Lacrosse Finds Its Footing in Iowa
I had the distinct pleasure of closely following the semi-professional Iowa Dogfish this summer during their inaugural 2020 season. Preseason branding, hard-fought contests, and navigating state health guidelines during a COVID-shortened schedule; I saw it all. Home games inside River’s Edge Arena in downtown Davenport were spectacular in both game-day experience and quality of play on the floor.
For those unfamiliar, the Dogfish play against midwestern rivals in the Interstate Box Lacrosse Association (IBLA) and are the first professionally organized lacrosse team in Iowa. The IBLA was formed in 2017 to cultivate local talent with the hopes of sending more American players to the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The structure of the IBLA closely replicates the high level play seen in the Canadian Lacrosse Association with Senior-A and Senior-B aligned competition. This strategy has found a foothold and led to an official league partnership with the NLL in 2019.
Louis Deeny and Tucker La Belle were the two individuals that made the Iowa team possible. These two used IBLA resources to craft the team identity and logo and set out to find local talent to play for their new team. Asked why they created a team in a small lacrosse market, La Belle responded, “I believe Iowa’s a lacrosse state, it just doesn’t know it yet.” Iowa may know soon enough. Youth lacrosse has seen rapid expansion since its first introduction in 2008 with the West Des Moines Tigers. In the 12 years since, 9 other youth programs have sprung up in the Des Moines metro, Quad Cities, Dubuque, and Solon. Total state participation now stands at 556 players according to the Iowa Lacrosse Association, which was formed in 2018. 11 Iowa universities also now offer men’s or women’s lacrosse programs. And thanks to the Dogfish, college programs from across the state now boast players in the professional ranks. Clarke University, the University of Dubuque, St. Ambrose University, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and William Penn University were all represented on the inaugural 2020 Dogfish roster.
With season one in the books, the Dogfish will continue to use their platform to increase exposure for the sport in the midwest. Lacrosse has finally found its footing in Iowa, so be on the lookout for a growing program near you. To keep up with the Dogfish, visit them on social media @iowadogfish.
