(Photo Courtesy of Gillette Stadium)

The NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend is returning to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the NCAA announced Tuesday a.m. Additionally, the NCAA announced that the 2017 DI Quarterfinals will be hosted by Hofstra and Delaware, and by Hofstra and Navy in 2018.

Gillette Stadium is home to the highest single-day crowd in Championship Weekend history, as 48,970 fans watched the 2008 championship game between Hopkins and Syracuse. Gillette last hosted Championship Weekend in 2012 when Loyola beat Maryland in the national championship game.

NCAA Championship Weekend overall attendance has dropped every year since its peak in 2007 at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, which hosted 123,225 fans over the weekend. Between then and last year’s final in Philadelphia, that number has dropped to 72,897.

The 2016 championship will again be hosted at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was awarded the NCAA bid during a bid cycled that ended in late 2013. Prior to that announcement, the NCAA said it would announce the next four championships, but it opted to only select two at the time and re-opened this current bid cycle. Through reporting since then, Inside Lacrosse learned that Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium did not bid on hosting Championship Weekend any time in that four-year window. Ohio Stadium in Columbus was among site to put in for a bid for the 2017 and ’18 games.

Much speculation has been made about the future of Championship Weekend. During the IMCLA Convention, coaches at the DI level were more open than in the past to moving the game later into the summer or returning back to college campuses. That was not an option for 2017 and ’18, as the bid process had already been opened.

The last notes from the Division I committee meeting said the committee would seek feedback from the membership about the future of the lacrosse championships.

The NCAA has lowered ticket prices and offered different options around Championship Weekend. It also scheduled a youth tournament to run alongside the weekend festivities.

The men’s 2016 NCAA Quarterfinals will be at Ohio Stadium and Brown University.

The women’s NCAA Championship Weekend will be held at WakeMed Stadium in Cary, N.C., in 2017 and at Stony Brook’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in 2018, the NCAA announced in February. The 2016 women’s final will be at Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park) near Philadelphia.

NCAA Release

The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Committees for Divisions I, II and III have announced the sites for the 2017 and 2018 men’s lacrosse finals and the 2017 and 2018 Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals.

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, will be the site of the 2017 and 2018 Division I semifinals and final, in addition to the Divisions II and III national championship games. These championships will represent the fourth and fifth time that the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots has hosted the event. The championships also took place there in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Harvard University will serve as the host school.

The 2008 Division I men’s lacrosse title game at Gillette Stadium set a record for highest championship game attendance when 48,970 fans attended.

“We are excited about heading back to Gillette Stadium,” said Eugene Doris, chair of the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee and athletics director at Fairfield University. “The venue is one of the best in the nation and will provide our student-athletes with a memorable experience. Lacrosse in the New England area continues to explode, and we are excited to bring our event to the area to showcase what NCAA lacrosse is all about.

“It was a very difficult decision for the committee; there were a number of quality facilities and great communities under consideration,” Doris continued. “The committee is grateful to the communities that continue to support and show an interest in the men’s lacrosse championship.”

Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group and also owner of the Patriots, looks forward to the lacrosse events.

“We are honored to have earned the bid to host the NCAA men’s lacrosse championships at Gillette Stadium in 2017 and 2018,” he said. “We love to celebrate championships at Gillette Stadium and are eager to host the lacrosse national championship games for the fourth and fifth times. Lacrosse has seen tremendous growth at all levels throughout New England, and the passion and support by fans of the game were evident when we hosted our first lacrosse championship game and set an attendance record in 2008. We look forward to hosting record-breaking crowds once again in the years ahead.”

The 2017 Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals will be split between James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, New York, on the campus of Hofstra University and the University of Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware. In 2018, two quarterfinals games will be held again at Hofstra, while the other quarterfinals matchups will be at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Hofstra has previously hosted the quarterfinal round eight times, most recently in 2014, while Delaware also held the event in 2014. Navy has hosted five times previously, including in 2015.

For more information on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships, log on to NCAA.com/lacrosse.

