Getting Inside the Box: Metro Area Box Lacrosse League

John Snevely, 28, remembers his first indoor lacrosse experience, but maybe that’s just because his ribs won’t let him forget.

He’d competed in the outdoor version of the game throughout school in Virginia, so when a few folks encouraged him to play in the Metro Area Box Lacrosse League (MABLL), Snevely showed up at the indoor rink with traditional field equipment. Big mistake.

“Box” has fewer players (teams of six instead of 10), and nearly 20 fewer square feet of net. But it requires that players wear a lot more padding. Every time Snevely entered the offensive zone, he was immediately cross-checked — a defensive move, illegal in the field game, in which a player rams his stick into the ribs and upper torso of the offensive player to obstruct his movement around the goal. “I realized the refs weren’t calling it and no one was looking,” Snevely says.

Seven years later, Snevely has recovered from those initial aches and pains, and is now a loyal indoor convert. A “runner” for the league’s top team — appropriately named “Legion of the Doom” — he’s a fixture on game days at the BOX Inline Hockey Arena near Route 50 in Chantilly.

The league, founded in 1975, has eight to nine teams, A and B divisions, and plays nearly every Saturday during the summer, fall and winter months. (It’s currently the fall season, which ends in November.)

Despite the aggressive play, the league is friendly and tight-knit. According to director Marty Joyner, around 20 to 30 guys have played in the league for 15 years.

It’s also a workout. Whereas the field game is often marked by long drawn-out possessions, the presence of a 30-second shot clock indoors translates to a faster tempo and a more transition-oriented game.

“You get more out of an hour playing box than an hour playing field,” promises John Nolan, 28, a five-year MABLL veteran.

To join the league, players can either sign up with a specific team or be picked up as a “free agent.”

But most involved with MABLL warn that the game may be too intense for lacrosse rookies. Nearly all of the league’s players have had some field experience (many in the college ranks), and the tight confines means players need to be more than proficient at catching, throwing and scooping a lacrosse ball.

“Stickwork is paramount,” says Joyner. Rib pads don’t sound too bad either.

Written by Express contributor Joel Censer
Photos by Lawrence Luk for Express