FAQs

We strive for TRANSPARENCY in all we do as an Organization while Sharing and Introducing you to MORE of the Rich Tradition that is DUKE’S LACROSSE.

As a player and Family you should review all of the Variables that are important to you and carefully Examine just what a Club Offers. Some of those important variables to consider are: 

COST, LOCATION, COACHING, COMPETITIVE MAKEUP OF CLUB, USE OF DEPTH CHART, PLAYER NUMBERS, PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION OF CLUB, INTEGRITY OF CLUB, LONGEVITY OF CLUB, FOCUS ON COLLEGE PLACEMENT OF PLAYERS BY CLUB, RELATIONSHIP OF CLUB WITH COLLEGE COACHES, TOURNAMENTS, PRACTICES, FRIENDSHIPS, ALLIANCE AFFILIATION and so much more.  

As you start to gather answers to these Questions, you will decide what is most Important to you as a player and Family because ultimately, your Commitment of Time, Money and Energy effects the entire Family and not just the player.

Duke’s Lacrosse Club was started in 1998 and has a Rich HISTORY and TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE Unmatched by any other Club Team in America.  Duke’s players are Unique because they are apart of a Special FAMILY of Players and People that wear their Duke’s PRIDE as a Badge of Honor both on and off the Field so that it translates to EXCELLENCE as aPLAYER on the Field and EXCELLENCE as a PERSON in the Classroom and in their School, Church, Community and most especially at Home with Family off the Field.

The Duke’s Club Organization Bridges Generations of players and family’s. No matter where a player or Duke’s person goes, they will ALWAYS be recognized as a Duke’s Player or Person. You see it on College Visits; You see it in the Coaching and Professional Ranks of lacrosse; You see it in all walks of Life and you recognize that it is a Shared, Unspoken Code that Bonds Duke’s players and Duke’s Family’s TOGETHER for a Lifetime.

As a Philosophy, We believe that when ELITE players come together and are surrounded by other Elite players their overall play and Skill sets are Elevated Exponentially. Duke’s Coaches are constantly monitoring and placing players in the Best possible position to not only Compete but also Develop and take their game to a higher level.  Duke’s Club Teams Compete in Top Level Tournament Settings so they constantly draw the Notice of College Coaches and in turn Duke’s Coaches are Active in communicating and having meaningful exchanges with these College Coaches that has translated into a College Matriculation Rate of OVER 94% with the Duke’s ELITE High School Players since our Inception.  

Duke’s Lacrosse Club Stands alone in the Lacrosse Industry for not only the QUALITY of it’s Player’s but also for the RESPECT the Club receives from College Coaches.  The Club’s Knowledge, Experience and Direct/Honest Approach to Recruiting where a player and his family come FIRST is what sets us Apart.  Just ask past Player’s/Alumni like TUCKER DURKIN, JORDAN WOLF, NIKO AMATO or MATT RAMBO and Remember at the same time that Duke’s Lacrosse Club is NON PROFIT AND NO FEE so there are No outside Interests to Influence the Club Experience. 

As a Player and Family, JOINING DUKE’S LACROSSE CLUB is a Big Decision, a Big Commitment and an Important Life Decision. Your Choice of Duke’s Lacrosse Club will not only Guide you now but it will Shape you’re Future Path to a College Education and Define you Academically, Socially and as a Lacrosse player. Please Review the process below for Joining Duke’s Lacrosse Club as you Embark on the Journey of a Lifetime.

To Join the Duke’s Lacrosse Club, sign up with US Lacrosse and complete our player registration form with your US Lacrosse Member number. Tell us more about you by sharing what college’s you are interested in, your accomplishments, your interests and more so we can establish relationships with the college coaches you are interested in having see you play. The last item in your Note should Include a short Statement as to why you and your Family would be a GOOD FIT for the Duke’s Lacrosse Club.

It is an EXCITING moment and Opportunity in a young man’s Life. Good Luck and Best Wishes as you start your Journey with Duke’s Lacrosse Club. 