Gillette Stadium Release

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The NCAA, Gillette Stadium and Harvard University today announced the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships will be played at Gillette Stadium, the home of the National Football League’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. The Division I, II and III Men’s Lacrosse Championships will be played over Memorial Day Weekend, on May 27-29 in 2017 and on May 26-28 in 2018.

“We are honored to have earned the bid to host the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships at Gillette Stadium in 2017 and 2018,” said Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group. “We love to celebrate championships at Gillette Stadium and are eager to host the lacrosse national championship games for the fourth and fifth times. I have a son who played lacrosse collegiately and three grandsons who I have enjoyed watching play and can speak to the tremendous growth of the game here in New England. The passion and support by fans of the game were evident when we hosted our first lacrosse championship game and set an attendance record in 2008. We look forward to hosting record-breaking crowds once again in the years ahead.”

The agreement marks the fourth and fifth times the championships will be held at Gillette Stadium, where the event has enjoyed a history of tremendous success. In 2008, Gillette Stadium set attendance records for the Division I final (48,970) and the Division II and III finals (24,317). The championships were also played in Foxborough in 2009 and 2012, attracting fans from 47 states and six international countries to the events.

The New England lacrosse community is comprised of 77 NCAA teams, 34,272 players, 809 high school teams and 86,034 registered US Lacrosse members. New England is home to the largest youth lacrosse organization (Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League) in the United States and the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of US Lacrosse is the largest in the country with 43,000 members.

“My family and I are thrilled to bring the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships back to Gillette Stadium,” said Dan Kraft, president international of The Kraft Group and a former lacrosse player at Tufts University. “We look forward to working with the NCAA and all of our partners to create a great experience for the players, fans and lacrosse community.”

“Harvard is thrilled to once again partner with Gillette Stadium to serve as hosts of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships in 2017 and 2018," said Bob Scalise, Harvard’s John D. Nichols ‘53 Family Director of Athletics. “We look forward to working with the NCAA and the lacrosse community to prepare for some exciting weekends of lacrosse at the upcoming NCAA Division I, II and III Championships.”

"We look forward to once again welcoming lacrosse fans from across the U.S. and across the globe to Boston and Foxborough,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Lacrosse fans will enjoy exploring and discovering our extraordinary cultural attractions and historical sites, in addition to watching great lacrosse at Gillette Stadium."

Ticket, hospitality, reunion opportunities and fan activity information will be announced at a later date.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

The following quotes on the return of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships were compiled by Gillette Stadium and are for use as desired:

Chris Wojcik, Harvard University men’s lacrosse head coach – “New England will once again host the NCAA Championships and a great weekend of lacrosse. Our region’s high school and youth lacrosse communities will have the opportunity to attend the games and enjoy the festivities around Championship weekend. Hosting the three-day event will boost the continued growth of the game in New England and expose our region to the best of college lacrosse.”

Lars Tiffany, Brown University men’s lacrosse head coach – “It is exciting for New England to once again host this great event. I know the Brown University and Rhode Island lacrosse communities will be active supporters of the championships. ”

Mike Daly, Tufts University men’s lacrosse head coach – “It is an honor for New England and all of the college programs in the region to be a part of this special event. This is the biggest event in our game and to host it in our backyard is very special. Thank you to the Kraft family for hosting these lacrosse games at Gillette Stadium and continuing their commitment to sports in New England."

Jim Murphy, Bentley University men’s lacrosse head coach – “Having seen the annual growth of the game in New England I am excited for all the youth, high school and college players to have an opportunity to watch the best of the best play in the NCAA Championships at Gillette Stadium.”

Tom Spangenberg, president of Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League – “The Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse family, comprised of 20,000 players, 2,500 coaches and over 900 teams from 160 towns in Massachusetts truly looks forward to having this great event in our backyard again. Our families really enjoyed themselves in 2008, 2009 and 2012 and we will actively promote the games to them again in 2017 and 2018.”

Kevin McDonald, chair of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of US Lacrosse – “Hosting the NCAA championships in Massachusetts is a feather in the cap for so many people who have helped grow the game. The opportunity for boys and girls of all ages, along with their family members, to watch the NCAA championships will be a wonderful experience for all.”

