For Jen Nardi, executive director of the Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club, the goals of her organization can be summarized in four words: Access. Opportunity. Instruction. Competition.
“We strive to make lacrosse accessible to all boys and girls in and around New York City,” Nardi said. “We’re trying to introduce the game to children by putting a lacrosse stick in their hand for the first time and then providing quality instruction from volunteers who love lacrosse.”
The foundation of the Crescents’ program is built around a very basic strategy of offering free clinics throughout the year to expose new kids to lacrosse. Equipment is always provided so that the families of new participants don’t have to endure a financial burden.
“We never turn away a kid due to finances,” Nardi said. “It’s so amazing to have the equipment we need to run these clinics.”
The Crescents’ have an annual scholarship budget of about $40,000, and over 200 players competing on boys’ and girls’ teams that range from 10U through high school.
Donations to the club, including a recent grant from USA Lacrosse, are used to fund player scholarships and equipment, support volunteer coach training and development, and assist with community outreach. Staffing is one of Nardi’s biggest obstacles.
“Finding coaches that can commit to being part of the program is a challenge,” she said, “because nothing is easy in New York City. We’re always looking for coaches.”
Fortunately, one of the other obstacles that many urban programs typically have to overcome – finding field space – is not an issue for the Crescents, who are based on Brooklyn’s Poly Prep campus. Having access to top-notch facilities provides greater opportunities for player development.
“We have the best fields in New York City,” said Nardi, a native of nearby Queens who spent 20 years in collegiate coaching before taking over as the organization’s executive director.
Founded in 2006, the Crescents club was launched originally by six individuals who simply loved lacrosse and had a desire to expose the game to youth. Nardi is proud of the fact that the original mission has never been compromised.
“One of the most impressive things is that those six individuals never tried to make this a for-profit operation,” she said. “And through the years, the program has remained pure in its motive. We do things on a shoestring budget because we don’t want to do it any other way. There’s a very clear love for the game here.”
USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala
The 2024 USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala, scheduled for June 5 at historic Gotham Hall in New York City, helps drive the three main pillars of the USA Lacrosse mission: 1) Fuel the growth; 2) Enrich the experience; 3) Field the best national teams. Supporting the Foundation Gala provides thousands of children across the country the opportunity to experience the gift of lacrosse. To make a gift, please visit www.usalacrosse.com/gala.