There is NO ANNUAL FEE OR COST to Participate in the Duke’s Lacrosse Club Program. We are UNIQUE AND A ONE OF A KIND PROGRAM in the Club Lacrosse Industry and the Answer why is very Simple; WE DON’T USE OUR DUKE’S LACROSSE CLUB TO MAKE A LIVING OR GENERATE INCOME.

We are a NON PROFIT CORP and that is Extremely Valuable to Player’s and Family’s because that means there is INTEGRITY and No Outside Interests can Influence our Decision Making. Boys and Family’s ALWAYS come FIRST and We Never Require our Duke’s Players to Purchase any New Gear, Helmets, bags or other equipment. Players and Family’s are however Responsible for their Costs Associated with Transportation, Hotel and Meals etc.

Great Question.  Player’s and Family’s are Responsible for Purchasing their Uniform Pieces when they Join Duke’s Lacrosse but thereafter, they only PAY AS THEY PLAY for Tournaments, Clinics, Practices, Playdays and Events they Participate in.  

We do however have REGIONAL Duke’s programs that Feed into Duke’s Elite High School and they are FOR PROFIT Developing, Practicing and Training players to Compete at the Elite and National Levels for all age Groups. Those Costs Vary by area and Team with Each program and Program Director Communicating Specifics of ALL Costs when you Join.

Duke’s Lacrosse Club’s Structure is Defined by it’s NATIONALS & REGIONAL Programs.  These Programs compete at both the AA and A Levels of Competition and have Continued to GROW the Duke’s Brand Both in the Ages of it’s Players and in the EXPANSION of these NATIONAL & REGIONAL Programs that now number Over 14 States and Over 150 Middle Schools and High Schools.  

The Duke’s NATIONAL & REGIONAL Programs currently Include Duke’s Elite HS, Duke’s Nationals, Duke’s Young Guns, Duke’s Mainline, Duke’s Virginia, Duke’s Chester County and Duke’s Florida.  A New Start Up Duke’s Program is expected to begin Shortly with Duke’s Central Pennsylvania while Multi other venues are submitting Prospectus’ for consideration.

Each NATIONAL & REGIONAL Program has it’s Own Stand Alone Incorporation, Territory to Operate; and a Mandate to Develop Young Men Starting in 3rd Grade thru 12th Grade of High School except for Duke’s Elite High School (9th grade-12th grade) & Duke’s National’s (3rd grade-8th grade).

No. We are Talent Based and NOT Age Based or Area Based.

Our Teams do Feature many of the Best players from the Greater Del Val area of Southeastern and Central Pennsylvania, Delaware, South Jersey and Northern Maryland and beyond and in fact we have players from 14 States and Over 150 different Middle Schools & High Schools so we are very Diverse. In short, we don’t care where you are from or if you go to a public or private high school. Politics are not a factor, only talent and character. We pride ourselves on how many high schools are represented on our roster.

Yes. Our Code of Conduct is described in Multi Links of this Website and it is Reviewed and discussed in Detail with player’s and Family’s alike on our Orientation Conference Calls and in our Orientation Meetings.  The club reserves the right to part ways with players once it has been determined that they or their parents have disrupted the well being of the team and or the overall program. Habitual and demonstrated lack of commitment in the opinion of the club may impact playing time, future consideration for team membership and could result in discharge from the organization. All coaches, players and parents are expected to exhibit and promote the ideals of good sportsmanship. Failing to do so may result in discharge from Duke’s Lacrosse Club.

We are committed to providing the best coaching possible. Our coaches have years of experience coaching at all levels of lacrosse. We do not use parents or recent college or pro players without significant coaching experience. See our coaches links for a list of coaches.

If you make Duke’s, you are expected to play in every tournament that we ask you to play in. Communication is key. Because of our success, Duke’s players are frequently contacted by other club programs to participate in events. Should another program invite you to participate in an event, you must check with us first to make sure that there is no conflict.  This isCRITICAL.  You must ALWAYS COMMUNICATE BEFORE you ever Commit to Participating with another Club . If you Fail to Communicate then it is Grounds for Dismissal from Duke’s. Also, after you become COMMITTED to a College, you are still expected to Join your Teammates at every Level they are Participating in to Promote THEM & the Duke’s Lacrosse Club. 

