewis said 100 percent of the net proceeds will go to local charities. 

For more information, visit danandersonlacrosseclassic.com.