Iroquois Nationals



The Iroquois Nationals are the national lacrosse team of the Six Nations/Iroquois and compete in international competition. The team was first admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation in 1987. It is the only First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally and is typically ranked among the top five in world lacrosse.

History
The Iroquois Nationals men's lacrosse team was formed and sanctioned by the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee in 1983 in preparation of friendlies at the NCAA championship in Baltimore, Maryland. The Nationals lost to Syracuse Orange 28-5 and Hobart College 22-14. Prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics, the Nationals held the The Jim Thorpe Memorial Games and Pow-Wow, a 6-team event with local and international teams in Los Angeles. The nationals achieved their first victory over the national team of England. The following year, using their Haudenosaunee passports, the Nationals traveled and toured England losing only once.

After being denied membership by the ILF to compete in the 1986 World Games in Canada, the Iroquois hosted the teams for preliminary games at the University of Buffalo. The following year, the IFL accepted the Iroquois as a full member nation.

The Iroquois Nationals took part in their first international competition at the 1990 World Lacrosse Championships, finishing fifth. The first FIL sanctioned U17 box lacrosse friendly took place between the Iroquois Nationals and Team Canada during the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.

Nike deal
In 2006, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Program signed a partnership with Nike, Inc. in which Nike will provide the Nationals with their brand uniforms, clothing, footwear, and other equipment. The company is to develop programs to "promote wellness-and-fitness activities in Native American communities throughout the region", and team members may go to speak to local groups. Team members will also assist in testing of sustainable produced sportswear for Nike's research and development of processes to use non-toxic dyes and biodegradable organic cotton.

Nike is the only Fortune 500 company to have such a relationship with a Native American organization, and the Iroquois Nationals are the only such group.

Passport issues
The Nationals were unable to attend and compete in the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship in England as the United Kingdom does not accept their Iroquois passports. The Nationals were forced to forfeit their three preliminary games. In 2015, the Haudenosaunee Nationals women's under 19 team was forced to withdraw from the 2015 U19 World Lacrosse Championship in Scotland for the same reason.

Haudenosaunee Nationals
The first Haudenosaunee female team in 18 years was organized and competed in the 2005 Cup of Nations lacrosse festival. The "First Nations" team was composed of 15- to 18-year-olds and was one of eight international teams. The following year, an all women's Iroquois team stood in front of the Six Nations Confederacy Council asking for permission to field an international lacrosse team.

In 2008, the Iroquois Confederacy, under the name Haudenosaunee Nation, became a full member of the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) at that organization's final meeting. The women's organization merged with ILF to form the sport's new unified governing body, the Federation of International Lacrosse.

The Haudenosaunee U19 women's team won the 2015 Nike Cup - Orange Division championship defeating STEPS Lacrosse Philly.

Rosters
R