IIJL 
WORLD JUNIOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
Austria Confirmed for 2020 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship
KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - In the continued growth of international indoor (box) junior lacrosse the 2020 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship will welcome Austria as the seventh (7th) of eight (8) Nations competing in Winnipeg, Canada on August 3-9, 2020.
Similar to other European nations, football (soccer) and hockey dominate in popularity among Austrians in addition to alpine skiing which the country is more famously known for internationally. While lacrosse is an emerging sport in Austria, organizers of KAC Box Lacrosse see the opportunity to utilize relationships with established athletic clubs and arenas to expand the box lacrosse footprint domestically.
The relationship with KAC, Klagenfurt Athletic Club, has propelled box lacrosse into the local and national spot light. "While we are thankful to share the logo and facility with KAC, we also appreciate the opportunity to introduce youth hockey players to lacrosse and experiment with training to help both sports grow and develop." Explains Austria General Manager Oskar Polak of KAC's partnership with lacrosse.
While the senior circuit has been established in Austria since 2004, building a junior and youth foundation will sustain box lacrosse in Austria for the future. "Junior and youth players are the key for Austrian box development." Explained Polak. "Our junior and youth programs need big tournaments to look forward to and our young players will learn more from competing at a high-level than we, as coaches, could ever teach them." Added Polak.
Austria will have a large group of national born and developed players competing at the 2020 World Juniors. Additionally, Austria will look to qualified heritage players to bolster the roster in their first year of competition. "For our first year of competing, heritage players will contribute on and off the floor and have lasting impact on Austrian box lacrosse." Explained Polak. "For every player it means a lot to represent their country, it is great motivation to train harder and an amazing opportunity to learn from the best junior players in the world."
ABOUT 2020 IIJL WORLD JUNIOR LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
Austria joins Australia, Canada, Iroquois, Israel, Poland, and United States, as the seventh (7th) of eight (8) Nation that will compete at the 2020 IIJL World Junior Championship in Winnipeg, Canada. The 2020 World Juniors will take place at Bell MTS Place from August 3-9, 2020. Check back to the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship website for news and announcements about tickets, events, teams and more. Also follow along on social media at Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
ABOUT KAC BOX LACROSSE
[Translated from KAC Lacrosse website] The record-breaking ice hockey champion KAC is the first ice hockey club in Austria to have its own lacrosse section. Lacrosse has been played in Carinthia, Austria since 2004 (Carinthian Cardinals & Carinthian Celtics), now KAC will break new ground and make the indoor version of lacrosse popular in Klagenfurt, Austria. For more information about KAC Lacrosse, visit their website (click) and social media; Facebook, Instagram.