(Photo Courtesy of Gillette Stadium)

The NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend is returning to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the NCAA announced Tuesday a.m. Additionally, the NCAA announced that the 2017 DI Quarterfinals will be hosted by Hofstra and Delaware, and by Hofstra and Navy in 2018.

Gillette Stadium is home to the highest single-day crowd in Championship Weekend history, as 48,970 fans watched the 2008 championship game between Hopkins and Syracuse. Gillette last hosted Championship Weekend in 2012 when Loyola beat Maryland in the national championship game.

NCAA Championship Weekend overall attendance has dropped every year since its peak in 2007 at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, which hosted 123,225 fans over the weekend. Between then and last year’s final in Philadelphia, that number has dropped to 72,897.

The 2016 championship will again be hosted at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was awarded the NCAA bid during a bid cycled that ended in late 2013. Prior to that announcement, the NCAA said it would announce the next four championships, but it opted to only select two at the time and re-opened this current bid cycle. Through reporting since then, Inside Lacrosse learned that Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium did not bid on hosting Championship Weekend any time in that four-year window. Ohio Stadium in Columbus was among site to put in for a bid for the 2017 and ’18 games.

Much speculation has been made about the future of Championship Weekend. During the IMCLA Convention, coaches at the DI level were more open than in the past to moving the game later into the summer or returning back to college campuses. That was not an option for 2017 and ’18, as the bid process had already been opened.

The last notes from the Division I committee meeting said the committee would seek feedback from the membership about the future of the lacrosse championships.

The NCAA has lowered ticket prices and offered different options around Championship Weekend. It also scheduled a youth tournament to run alongside the weekend festivities.

The men’s 2016 NCAA Quarterfinals will be at Ohio Stadium and Brown University.

The women’s NCAA Championship Weekend will be held at WakeMed Stadium in Cary, N.C., in 2017 and at Stony Brook’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in 2018, the NCAA announced in February. The 2016 women’s final will be at Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park) near Philadelphia.

NCAA Release

The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Committees for Divisions I, II and III have announced the sites for the 2017 and 2018 men’s lacrosse finals and the 2017 and 2018 Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals.

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, will be the site of the 2017 and 2018 Division I semifinals and final, in addition to the Divisions II and III national championship games. These championships will represent the fourth and fifth time that the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots has hosted the event. The championships also took place there in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Harvard University will serve as the host school.

The 2008 Division I men’s lacrosse title game at Gillette Stadium set a record for highest championship game attendance when 48,970 fans attended.

“We are excited about heading back to Gillette Stadium,” said Eugene Doris, chair of the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee and athletics director at Fairfield University. “The venue is one of the best in the nation and will provide our student-athletes with a memorable experience. Lacrosse in the New England area continues to explode, and we are excited to bring our event to the area to showcase what NCAA lacrosse is all about.

“It was a very difficult decision for the committee; there were a number of quality facilities and great communities under consideration,” Doris continued. “The committee is grateful to the communities that continue to support and show an interest in the men’s lacrosse championship.”

Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group and also owner of the Patriots, looks forward to the lacrosse events.

“We are honored to have earned the bid to host the NCAA men’s lacrosse championships at Gillette Stadium in 2017 and 2018,” he said. “We love to celebrate championships at Gillette Stadium and are eager to host the lacrosse national championship games for the fourth and fifth times. Lacrosse has seen tremendous growth at all levels throughout New England, and the passion and support by fans of the game were evident when we hosted our first lacrosse championship game and set an attendance record in 2008. We look forward to hosting record-breaking crowds once again in the years ahead.”

The 2017 Division I men’s lacrosse quarterfinals will be split between James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, New York, on the campus of Hofstra University and the University of Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware. In 2018, two quarterfinals games will be held again at Hofstra, while the other quarterfinals matchups will be at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Hofstra has previously hosted the quarterfinal round eight times, most recently in 2014, while Delaware also held the event in 2014. Navy has hosted five times previously, including in 2015.

For more information on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships, log on to NCAA.com/lacrosse.

