Club History
Ashbee was founded in 1974 by Norm Treinish in Merion, PA. At the time, The Philadelphia Wings played in the first version of the MLL and were generating interest in the sport beyond its traditional prep-school roots. Treinish, a former college and club player, organized an informal but regular game for the kids of Merion at General Wayne Playground.
A graphic artist professionally, Treinish designed the iconic Philadelphia Wings Logo
Two neighborhood pick-up teams grew into a four team league. Treinish was on the governing board of that first Wings team and arranged for sticks and equipment to be donated. The Philadelphia Youth Lacrosse League was born.
Support in the early days also came from Barry Ashbee, who was Treinish’s good friend and a former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman. Ashbee had played lacrosse in Canada as a kid and was eager to help establish the sport in the Philly area.
When Ashbee died in 1977, the league was re-named in his honor as the Barry Ashbee Lacrosse League. The former Philadelphia Flyer wore number #4 and that number to this day is a retired number in the Ashbee Lacrosse Club. As a way to honor Barry Ashbee, the official Ashbee team colors have been and continue to be Orange and Black.
The late Barry Ashbee
Norm, or “Uncle Norm” as he is affectionately called by many of his current and former players, began his association with lacrosse as a player with the Cleveland Lacrosse Club in 1957 and 1958, but he really began to leave his mark on the game when he founded Ashbee Youth Lacrosse in 1974.
The heart of Ashbee Lacrosse has always been the youth league. For 3rd-6th graders, Treinish’s goal was to give every boy a chance to play. He aimed to foster a sense of teamwork, encourage competition, and teach fundamentals.
To that end, the house league for many years had specific rules – such as no more than one player from each team on a ground ball and players must pass the ball over the midfield line – to make the game fun, fair, and enriching for all kids. Besides the house league, Ashbee now has clinic programs for 1st and 2nd graders as well as travel teams for u11, u13, and u15.
Ashbee continues to produce countless high school, college, and professional lacrosse players, many of whom actively give back to the sport and their local communities.
