2015 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals, Youth World Series Cement Denver's Status as "Lacrosse Capital of the West"

DENVER, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- VISIT DENVER welcomes the 2015 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 16, 2015, followed by the Inaugural Warrior World Series of Youth Lacrosse July 2-4, 2015, to the Lacrosse Capital of the West.  As the only U.S. city with indoor and outdoor professional lacrosse teams, competitive play from the University of Denver Pioneers and the city playing host to the 2014 FIL Lacrosse World Championships, lacrosse has become an athletic underpinning in The Mile High City.

"The lacrosse community in the Denver area – growing more than 86 percent between 2006 and 2014 – has developed a next generation of players and super fans," said Matthew Payne, executive director, Denver Sports.  "These elite events, between the top talent in collegiate lacrosse to the top regional youth teams, really provide the spectrum of amateur competition.  From NCAA matchups for those seeking high-level face-offs to the family setting of the youth World Series, Denver certainly offers a lacrosse experience fit for any sports fan."

Lacrosse at Every Level
Collegiate
The NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament selected Denver to host two of its quarterfinal games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High beginning at 1 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m. MT, Saturday, May 16, 2015.  

Traditionally considered an East Coast sport, amateur and professional lacrosse have quickly developed loyal followings throughout the Centennial State.  This year's quarterfinals – hosted by the University of Denver Pioneers and Denver Sports, an affiliate of VISIT DENVER – serve as the farthest westward quarterfinals in history, breaking the previous mark set by Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2013.

The University of Denver (DU) Pioneers men's lacrosse team is one of the top-ranked college teams in the nation, advancing to the NCAA Final Four in Baltimore just last year. This was the third time in four years the Pioneers have advanced so deeply into the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Youth
The Inaugural Warrior World Series of Youth Lacrosse, presented by The Coca-Cola Company, will be played July 2-4, 2015, in Denver. A blue ribbon panel of youth lacrosse coaches and administrators will help select a total of 16 U-13 boys' teams from around the U.S. to compete, with a total of four teams each representing the north, south, east and west regions. Teams can also be nominated for consideration at www.worldseriesofyouthlacrosse.com.

All teams will play five games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., Denver's neighbor to the east. The top two teams will advance to the Championship Game, which will be played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on July 4, 2015.  A World Champion will be crowned live at 1 p.m. MT on ESPN2. Throughout the three-day competition, highlight films and interviews with players will be created and aired during the live broadcast of the Championship Game.

Professional
The only two-team lacrosse city in the world, Denver offers match play almost every month of the year:

• The outdoor Denver Outlaws, who represent Major League Lacrosse (MLL), host home competitions at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, consistently attracting the league's highest attendance rates since its inception in 2006.  Their season runs annually from April to August.
• The indoor Colorado Mammoth are part of the growing National Lacrosse League (NLL) and play home games at the Pepsi Center, where they often attract some of the largest sporting event crowds in the area. Their season runs annually from December to April.

The Colorado Mammoth led the 2014 NLL attendance with nearly 16,000 fans per game, a consistent theme since relocating to Denver, and has been top-two in league attendance every season.  This was the sixth time in its 12-year Colorado history the Mammoth have topped the NLL attendance rankings.

Whereas the Colorado Mammoth have thrilled fans for more than a decade, the relative newcomers, the Denver Outlaws, are young, hungry and provide a great introduction for families new to this exciting sport. In 2013, the Denver Outlaws led their league in attendance for the seventh year in a row, setting the MLL single game attendance record of 31,019 on July 4, 2013, when the Outlaws played the NY Lizards.

Certainly it was with the local popularity of these two hometown lacrosse teams that attracted Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships to Denver in 2014. "The fastest sport on two feet," according to The New York Times, was showcased in The Mile High city via the world's greatest lacrosse teams and players, representing 38 nations over 10 days.  In the end, 142 games were played by top men's lacrosse athletes at the 18,000-seat Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

To learn more about the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals, the Warrior World Series of Youth Lacrosse, or Denver's other lacrosse offerings, go to VISITDENVER.com.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 106 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. A record 14 million visitors stayed overnight in Denver in 2013, generating $4 billion in spending, while supporting more than 51,000 jobs, making Tourism the second largest industry in Denver. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER or by phone at 800 2 Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates at: Facebook.com/visitdenver; Twitter.com/visitdenver; Instagram.com/visitdenver; and YouTube.com/visitdenver.

About Denver Sports
Denver Sports serves as a clearinghouse and resource for all sporting event organizers interested in Denver as a future location. Denver Sports proactively identifies, pursues and attracts new sporting opportunities and helps Denver to compete regionally, nationally and internationally to host amateur and professional athletic competitions and events. More information can be found at VISITDENVER.com/DenverSports.

With Denver Sports inquiries, please contact:
Jesse Davis: (303) 571-9450 or [email protected]
Jen Asbury: (303) 571-9451 or [email protected]  
Sarah Welch: (303) 571-9418 or [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150513/215833

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau

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