Summer Lax Nights Bring Low-Cost Youth Lacrosse to Lillie Park: How a Community Program Is Growing the Sport in Ann Arbor

At Lillie Park Central, a child can try lacrosse without owning equipment or knowing how to play — but not without paying. The Ann Arbor Blue Jays' six-week Summer Lax Nights cost $99 for boys and girls in grades 1 through 8, offering a lower-cost entry to the sport without making it free. The series began July 14, with sessions still scheduled for July 21, July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, 2026, running from 5:30 to 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. No previous lacrosse experience or equipment is required. Lillie Park Central is at 4365 Platt Road in Ann Arbor, accessible through the Hanselman Drive entrance off Platt Road.

The Blue Jays split experienced players, who wear full equipment, from beginners working through passing, scooping, cradling and shooting drills before scrimmages. Blue Jays coaches have high school or college lacrosse experience, must pass an NCSI background check and agree to a code of conduct. The program follows guidelines from US Lacrosse and the Positive Coaching Alliance.

The $99 fee sits well below the typical $300 to $600 price of beginner recreational youth lacrosse in Michigan, and families do not have to make the upfront equipment purchase that can run $200 to $400 for boys' gear and $60 to $120 for girls' equipment. The Blue Jays themselves charge $425 for spring season registration, which typically runs from early April through late May, plus $75 for a required uniform for new players. Michigan club and travel programs can cost $900 to $1,700 or more per season. Premier Lacrosse Group charges $845 to $1,495 per player for summer travel and $450 to $695 for fall travel, with players also responsible for travel and hotel costs. The Blue Jays offer confidential scholarship requests for qualifying families through [email protected].

The Ann Arbor Blue Jays is a community-based youth lacrosse program dedicated to introducing boys and girls in grades 1 through 8 to the sport while emphasizing confidence, character and perseverance alongside physical health. The program has been active at least since February 2010, when coach Erin Maturo began serving with the Blue Jays Lacrosse Club. The Blue Jays offer spring league teams split by gender and grade — 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8 — plus off-season camps and clinics, aiming to place every player at the level best suited to their experience and athletic ability.

Mark Greaney serves as Director of the Ann Arbor Blue Jays and President of the Michigan Youth Lacrosse Association. Greaney also founded and operates the Premier Lacrosse Group, an off-season travel lacrosse program based in Canton, Michigan; the two organizations serve as separate local options, with the Blue Jays functioning as the recreational league and Premier Lacrosse Group as the travel team. An NCAA Division II standout at Wheeling Jesuit University, Greaney became the school's all-time scoring leader with 161 goals and led all of Division II in goals and goals per game in 2007. He later served as Attack/Goalie coach for the University of Michigan MCLA team, helping them win the 2010 MCLA National Championship. Greaney said the program aims to "spread the great sport of lacrosse in Ann Arbor." Lacrosse was officially sanctioned as a tournament sport in Michigan by the MHSAA in 2005.

Lillie Park Central is owned by Pittsfield Township, which charges $35 per hour for standard rental and $40 per hour for peak rental of Lillie Central Fields 1–3. The Blue Jays have not disclosed how the $99 registration fee relates to overall program costs, including field rental, loaner equipment and volunteer coaching staffing.