AMAN VERMA
For a sport that is still un familiar to many in Goa, lacrosse is beginning to make a surprisingly big impression. Two Goan players — 16-year-old Sirvam Deulkar and Moshe Devap pa — are now set to take that story beyond the State, having been se lected for the Indian men’s lacrosse team for the World Lacrosse Sixes competition in Malaysia from Au gust 28 to 30. The tournament, organised by the Malaysia Lacrosse Association and sanctioned by the Asia Pa cific Lacrosse Union (APLU), will be played at Stadium Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz in Kuala Lumpur. “When I started playing in Goa four or five years ago, very few people knew about the game. After some time, the game was introduced to everyone in Goa,” Deulkar said.
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What began as a sport played by a small group has gradu ally spread to different parts of the State, with players from Margao, Mapusa and Vasco taking it up. Organised men’s and women’s teams have since emerged, giving the sport a base from which to grow. Behind that expansion has been the work of people such as Mangesh Pawar, secretary of the Goa Lacrosse Associa tion, who has been involved in coaching and player devel opment. Players credit him with helping arrange equip ment, training camps and preparations for national-level competitions. The progress, however, has not been matched by infra structure. Players continue to face the absence of a dedicated la crosse ground in Goa, while access to equipment and spe cialised coaching remains limited.
Yet those constraints have not prevented local players from making their mark at the national level. For Devappa, the Malaysia tournament will be a particu larly significant milestone. Having represented Goa at two or three national championships and won silver medals, he will now wear the India jersey for the first time. “This is my first chance to represent India. I have played two or three nationals and won silver medals for Goa, but I have never experienced anything like this be fore. This is my first time representing India,” Devappa said. He sees the selection as evidence that emerging sports can open doors for athletes beyond the more established sporting disciplines. “There are many new sports and many opportunities coming up. With a lot of effort, two players from Goa have been selected to represent India. It is a proud moment for us, and we hope more players from Goa can get the same opportunity in the future,” he said.
The significance of their selection extends beyond the two players. Lacrosse is entering a new phase globally, with the Sixes format set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The sport has also had an earlier Olympic presence, most recently as an official medal sport at the 1908 London Games. For Goa, that wider momentum comes at a time when the sport is beginning to establish its own identity. The State’s women players have already offered evidence of that potential. Goa finished runners-up in the girls’ di vision at the second Junior National Lacrosse Champion ship in Agra in September 2024, signalling that the sport’s growth is not confined to the men’s game. Priyanka, who represented Goa at the national-lev el competition in Agra, said the experience demon strated that Goan players can compete against estab lished teams from across the country. But she stressed that infrastructure will be critical if that progress is to continue. “The ground facilities are less. If we want to grow, we need a separate ground, a good coach and facilities like sticks, balls, helmets and other equipment,” she said. For young players, however, the barriers to entry need not be permanent.
Priyanka believes the unfamiliarity of the sport is itself part of the challenge — and part of its appeal. “It may seem difficult at first, but while learning it can become easy. Anyone can learn it; you just need to prac tise,” she said. That is perhaps the clearest picture of lacrosse’s journey in Goa: a sport that arrived with little recognition, devel oped without the infrastructure enjoyed by established disciplines and is now producing players capable of earn ing national selection. Deulkar and Devappa’s trip to Malaysia therefore repre sents more than a personal achievement. It is a glimpse of what an emerging sport can offer when young athletes are given an opportunity to compete, train and progress. Their immediate challenge will be Kuala Lumpur. The larger one for Goa will be ensuring that their India call-up becomes a beginning rather than an exception.