Gillette Stadium Release

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The NCAA, Gillette Stadium and Harvard University today announced the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships will be played at Gillette Stadium, the home of the National Football League’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. The Division I, II and III Men’s Lacrosse Championships will be played over Memorial Day Weekend, on May 27-29 in 2017 and on May 26-28 in 2018.

“We are honored to have earned the bid to host the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships at Gillette Stadium in 2017 and 2018,” said Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group. “We love to celebrate championships at Gillette Stadium and are eager to host the lacrosse national championship games for the fourth and fifth times. I have a son who played lacrosse collegiately and three grandsons who I have enjoyed watching play and can speak to the tremendous growth of the game here in New England. The passion and support by fans of the game were evident when we hosted our first lacrosse championship game and set an attendance record in 2008. We look forward to hosting record-breaking crowds once again in the years ahead.”

The agreement marks the fourth and fifth times the championships will be held at Gillette Stadium, where the event has enjoyed a history of tremendous success. In 2008, Gillette Stadium set attendance records for the Division I final (48,970) and the Division II and III finals (24,317). The championships were also played in Foxborough in 2009 and 2012, attracting fans from 47 states and six international countries to the events.

The New England lacrosse community is comprised of 77 NCAA teams, 34,272 players, 809 high school teams and 86,034 registered US Lacrosse members. New England is home to the largest youth lacrosse organization (Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League) in the United States and the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of US Lacrosse is the largest in the country with 43,000 members.

“My family and I are thrilled to bring the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships back to Gillette Stadium,” said Dan Kraft, president international of The Kraft Group and a former lacrosse player at Tufts University. “We look forward to working with the NCAA and all of our partners to create a great experience for the players, fans and lacrosse community.”

“Harvard is thrilled to once again partner with Gillette Stadium to serve as hosts of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships in 2017 and 2018," said Bob Scalise, Harvard’s John D. Nichols ‘53 Family Director of Athletics. “We look forward to working with the NCAA and the lacrosse community to prepare for some exciting weekends of lacrosse at the upcoming NCAA Division I, II and III Championships.”

"We look forward to once again welcoming lacrosse fans from across the U.S. and across the globe to Boston and Foxborough,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Lacrosse fans will enjoy exploring and discovering our extraordinary cultural attractions and historical sites, in addition to watching great lacrosse at Gillette Stadium."

Ticket, hospitality, reunion opportunities and fan activity information will be announced at a later date.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

The following quotes on the return of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships were compiled by Gillette Stadium and are for use as desired:

Chris Wojcik, Harvard University men’s lacrosse head coach – “New England will once again host the NCAA Championships and a great weekend of lacrosse. Our region’s high school and youth lacrosse communities will have the opportunity to attend the games and enjoy the festivities around Championship weekend. Hosting the three-day event will boost the continued growth of the game in New England and expose our region to the best of college lacrosse.”

Lars Tiffany, Brown University men’s lacrosse head coach – “It is exciting for New England to once again host this great event. I know the Brown University and Rhode Island lacrosse communities will be active supporters of the championships. ”

Mike Daly, Tufts University men’s lacrosse head coach – “It is an honor for New England and all of the college programs in the region to be a part of this special event. This is the biggest event in our game and to host it in our backyard is very special. Thank you to the Kraft family for hosting these lacrosse games at Gillette Stadium and continuing their commitment to sports in New England."

Jim Murphy, Bentley University men’s lacrosse head coach – “Having seen the annual growth of the game in New England I am excited for all the youth, high school and college players to have an opportunity to watch the best of the best play in the NCAA Championships at Gillette Stadium.”

Tom Spangenberg, president of Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League – “The Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse family, comprised of 20,000 players, 2,500 coaches and over 900 teams from 160 towns in Massachusetts truly looks forward to having this great event in our backyard again. Our families really enjoyed themselves in 2008, 2009 and 2012 and we will actively promote the games to them again in 2017 and 2018.”

Kevin McDonald, chair of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of US Lacrosse – “Hosting the NCAA championships in Massachusetts is a feather in the cap for so many people who have helped grow the game. The opportunity for boys and girls of all ages, along with their family members, to watch the NCAA championships will be a wonderful experience for all.”