Ashbee Lacrosse was founded in 1974 by Norm Treinish in Merion, PA. At the time, the Philadephia Wings played in the first version of the NLL and were generating interest in the sport beyond its traditional prep-school roots. Treinish, a former college and club player, organized an informal but regular game for the kids of Merion at General Wayne Playground. Two neighborhood pick-up teams grew into a four team league. Treinish was on the governing board of that first Wings team and arranged for sticks and equipment to be donated. The Philadelphia Youth Lacrosse League was born.
Support in the early days also came from Barry Ashbee, who was Treinish’s good friend and a former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman. Ashbee had played lacrosse in Canada as a kid and was eager to help establish the sport in the Philly area. When Ashbee died in 1977, the league was re-named in his honor as the Barry Ashbee Lacrosse League. The first league logo incorporated Ashbee’s retired Flyers jersey number 4. By this time, the league had moved to Bala Cynwyd Junior High and was a fully formed youth organization. Treinish coached a team and oversaw league operations as the organization expanded to form its first middle-school travel team. Ashbee Lacrosse continued to grow in size and stature as lacrosse flourished in Philadelphia throughout the 80s and 90s.
The heart of Ashbee Lacrosse has always been the youth league. For 3rd-6th graders, Treinish’s goal was to give every boy a chance to play. He aimed to foster a sense of teamwork, encourage competition, and teach fundamentals. To that end, the house league for many years had specific rules – such as no more than one player from each team on a ground ball and players must pass the ball over the midfield line – to make the game fun, fair, and enriching for all kids.
