Donna Goguen is a dedicated sport leader with more than 20 years of involvement in lacrosse in Nova Scotia. After a successful tenure in minor hockey leadership, she became a longstanding volunteer within the lacrosse community, serving as ECJLL, MUFLL, and MWUFLL Commissioner and completing two terms as President of Lacrosse Nova Scotia before later stepping into the role of Executive Director.
A passionate advocate for gender equity and the growth of the female game, Donna founded the Gender Equity Committee with Lacrosse Canada and served as its first Chair. Her leadership and commitment have had a lasting impact on the development and inclusivity of lacrosse in Nova Scotia and beyond.
In her role as Executive Director, Donna spearheaded the bid to bring the 2025 Box Lacrosse National Championships and 2025 Lacrosse Canada Alumni & First Nations Cup to Halifax. Supported by many local stakeholders and partners in the lacrosse community, these events were a great success.
WHY SHE DID IT
Provincial teams are often required to travel to compete, and the costs can be significant. So why not bring the competition here? Hosting the event in Nova Scotia was about making the provincial program more accessible and giving more athletes the chance to get involved without the burden of extensive travel. It was also an opportunity to showcase everything that makes Nova Scotia special to the rest of Canada. For smaller provinces, the chance to host major events is incredibly important—not only from an economic standpoint, but for the growth of the sport itself. With lacrosse continuing to gain momentum and attract new interest, hosting at home created valuable exposure for younger families and aspiring athletes, allowing them to experience high-level competition firsthand and connect with the provincial program. In the end, it was about strengthening the sport, building community pride, and investing in its future.
OUTCOMES
The event is projected to generate a direct economic impact of $5 million, with 3,400 participant hotel room nights contracted—delivering significant benefits to the local hospitality sector. Building on that momentum, the successful hosting of this championship also helped secure the 2026 National Box Lacrosse Championships, which will be even larger in size and scope. As it’s not a Canada Games year, the 2026 event will include two additional age categories of athletes, bringing even more teams, families, and visitors to Nova Scotia.
“Halifax has proven itself to be very welcoming as a community around events. We get so much feedback that everyone is so friendly, and willing to go above and beyond to make sure the event is successful.”