Playing time is based on competition and on field performance. No one is entitled to specific playing time because of who they are or where they play high school ball. You will receive invitations to various recruiting tournaments hand-picked by our highly qualified coaching staff. These tournaments are selected for their competitiveness and college exposure.  

In short, No one receives a “Participation Trophy” . We are Competition Based, Talent Based over Age Based; and we have a Depth Chart that decides how playing time is Determined.

Duke’s Elite High School Teams do not have Regular Practice sessions. They Practice minimally but do Utilize their Ricky Whelan Developmental Clinic Sessions in the Fall as a Primary means for Training and Implementing/Inputting Defensive and Offensive Schemes.

A DUKE’S Day has also been added to better coordinate basic schemes and it has now become an Important Training Tool in Fall Sessions leading into the Fall Recruiting Season. The Duke’s National’s Program Incorporates a System of Monthly Mini Camps held on College Campus’ up and down the East Coast to Evaluate, Train and Practice. Their Training and Efforts at Developing players at the Youth Level is 2nd to NONE.

Mean while, all of our Duke’s Regional Programs Including Young Guns, Mainline, Virginia, Chester County & Florida can be lost in the Shuffle of Duke’s programs just  a little bit not receiving the Recognition they are due but they all have INCREDIBLE COACHING and Significant Training with Regular Practice Sessions that do both Individual Position Specific Training and Team Training Sessions. 

These Regional Duke’s programs are the “Heartbeat” of our Duke’s Organization sending Youth Players to Duke’s National’s and putting in the hard work at the Youth Levels that creates the Opportunity for players to Excel when they reach High School/College Age that in turn may Allow them to one day reach the ULTIMATE in Lacrosse which for our Duke’s Lacrosse program translates into having the BEST PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY in MATT RAMBO WIN  the Tewaarton Trophy, MULTIPLE TOP PICKS IN THE PLL DRAFT in GRANT AMENT AND MICHAEL SOWERS, and many more to come.  

Our Duke’s National’s Program and our Duke’s Regional Programs are hard at work to make it happen AGAIN !!!!

Yes. We are completely transparent about where you stand, in many ways like a college program. Unlike many other club programs, you do not only play with players in your graduating year. Our rising sophomores do play together in events in the summer before their sophomore year. After that, our players all compete for spots on Duke’s 1 and Duke’s 2 and are selected solely based on ability. We also participate in events for those rising juniors and rising seniors who do not make Duke’s 1 or Duke’s 2. The top Duke’s rising sophomores will also be considered for Duke’s 1 or Duke’s 2.

You do not have to, but we expect that you will. Once you make the Duke’s high school program, you do not need to try out each year. With open tryouts and a transparent depth chart, every player faces the possibility that an improving or new player passes them. You have to get better every year.

We have an annual recruiting session open to the public where we instruct you how to effectively communicate with coaches. College coaches work very hard to find the players that fit what they need in their respective programs. If you are a good player, they will find you. If you have specific schools you want to check out, let those coaches know about your interest. They will investigate you as a player and as a person and let you know if you are a fit for their school and their program. We have built our reputation and relationships in the lacrosse community through years of consistently providing a well respected program with honest communication with college recruiters.

There are members of the Duke’s coaching staff that offer individual instruction. Individual lessons are set up by the individual coaches and are not run through the Duke’s organization. Individual lessons are not an avenue to the Duke’s; they are an avenue to improving a player’s game. The members of the staff that offer individual instruction are: Coach Rob Forster, Coach Jack Forster, Coach Tucker Durkin (Defensemen), Coach Mike Dolente (Faceoffs), Coach Matt Mackrides, Coach Niko Amato (Goalies), Coach Dave page (Goalies), Chris Mandarino (Defensemen), Evan Bohner (Defensemen). Coaches’ contact information can be found on the coaches links.

Duke’s Lacrosse Club is made up of Both Regional and National Age Boys Programs that all begin in 3rd Grade and go up to 12th grade. Exceptions are the Duke’s National’s and the Duke’s Elite High School.

National’s are 3rd Grade to 8th Grade only and Duke’s Elite High School is 9th grade to 12th Grade Age Boys only.