Greetings,

The University of Memphis Men's Lacrosse program needs your support! The team is beginning a rich history on campus, starting at it's founding in Spring of 2005.  We already compete for championships every year against the top club programs in the nation.

Unfortunately, we are not recognized as a varsity sport and have no affiliation with the UM athletic department. Because of this, 90% (and growing) of our funding comes from dues paid by players, some of whose parents can’t afford to pay for their son to play lacrosse with us. It costs a minimum of $30,000 to operate the team for 1 year. Last year, the UM rec. sports budget allocated little money for men's lacrosse. We are trying to keep our player fees reasonable so we are seeking alternative supplemental funding. To stay on pace with other top programs, our budget is only going to grow over the next few years as we are forced to play a more national schedule. We currently charge our players $800-$1500 for the year that covers travel, league dues, uniforms, and referees. In addition, players are responsible for buying their own equipment and various expenses in the fall. That can cost up to $500. As a former player at the collegiate club level, I understand how tough it can be to make these funds come together.

We understand that many individuals and businesses have contributed to or sponsored programs by providing funding, goods, and services to other UM organizations and we hope you will consider lacrosse a worthy recipient. Your sponsorship can make a difference by helping provide safer travel, better equipment, and greatly easing the financial burden on students that play lacrosse at UM, just to name a few.

Playing lacrosse at UM is a tremendous opportunity and a large commitment for any student. Aside from financial commitment, players are typically devoting 20 hours a week to lacrosse. Add that to a full academic schedule and there is little time left over to maintain a job and income. Concerning opportunity, I can say from personal experience that it provides a family atmosphere between players who develop life-long friendships from being part of our team. In addition, students learn leadership skills, teamwork, and discipline.

We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss sponsorship opportunities with you and expand on what's involved in running our program. Further, we would like to invite you to see us play this spring!