Sports
Pat Kavanagh signs NIL partnership with CityLax, New York City non-profit
Aidan Thomas | Wednesday, February 8, 2023
On Monday afternoon, CityLax, a non-profit organization dedicated to growing the game of lacrosse in New York City, announced a partnership with Notre Dame senior attackman Pat Kavanagh. FUND (Friends of the University of Notre Dame) helped in the creation of the NIL deal. FUND is a non-profit helping Notre Dame student-athletes promote charitable organizations. However, they are independent from the University.
In their organization description on the press release, CityLax describes their mission as “introducing and expanding lacrosse into New York City schools and geographies that historically have had little or no access to the game and that are predominantly comprised of populations from lower-income families.”
Kavanagh hails from the Long Island area, and he’ll serve as a CityLax ambassador for the upcoming season. That’ll include hosting a meet and greet online session and a few other updates throughout the season. CityLax recently fully funded a middle school program in honor of Welles Crowther. Crowther played for Boston College, but he died in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11. Kavanagh posted on his Instagram on Monday evening, announcing the partnership. He referenced the program in honor of Crowther as an example of CityLax’s “excellent track record of fundraising for great causes.” He noted that, while he grew up, Crowther was one of his heroes.
In addition to his ambassador role, Kavanagh took his partnership a step further. The senior announced he will donate $10 for every ground ball he picks up this year. Last year, Kavanagh picked up 39 ground balls, leading all non-faceoff players for the Irish. In his statement, Kavanagh encouraged everyone to donate. He offered a GoFundMe link for followers to join him in his cause. His full statement read:
“To help us grow the game one ground ball at a time, I will be donating $10 for every ground ball I pick up this year, and I hope you can consider donating as well. Goals and assists are great, but ground balls truly win games, and I cannot wait to fight extra hard for ground balls this year in support of this amazing mission. CityLax has an excellent track record of fundraising, and recently fully funded a middle school program in NYC in honor of Welles Crowther, who has been a hero of mine growing up. To join me in this great cause, please donate here.”
Kavanagh and his Irish teammates begin their season on Wednesday, Feb. 15. They’ll battle Marquette, an annual rival for the past nine full seasons. Kavanagh is a preseason second-team All-American. He is one of two Irish players to gain first or second-team honors, joining senior goaltender Liam Entenmann. Five Notre Dame players earned preseason All-American honors in total.
