The Rebels Lacrosse club is one of the fastest growing clubs in the United States right now, with multiple projects coming together at a rapid pace. It is tremendous to see like-minded individuals coming together with the same philosophy on how to grow the game, as well as the ability to optimize the skill level of youth and high school lacrosse. The latest example of this starts today, as our Rebels National program is excited to team up with it's newest partner...
The newest partner program comes from New Jersey and is one of the oldest clubs in the state. Jersey Thunder Lacrosse club, owned and operated by John Gallucci Sr., has now joined the growing list of Rebels National Partner programs. This announcement give the top Jersey Thunder players the opportunity to showcase themselves via a National Team, supplementing the high-level of lax development they are already receiving as a part of Jersey Thunder.
In 1992, John Gallucci Sr. founded Athletics Education Lacrosse (Ath-Ed) becoming one of the first lacrosse organizations in NJ to give athletes the opportunity to play the sport outside the spring season. Eventually, he started picking "All-Star" teams to compete against other programs from outside NJ. The Ath-Ed All-Star teams did well, gaining a reputation as one of the hardest working teams in the area on the field. Their slogan "Work Hard. Earn It. Evolve Your Game" was born. By 2004, the Jersey Thunder Lacrosse Club was formally created by the popular demand of the All-Star families who were now looking to play year-round as a team.
When Jersey Thunder leadership was asked why they wanted to partner with the Rebels, they responded, “As Jersey Thunder Lacrosse continues to expand, seeing tremendous growth in both Morris and Sussex counties and beyond, we are looking for like-minded teams to partner with in order to give our elite athletes more opportunities to play at the highest levels and showcase their abilities. Having had a long lasting relationship with the founders of Rebels, we knew that we had similar philosophies, willingness to grow the game, and desire to continually improve the travel lacrosse experience.”
Mike Brennan, owner of the Rebels Lacrosse Club, was overjoyed to have someone that he has known for quite some time willing to combine their efforts and put together a product on the field that was worthwhile. “Lacrosse is one of the fastest expanding sports in the United States” he went on, “With so many personal connections able to be made through experiences such as a National team, we want to expose all of the athletes involved to top quality relationships, events and recruitment possible.”
Both owners have the same idea about how important this partnership is, and how it will continue to benefit both programs in the long run. This gives the opportunity for all of the partner programs that are under the Rebels National umbrella to continue to grow more so than they already have on a developmental level; learning and exposing not only their players but their coaches as well to something they may have never experienced before.