During the 1900s there was a multi-decade hiatus where the sport "dropped off the map", but in 2008 with help from Bendigo ice hockey player Chris Thompson - the Bendigo Lacrosse Association was born.

The club played its first competitive game in 2010 and its members are determined to see it live on for another 100 years.

BLA treasurer Gino Iuliano believes the key to the future success of the club relies on junior participation.

"I was at the meeting when the association was first incorporated, but because - at the time - there wasn't an emphasis on juniors I decided not to be involved," Iuliano said.

However, Iuliano later joined the club, with the aim to entice more juniors to the native American sport.

"I decided I would start a junior competition and through this we gathered enough team members to make half a women's team which then combined with the MCC lacrosse team in Melbourne," Iuliano said.

"The plan is to have our own stand alone team."

The junior members play non-contact lacrosse, which has slight rule changes to the full-contact variant.

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Michelle Slow, 14, started playing four years ago following a demonstration Iuliano held at her school.

"I found lacrosse very fun so I then decided to go along to one of the club's training sessions and I've been playing ever since," Slow said.

Slow will take her game to the next level this year when she teams up with MCC, a challenge she is more than ready for.

However, the competitive nature of the sport isn't Slow's only interest in lacrosse.

"Playing with the club has given me a great opportunity to make friends outside of school," Slow said.

The rules vary between leagues, but the game is played on a pitch with goal nets at each end of the field which are defended by a goalkeeper.

It's played with a ball which the players carry with netted sticks, with the aim to outscore the opposition.

Iuliano said lacrosse was a "highly technical" sport, which required three umpires to referee a match.

Brett Ruiz had never played a competitive sport before, but after he was introduced to lacrosse by friends at university, he found the ultimate hobby.

"It's hard to develop the fundamental skills of lacrosse, but once you do, you will be hooked," Ruiz laughed.

Ruiz joined the club in 2011 and has since advanced his skills as a player and this year has taken on a role as a senior assistant coach.

"I've coached juniors over the past three years and I was asked to step up to the senior role," Ruiz said.

"Transitioning from a player into a coach gives you the ability to look at things from a new angle, when you help improve the performance of others, you can also see where you need to enhance your own skills."

Ruiz said the club had developed a core group of players who had been involved over the past few years.

However, numbers are now starting to dwindle.

"Gino (Iuliano) has done a great job to get the junior numbers growing, but we always need more, and we're starting to struggle for senior numbers," Ruiz said.

If you are interested in playing lacrosse in Bendigo, please contact Gino Iuliano on 0409 970 767 or bendigolacrosseclub@gmail.com.

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