Swampscott Lacrosse President Ryan Joy and Girls Director Jen Kelleher presented a proposal for a wall ball structure to the Select Board on Tuesday night, which was unanimously accepted as a gift to the town, pending a review of the gift policy.
“The objective behind the wall is to really be a destination for kids to go and practice,” Joy said. “It’s just an overall great structure to have for the game of lacrosse.”
The Swampscott Nahant Youth Lacrosse Program (SNYLP) is open to all youth players in Swampscott, Nahant and Lynn. It was founded in 1991 by Rick Anderson, Tom Cesarz, Mark Bagnall and Tom Driscall.
“The program has been around for a long time, and we’ve seen tremendous growth over the years,” Joy said.
The program offers regular-season travel teams for boys and girls in grades 1 through 8, along with intramural options for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children. There are no tryouts for classic teams, as every child who wants to play is welcome to join. The select team, however, is by invitation and try-out only.
The regular season takes place in the spring, from March to June, with SNYLP also participating in a winter preseason clinic run by the Swampscott High School Boosters. In 2024, both the Boys U11 and Girls U11 won the state championship.
According to Joy, the program has averaged more than 300 participants annually over the past three years. He estimated that 20% of the Swampscott Middle and Elementary School students are active in the program each year,
SNYL’s home fields are at Phillips Park in Swampscott. Prior to Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, Joy and Kelleher secured approval for the structure from youth soccer, youth football, and high school coaches.
“I think this will be an excellent addition to Phillips Park,” Select Board Chair Katie Phelan said. “Both of my kids play in the youth lacrosse, so I appreciate you having a space and thinking about future lacrosse players having a space to cultivate their skills.”
The wall ball area – a vertical structure set away from buildings and near the fields – will help students improve their stick handling skills, Joy said. It also allows for practice both on- and off-season with very little to no noise factor.
The structure will feature three concrete panels, each measuring 6 feet wide and 16 feet high. Joy said Scituate Construction will complete the work within about a half-day.
“Outside of lacrosse, soccer can use it. It can be a multiuse structure there at the park,” Joy said.
The site for SNYL’s wall ball structure will be outside of the practice football field, within walking distance from the soccer fields.
“It’s really not intruding on any sort of space,” Joy said.
The project, estimated to cost between $20,000 and $25,000, will be entirely funded by SNYL. Interim Town Administrator and the Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Gino Cresta said “the DPW is going to supply some support, but youth lacrosse is going to fund all of this work.”
With the approval, Joy said the wall will be built and constructed in about ten weeks.
“We’re looking at about a mid-November placement,” Joy said.
