Burnaby City Council officially announced the names for two new outdoor covered sports boxes in Burnaby, recognizing two Burnaby sports legends who played an integral role in growing the sport of lacrosse in B.C., Sohen Gill and Jack Crosby.
Sohen Gill Sports Box
The multi-use sports box in Confederation Park will be named the Sohen Gill Sports Box.
Sohen Gill led the Junior A Norburn Lacrosse Club to the Minto Cup finals in their inaugural year. After retiring from playing, Gill continued to coach and manage Burnaby and Coquitlam lacrosse teams before becoming Commissioner of the Western Lacrosse Association in 1987. Gill was a three-time recipient of the Tom Gordon ‘Mr. Lacrosse’ Award and was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
The City will host an official opening ceremony at the new sports box in Confederation Park to celebrate the naming of this new facility, on Saturday, July 13 from 11 am to 1 pm.
Jack Crosby Memorial Sports Box
The name of the multi-use sports box located at Riverway Park, previously known as the Jack Crosby Memorial Lacrosse Box, will be updated to the Jack Crosby Memorial Sports Box.
Jack Crosby spent much of his life inspiring and encouraging players of all ages to play lacrosse or get involved in community sport. Crosby organized and ran programs for Burnaby Intermediate, Junior, Senior and coached a PeeWee team for many years. He served as general manager for the Burnaby Cablevision (1977-1979) and the Burnaby Lakers (1988-2000) lacrosse teams, with each winning the Minto Cup Championships in three consecutive seasons. Crosby was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was an inaugural inductee into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame. He was honoured with the Lester B. Pearson Award for outstanding achievement by the Canadian Lacrosse Association in 1981.
An official opening ceremony for Jack Crosby Memorial Sports Box is being planned for later this year.
Both facilities are designed to accommodate a wide variety of sports and community programs, including lacrosse, ball hockey, basketball, pickle ball, tai chi, special events, day camps and a variety of uses needed in Burnaby.
The outdoor sports boxes also have spectator seating, lighting and a covered roof for weather protection, allowing the courts to be used year-round. The facilities both opened to the public in April 2024.
Learn More: Outdoor Multi-Use Boxes