Our Story

The Gilbert Youth Lacrosse Organization has been around since the mid-2000s as the primary source for introducing kids in grades K–8 to the sport of lacrosse. We are a 501(c)(3) organization staffed mainly by volunteers who love the sport and enjoy sharing it with kids whenever possible.

We routinely host introductory clinics, camps, and house leagues throughout the year to give kids the opportunity to try out the fastest sport on two feet! We support players from all across the Valley but directly serve Gilbert, Queen Creek, and San Tan Valley.

The East Valley Bulls Lacrosse is the premiere competitive lacrosse club of the East Valley. We are a non-profit club Lacrosse team with divisions at the 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U levels, serving kids ages 6 -14 years old. We are made up of players from Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, and Mesa (as of 2023).

We participate in the Youth Lacrosse of Arizona (YLA) league, which runs from January - April every year
We run an East Valley Fall Ball Training every year from October - December, which is focused around skills development and mastering the fundamentals, and building into competitive teams for the Spring Season
We are a non-cut club, but promote a balance between equal playing time and earned positions. We typically have 5-10 new players at each age level every year, and we love seeing how fast the kids develop in their first season!
We are an affiliated member of USA Lacrosse, and require all members to be actively enrolled throughout the year, for insurance purposes.

Meet Our Coaches

Brent Degreef - Director

With over 20 years of experience playing,

refereeing, and coaching lacrosse, I’m passionate

about giving back to the sport that has shaped so

much of my life. Lacrosse was more than a game.

It taught me discipline, teamwork, resilience, and

leadership. I hope to pass those lessons on to the next generation of players. My goal is to help young

athletes not only learn the fundamentals of the sport,

but also grow as confident, well-rounded athletes.

I’m committed to teaching kids the values, skills, and

love for lacrosse that have inspired me for two decades.

Shaun Brogan

I picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in

7th grade, and from that moment I was hooked.

For the next 15 years, the sport became a central

part of my life. In high school, our program encouraged

us to volunteer with our town’s youth league,

and that experience sparked my love for coaching

and giving back to the next generation of players.

I went on to play through college, and after

graduation I jumped straight into coaching at the

high school level. Alongside our varsity program,

we worked closely with the youth teams to help grow

and strengthen the sport in our community.

When I eventually moved to Arizona and became a dad,

I always hoped my boys would want to try the game

that had given me so much. When my oldest finally

asked to play, I’m pretty sure I was more

excited than he was. Since then, I’ve even convinced

some of my football players to give lacrosse a try—and

they’re just as hooked as I was at their age.

Watching them learn, grow, and fall in love with

the sport has been incredible.

Lacrosse is a unique blend of multiple sports, and

one of the things I love most is that anyone can find a role.

You don’t need to be the biggest, fastest, or most skilled

player on the field—success comes down to effort, heart, and teamwork. It’s a sport that demands unity, creates brotherhood, and teaches lessons that last long after the final whistle.

Shane Clark

I started playing lacrosse in 7th grade at

shepherd junior high in Mesa. They had a lacrosse

demonstration at one of our assemblies and I instantly

knew I wanted to play. In 9th grade I got selected to

play for team Arizona and got to play against other

states in a tournament at University of Massachusetts.

10-12th grade I played for Red Mountain high school in

Mesa. And this will be my 3rd year coaching for the Bulls.

Mike Woolsey

Since 2018 I’ve been coaching lacrosse. I began

coaching with the Chandler Firebirds in 2018 as an

assistant coach. My boys, Markus (14U) and

Michael (Higley varsity lacrosse member) became

involved in lacrosse after attending a free lacrosse clinic.

As we began to get involved with the lacrosse program

my coaching background was uncovered and I was

asked to help coach the Firebirds 8U and 10U teams.

In 2020 our family moved to Gilbert where Michael

and Markus began playing when our team was

known as the Gilbert Knights. The following year

I began coaching the 12U and now have moved up

to the 14U team.

Previously I coached softball at ACP Middle School

(2 years) and at Higley High School (3 years). I’ve also

coached club softball for twelve years and coached

youth football and own a scouting and recruiting

company PrepStar that guides high school athletes

and their parents through the recruiting process.

Stay Tuned More To Come!