Lacrosse head pocket and related method of manufacture

A method of manufacturing a lacrosse pocket comprising:

• mechanically manipulating a plurality of first strands and a plurality of second strands with an automated pocket assembly machine during an automated process to form a lacrosse pocket body during the automated process, the lacrosse pocket body including a predefined, three dimensional, concave shape, the lacrosse pocket body having a lower pocket portion, an upper pocket portion and a middle pocket portion therebetween;
• forming a perimeter flange in the pocket body during the automated process, the perimeter flange including the plurality of first strands interlooped with one another,
• forming at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion to include the plurality of second strands interlooped with one another, and with ones of the plurality of first strands so that the perimeter flange and the at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion form a unitary textile material, and
• wherein the plurality of first strands are constructed from a first material that is polyamide 6,6 and are in the form of a first yarn having a plurality of first twisted filaments, the first yarn having tenacity of 7 g-f/denier to 10 g-f/denier,
• wherein the perimeter flange includes an edge width when the lacrosse pocket body is in an unloaded state, without a lacrosse ball therein,
• wherein the perimeter flange with its first yarn is configured to stretch so that the edge width increases by at least 1.0% when the lacrosse pocket is in a loaded state with the lacrosse ball therein, thereby providing dampening to the lacrosse pocket body when a lacrosse ball exerts force upon the lacrosse pocket body in the loaded state.

A method of manufacturing a lacrosse pocket comprising:

• mechanically manipulating a plurality of first strands and a plurality of second strands with an automated pocket assembly machine during an automated process to form a lacrosse pocket body during the automated process, the lacrosse pocket body including a predefined, three dimensional, concave shape, the lacrosse pocket body having a lower pocket portion, an upper pocket portion and a middle pocket portion therebetween;
• forming a perimeter flange in the pocket body during the automated process, the perimeter flange including the plurality of first strands interlooped with one another, the perimeter flange including an outer edge that is intermittently interrupted by a plurality of voids defined by the perimeter flange, and defining individual ones of the plurality of voids to include a void perimeter that transitions to the outer edge and the void perimeter includes a free edge,
• forming at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion to include the plurality of second strands interlooped with one another, and with ones of the plurality of first strands so that the perimeter flange and the at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion form a unitary textile material, and
• introducing a molten polymeric material over the outer edge so that the polymeric material encapsulates and embeds within the plurality of first strands, but so that the polymeric material does not engage a portion of the free edge so that the portion of the free edge remains free.

A method of manufacturing a lacrosse pocket comprising:

• mechanically manipulating a plurality of first strands and a plurality of second strands with an automated pocket assembly machine during an automated process to form a lacrosse pocket body during the automated process, the lacrosse pocket body including a predefined, three dimensional, concave shape, the lacrosse pocket body having a lower pocket portion, an upper pocket portion and a middle pocket portion therebetween;
• forming a perimeter flange in the pocket body during the automated process, the perimeter flange including the plurality of first strands interlooped with one another, the perimeter flange including an outer edge that is intermittently interrupted by a plurality of voids defined by the perimeter flange;
• forming at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion to include the plurality of second strands interlooped with one another, and with ones of the plurality of first strands so that the perimeter flange and the at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion form a unitary textile material;
• and
• introducing a polymeric material over the perimeter flange so that the polymeric material encapsulates and embeds within the plurality of first strands, but so that the polymeric material does not engage a free edge that bounds a portion of individual ones of the plurality of voids.

A method of manufacturing a lacrosse pocket comprising:

• mechanically manipulating a plurality of strands with an automated pocket assembly machine during an automated process to form a lacrosse pocket body during the automated process, the lacrosse pocket body including a predefined, three dimensional, concave shape, the lacrosse pocket body having a lower pocket portion, an upper pocket portion and a middle pocket portion therebetween;
• forming a perimeter flange in the pocket body during the automated process, the perimeter flange including the plurality of first strands joined with one another, the perimeter flange including an outer edge that is intermittently interrupted by a plurality of voids defined by the perimeter flange, the perimeter flange including an edge width when the lacrosse pocket body is in an unloaded state, without a lacrosse ball therein,
• forming at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion to include the plurality of strands so that the perimeter flange and the at least one of the upper pocket portion, the lower pocket portion and the middle pocket portion form a unitary textile material,
• wherein the perimeter flange with the plurality of voids is formed so that the edge width increases when the lacrosse pocket is in a loaded state with the lacrosse ball therein, thereby providing dampening to the lacrosse pocket body when a lacrosse ball exerts force upon the lacrosse pocket body in the loaded state,
• wherein the mechanically manipulating includes knitting the perimeter flange with the plurality of strands,
• wherein the individual ones of the plurality of voids defined by the perimeter flange include a free edge extending toward and transitioning to the outer edge.