By Sport Nova Scotia Communications
The job of a lacrosse goalie is to keep the other team from scoring, but the cost of gear can keep them from getting in the game. That’s why the goalie gear funded by Sport Nova Scotia’s Sport Fund grant program has been such an asset to the growing Cape Breton Lacrosse Association.
In response to growing participation, two approved Sport Fund applications have enabled the Cape Breton Lacrosse Association to provide three complete sets of goalie equipment, in various sizes.
“In a lot of cases there are kids that either can’t afford to purchase their own kidney guards and other gear because it’s expensive, or you have to order it online and you don’t know if it’s going to fit. So, we loan the gear out and collect it at the end of the season. It gives some athletes the chance to play that otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” says Brandy Lagace, president of the Cape Breton Lacrosse Association.
They also have some gear passed down from other clubs, but Brandy knew right away when becoming president a few years ago that access to gear is one of the biggest barriers to playing lacrosse. To secure the funding from Sport Fund, Brandy worked closely with the Sport Nova Scotia’s regional sport consultant in Cape Breton.
“The regional sport consultants have been super helpful,” says Brandy. “It’s a no-lose situation. If you get the grant, you’re able to help grow your sport and the kids benefit from it. The volunteers also benefit from it because they see their work paying off. So, I don’t see why anybody wouldn’t apply.”
One athlete who has benefited from the gear is Charlee Penny. While the Sport Fund applications initially helped the organization increase beginner goalie participation, now the gear is used to support players at all levels. As of January 2026, Charlee had been playing lacrosse for three years, and as a goalie for the last two.
“If it wasn’t for the new gear I wouldn’t have been able to play as U17 requires category three level gear,” says Charlee. “Safety is a big thing for me and my family, and the new gear gives me more confidence as it’s bigger, newer and safer. I am so thankful for it and to be able to continue to play.”
Charlee fell in love with playing goalie from the first time she put the gear on, saying there is no better feeling than throwing up an elbow or shoulder to swat away a high shot, or sliding to a post to shut down a quick shot.
To get players like Charlee interested in lacrosse, The Cape Breton Lacrosse Association runs a Try Lacrosse program, which allows young athletes to try the sport before signing up to play at the club level. The gear funded by Sport Fund is also used in this programming.
“Kids aren’t restricted to only coming once, they can come back multiple times, so we see a lot of kids come and they absolutely love it and then they bring their friends,” says Brandy. “We oddly have an awful lot of players that don’t play any other sports, but I truly believe they’re drawn to lacrosse because it’s a competitive sport, but it’s non-competitive at this point here. We’re all just beginning so there’s no pressure to be good yet.”
Brandy says many athletes who participate in the Try Lacrosse program go on to join one of their Cape Breton Warriors’ club teams. In 2021, the club had about 40 players and was only able to form one team. In 2024 they had more than 150 players with at least one team in every division.
“I think we’ve seen this growth because I think kids that end up involved tend to really love it. It’s not a mainstream sport so you have to really like it to play it and then when you see the passion that the kids have for it, it spreads.”
The Warriors play within the Scotia Minor Lacrosse League which includes the Pictou County Snipers, the Truro Bearcats and the Valley Thunder. Brandy says they are hoping to add a few more clubs to the league in the next couple of years, including a club out of Eskasoni.
Readers can learn more about the Cape Breton Lacrosse Association by visiting its website. And to learn more about Sport Nova Scotia funding, readers can visit Sport Nova Scotia’s website: Funding – Sport Nova Scotia
