The Harbor Fire Lacrosse Association, founded by Craig Wickstrom, Ken Uddenberg and Tino De La Rosa, brought the sport of lacrosse to Gig Harbor, WA in 2009, offering teams for boys in 3rd to 8th grades. The following season, a high school boys team was added, and in 2011 the first girls middle school team was created, followed by the youth girls teams.
In 2014, the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association mandated that conglomerate clubs (teams comprised of players from more than one school) split and align with only one school. The result was that separate boys high school teams were established to align with Gig Harbor and Peninsula High Schools. A new board of directors was established, as mandated by the league, and as a result the Peninsula Lacrosse Association (PLA) was born. Subsequently, PLA took responsibility for the boys youth programs serving elementary and middle school players who feed into PHS.
In 2014, the first girls high school team was created.
The first annual Baggataway Bowl was established in 2014, and like the local football tradition of the Fish Bowl, the Baggataway Bowl is a contest between the boys varsity teams from Gig Harbor and Peninsula. The Baggataway Bowl pays homage to the Native heritage of the game as well as the common origin of the two teams.
In 2016, Harbor Fire Lacrosse Association changed its name to Gig Harbor Lacrosse Association (GHLA).
In 2017, the Peninsula School District adopted girls high school lacrosse as an official district sport. The team is comprised of girls from both Gig Harbor and Peninsula High Schools, so it is recognized as a conglomerate Peninsula School District team.
Since 2017, the Gig Harbor Lacrosse Association has supported boys lacrosse from 3rd to 12th grades, and girls lacrosse from 3rd to 8th grades.
GHLA is a 501 (C-3) non-profit organization established to organize and develop youth lacrosse in the Gig Harbor, WA area. GHLA serves boys & girls enrolled in the Peninsula School District and is a member of the following leagues: South Sound Youth Lacrosse League, Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association, and the Washington School Girls Lacrosse Association.