Inside a Boys and Girls Club gym in Salt Lake City, sneakers squeak across the hardwood as laughter echoes off the walls, joined by the unfamiliar clack of lacrosse sticks. For many of the kids on the floor, this is their first introduction to the game. They are learning how to cradle, how to pass, how to scoop a loose ball. Just as importantly, they are discovering that lacrosse is a sport they can access, try and make their own.
That first moment with a stick sits at the heart of a growing partnership between the Salt Lake Storm and the Utah Spikes NLL UnBOXed™ Community initiative. Together, they are introducing box lacrosse to youth who have not traditionally had access to the sport, using community-based clinics at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake as a starting point.
Salt Lake City has seen a surge in interest around box lacrosse recently.
“The growth is exponential,” said Austin Braerman, General Manager of the Salt Lake Storm. “When I moved to Utah in 2021, there were very few box lacrosse opportunities. I saw the potential for a men’s Senior A team and took that opportunity, giving thirty players a chance to experience a different style of lacrosse.”
Pictured: Austin Braerman, General Manager of the Salt Lake Storm
Braerman founded the Salt Lake Storm as a semi-pro box lacrosse team designed to give players a place to compete after high school and college. Today, the Storm face top-level competition in Denver, Vegas, Dallas and beyond, providing athletes with an opportunity to continue their lacrosse careers.
What followed was a ripple effect. In a short period of time, that initial effort became a catalyst for a rapidly expanding ecosystem that now includes multiple men’s Senior A programs, a 16+ winter box league with more than 80 players, a collegiate NCBS team and a high school girls box program.
But competitive growth was never the end goal. From the beginning, the Storm and the National Lacrosse League understood that for box lacrosse to truly take root in Utah, it needed to extend beyond school walls and into the community.
That is where the partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs began.
“Working with youth is rewarding in itself,” said Braerman. “You get to see the small improvements they make over the course of several clinics, but more than that, you see the excitement and the smiles when they do something right.”
The clinics are intentionally designed to feel different from a typical lacrosse practice. The participants are being introduced to lacrosse as a sport, including the equipment, the culture, and the foundational mechanics of catching, passing, scooping and cradling. All of it is done using real lacrosse sticks, not plastic substitutes or simplified gear.
That authenticity matters, and it also reveals realities that are often overlooked.
“I had a conversation with a couple of kids who wanted to try lacrosse,” Braerman stated. “They were frustrated because it didn’t fit within their family’s budget. Lacrosse is an expensive sport, and that hits me personally. It motivates me to do everything I can to make this game accessible and affordable for these kids.”
Those conversations have become a driving force behind the Storm’s collaboration with NLL UnBOXed. The initiative focuses on removing cost as a barrier by delivering sticks, balls and curriculum directly into schools and community programs, ensuring that exposure to the game is not dependent on a family’s ability to pay.
As NLL UnBOXed continues to grow in Utah, the vision extends well beyond clinics. The focus is on building a complete ecosystem that includes player development, coach education, school engagement and the growth of officials. Exposure at every level is what allows the game to sustain itself long term.
There is also a strong educational component around box lacrosse. While field lacrosse remains the dominant format in Utah, the Storm and their partners are committed to helping players and families understand how box lacrosse fits into their overall development.
That belief is backed by real-world results. Year after year, the influence of box lacrosse is evident in the success of elite collegiate and professional players who credit the indoor game with sharpening their skills and decision-making. Athletes like Jeff Teat, Brennan O’Neill, Joey Spallina, CJ Kirst, Erin Bakes and Charlotte North have all benefited from box lacrosse, using it to develop tighter stick skills, quicker reads, improved footwork and a higher overall lacrosse IQ. Their success underscores how engaging in multiple styles of play accelerates player development and prepares athletes to compete at the highest levels.
Looking ahead, the long-term vision for the Storm and NLL UnBOXed in Utah balances access with aspiration. After-school programs and early exposure represent one side of the mission. The other is creating pathways for talented youth and high school players to compete at the highest levels of box lacrosse across the United States and Canada.
“With the NLL’s support, we can identify top talent and showcase those players,” Braerman mentioned. “That exposure opens doors to USBOXLA, NCBS, the BLL, collegiate programs and ultimately the NLL.”
At the community level, momentum continues to build through the shared vision and coordination between NLL UnBOXed and the Salt Lake Storm. Through consistent programming, trusted relationships and hands-on delivery, the partnership has created a foundation built to scale. As a result, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake are now planning to expand lacrosse clinics to all their Utah locations, with the potential to reach more than 1,000 youth each day.
“We at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake are so grateful for community members like the Salt Lake Storm and the NLL,” said Sophie McCollum, Community Engagement Officer at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake. “Thanks to their support, we are able to expand our youth’s horizons and give them access to experiences like lacrosse that might otherwise be out of reach. We are hopeful to share the experience our Sugar House youth had with our other four clubs.”
For those leading the UnBOXed initiative, the impact in Utah reflects exactly why the program exists.
“At its core, NLL UnBOXed is about access,” said Dennis Bruzzi, Head of Grassroots Operations with the National Lacrosse League. “If a kid never gets a stick in their hands, they never get the chance to fall in love with the game.”
Box lacrosse is demanding, physical and fast-paced. It challenges players to think quickly, protect space and make decisions under pressure. When introduced early, those lessons stay with athletes long after they leave the box floor.
And for many of the kids stepping onto a gym floor in Salt Lake City for the first time, that journey is only just beginning.
The work happening in Salt Lake City is part of a greater effort across North America. Through the NLL UnBOXed initiative, the League has facilitated regularly scheduled clinics in Salt Lake City, Tampa Bay and Boston, with many more planned for 2026. In addition, lacrosse equipment and curriculum will be delivered to 22 markets, bringing the game directly into school gym classes and after-school programs for more than 50,000 new students.
For thousands of youth, their first experience with lacrosse will not come through a traditional club or travel program. It will begin in a school gym or community center, with a stick in their hands and the belief that the game belongs to them.
