Simi Valley’s Best-Kept Youth Sports Secret? Simi Valley Lacrosse.
From free clinics for first-timers to high school players coaching the next generation, Simi Valley has built a lacrosse program the whole city can be proud of.
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SIMI VALLEY - If you ask around Simi Valley about youth sports, you’ll probably hear about Simi Youth Baseball, the Simi Valley Baseball League, the Simi Valley Bulldogs football program, AYSO Region 121 and Simi Valley Soccer Club. Lacrosse rarely makes the list. Maybe it should.
The city has quietly built a lacrosse program that takes kids from their very first catch to the high school level. Then it brings those high school players back to coach the next group.
The best example is happening right now. On four Sunday afternoons through Nov. 1, players from Royal High School and Simi Valley High School are helping out at free skills clinics run by Simi Valley Lacrosse, a recreational youth program. The two schools are rivals most springs, but here they share a field. Members of both schools’ boys’ and girls’ teams, along with their coaches, are teaching the sport to kids, some of whom are still learning how to hold a stick.
The clinics run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. behind the Simi Institute for Careers & Education on Blackstock Avenue. They are free and open to boys and girls, whether they are brand new to the sport or have played before.
The Sunday sessions build on two free “Try Lax” clinics held at Apollo High School on Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, which gave curious kids their first taste of the game. Now the goal is to help those new players, and kids who already play, master the basics before the spring season.
Over four weeks, players practice cradling, passing, catching, scooping ground balls, shooting and basic defense. Coaches group kids by age and experience, so beginners can start from scratch while experienced players sharpen their skills. Simi Valley Lacrosse also has equipment on hand, so kids don’t need to buy their own gear to get started.
The high school players run drills, show proper technique and work one-on-one with kids at every level. For many younger players, it’s their first chance to learn from athletes only a few years older, teenagers who were learning to cradle a ball themselves not long ago.
Parents and community members also pitch in, working alongside the teenagers and their coaches. That fits how Simi Valley Lacrosse describes itself: a recreational program built by parents who want their kids to learn the game and enjoy it. And by the time each session wraps up, players are heading home happy after an afternoon of fun.
The clinics also serve as a bridge to Simi Valley Lacrosse’s spring season, which runs from January through May. The club plays in the Southern California Lacrosse Association, which it calls one of the largest youth leagues in California. Teams practice twice a week after school, play games on Saturdays and finish the season at a league festival with playoffs and championships. Because the clinics are free, families can see whether their kids enjoy the sport before signing up for a full season.
After youth lacrosse, the path leads to the boys’ and girls’ teams at Royal and Simi Valley High, the same teams whose players are now coaching at the clinics. For a city few people think of as a lacrosse town, it’s an impressive pipeline, and much of it is powered by parents and the community.
The game these kids are learning has deep roots. Lacrosse grew out of stick-and-ball games played by Indigenous nations of North America, including the Haudenosaunee, long before European settlers picked it up. Today, the boys’ and girls’ games follow different rules: boys’ lacrosse allows body contact and requires helmets and pads, while girls’ lacrosse limits contact.
Now the sport is about to get a much bigger stage nearby. In July 2028, lacrosse will be played at the Los Angeles Olympics, in a stadium next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, about 40 miles from Simi Valley. It will be the first time women’s lacrosse has been part of the Olympics, and the first time men’s lacrosse has been a medal sport since 1908.
A few years from now, some of the kids scooping ground balls behind the Simi Institute this fall may be wearing Royal or Simi Valley High jerseys of their own.
Three Sunday clinics remain: Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. behind the Simi Institute for Careers & Education, 1760 Blackstock Ave. They’re free, equipment is available, and there’s still time for Simi Valley kids to pick up a stick and discover what makes lacrosse such an exciting game. Details are at simivalleylacrosse.com.
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