University of Toronto Athletics

Updated: August 2025

Tryouts: Aug 25 – 28 (Varsity Stadium and Central Tech)

It is the goal of the coaching staff to put the best possible team on the field, one that will represent the University of Toronto well and will uphold the high standards that the university expects. We hope to accomplish this while taking into consideration the academic requirements of attending a world class university. The criteria for selecting players for the team and determining playing time, will include the following.

Athleticism
● The player’s overall physical conditioning and commitment to not only staying in shape but improving their level of conditioning.
● Commitment not only to in-season conditioning but also off-season conditioning.
● General strength, agility, speed, explosiveness and conditioning.

Lacrosse Skills
● The player’s ability to catch, pass and shoot the ball.
● The player’s ability to fight for and pick up ground balls.
● The player’s ability to run offensive sets and perform lacrosse specific moves such as cutting, moving without the ball and dodging.
● The player’s ability to play defence on and off the ball and their footwork, defensive positioning and deftness with the stick (ability to strip the ball from an opponent).
● General understanding of the tactical objectives of the game of lacrosse.
● Must be able to learn a system of play within a fixed time frame established by the coaching staff.

The “X” Factor
● Is the player coachable? Is he willing to learn and do what is being asked of him?
● Work ethic. Is the player willing to put in the hard work that is required to be successful on the field, or does he view hard work as something to be avoided or as punishment?
● Does the player put the team before himself?
● Does the player respect his teammates and is he willing to exist in an environment of working together for the common good?
● Does the player only have one speed, game speed, or does he have one speed for practice and one for games? Does the player practice and play with intensity and aggressiveness?
● Is the player disciplined both on the field and off? Undisciplined play and taking of penalties is not acceptable. Neither is undisciplined behavior off the field.

Commitment
● The player’s attendance at practices and games. With few exceptions, only school should take precedence over the lacrosse team.
● Barring extenuating circumstances, players must be able to attend a minimum of 3 practices a week.
● Players must be on time for all games, practices, meetings and bus departures.
● Must be a positive contributor to the overall team effort as judged by the coaching staff.

*Roster size is 30. Final team selection will be made by Tuesday, September 2, 2025.