CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Major collegiate lacrosse has found a new home in Charlotte, at least for this weekend.

The 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship continues Friday, just outside of Uptown Charlotte.

What You Need To Know

  • 2023 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship continues in Charlotte throughout the weekend

  • Number of lacrosse teams in North Carolina on the rise at high school level

  • Fans in attendance say the sport, and its fanbase, are growing in N.C. 

Fans in the stands hope it shows just how far the state has come in encouraging the growth of lacrosse. 

“Oh yeah, this is a great opportunity for many girls here in our local area, to be able to come and watch elite talent,” said Mark Miller, a spectator this week. Miller attended the tournament with his daughter, Maggie, a 13-year-old lacrosse player in Mooresville. 

“Took her out of school and let her come down here and enjoy the day,” he said with a smile. 

Two of Miller’s children play lacrosse in Mooresville schools, Maggie and his older son. He said that when they saw the ACC was bringing its 2023 Women’s Lacrosse Championship to Charlotte for the first time, he had to get tickets for the two of them. 

To the West Virginia native, the American South is catching up to the Northeast in terms of lacrosse emphasis. He knows, because he has seen it at his kids’ programs.

“The number of high schools (that) have added a team, you have a lot of rec teams that are younger where girls are involved that used to maybe have 12 to 15 girls, now have up to 20,” Miller explained.

The growth is even on display within the ACC. Conference member Clemson University is in its first season with Division 1 women’s lacrosse. 

Meanwhile, the state’s high schools added more than two dozen girls teams since 2015, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Boys teams increased 20 teams since 2015, according to the same data. 

Duke team mom Catherine Fedor visited Charlotte to root on her daughter, a graduate student and attacker. Mom says she is set to continue the sport’s growth after graduating.

“We’ve noticed that the travel teams are becoming more abundant and our daughter will actually be coaching a travel team this summer. Down here, when she gets her job in Wilmington,” Fedor said.

The ACC is also tipping its hand on the potential for growth of the sport in North Carolina. From 1997 to 2019, the Women’s Lacrosse Championship was held outside the state of North Carolina 15 times. Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts account for most of the hosting gigs, fitting for the traditional lacrosse footprint.

It was held in North Carolina during the same time period just eight times, a stark difference to the conference’s other athletic championships, which often call North Carolina home more than other states. However, since the canceled 2020 season, the women’s championship has been held in North Carolina every year, including this year’s first ever visit to Charlotte. 

Despite the positive signs, Miller said there is still one major issue holding women’s lacrosse back in North Carolina: soccer. 

Miller said the state keeps the sport on the spring calendar for girls, often putting it in direct competition with lacrosse, which plays during the same season. The duality of the season forces many varsity athletes to pick one sport to pursue once they reach high school, according to Miller.