Our lacrosse organization began as the Upstate New York Chapter from 1990 to 1996. From 1997 to 2018, the organization was known as the Upstate New York Chapter of US Lacrosse. Since 2019, we have been known as the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation (ULF). The ULF Committee celebrates individuals and teams from the following lacrosse communities located in Sections III, IV, and X.

The Upstate Lacrosse Foundation (ULF) acknowledges, with respect, the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the sovereign nation on whose homelands stretch through the center of New York State. We recognize that the Onondaga Nation continues to maintain its traditions, language, and sovereign government. We are also grateful to the Onondaga and the Haudenosaunee for sharing the gift of Dehoñtjihgwa’és (lacrosse) from the Creator to the rest of the world. We therefore call on people gathered here to reflect on their relationship with the land, the people, and the game that has brought us together.

Dehoñtjihgwa’és literal meaning is, “they bump hips,” but the game has a more spiritual origin as individuals are born with a stick and pass onto Creator’s Land with their stick as well. The Onondaga and the rest of the Haudenosaunee see the game as a gift from the Creator, and when played, it can entertain and heal. Because of this, the game is also referred to as the Medicine Game.

The game is played with vigor and creativity, and also with a Good Mind; respecting you and your opponents’ gifts on the field of play. It is in this spirit that the ULF celebrates and honors players, coaches, referees, and contributors with roots in the Central New York area who demonstrate the foundational elements of Dehoñtjihgwa’és or Lacrosse.