Discover lacrosse, a booming sport in Belgium: “The fastest sport on 2 legs” | various

On the new grounds of Lubbeek, we will meet the finals of the Belgian competition for men and women. It immediately becomes apparent that lacrosse is not for the faint of heart. It’s going strong. “Lacrosse is a bit like field hockey,” says Yarrid Dictus of Red Rhinos Bonheiden.

The game is played on the size of a football field between two teams of 10 players each. The duels that take place are tough. “You can hit the opponent’s stick, even if there’s a small body involved, that’s not a bad thing,” says Brussels Beavers’ Jan-Oscar Huges.

The players often do not emerge unscathed from the battle: “You are regularly full of bruises after the match”, admits Charlotte Van Couter of the Brussels Bobcats.

But lacrosse is not only a very physical sport, but also quite technical. “It’s called the fastest sport on two legs,” says Lidewij Deroo of the Ghent Gazelles.

Due to the shallow net, walking with the ball is not even obvious. Charlotte Van Couter: “You need a certain technique, the so-called cradle. We try to teach this to new players as quickly as possible.”

And there are more and more new players. Sport is on the rise. Lidewij Deroo also remarked that: “There is a national team and there will be youth competitions for the first time.” There are now 12 clubs in Belgium. Additionally, lacrosse will be added to the Olympic program in 2028.

“At the Olympics, a variation of field lacrosse will be played in teams of 6 on a smaller field,” explains Charlotte Van Couter. “It’s going to be a big adjustment to learning the game at 6,” says Yarrid Dictus.

“Obviously we aim to qualify, but of course we know that the chances are slim if all the countries in the world can qualify,” concludes Lidewij Deroo.