Thanks to you, our members rejoining England Lacrosse this year, and a big welcome those joining us for the first time – Welcome to the lacrosse family!  I hope that you are looking forward to a great year of Lacrosse.

As the new season gets started and we look at the calendar of events across the country, there has never been more opportunity to play Lacrosse, especially in a format that suits you.

With our league competitions, flags festivals, school tournaments, mixed leagues, box events and increasing numbers of grassroots and national Sixes competitions, our lacrosse diaries are looking full once again!

This of course is not possible without the continued efforts of you, the members, making it all happen across the country, continually championing our sport at all levels. We will be working hard, again, with all our regions to support you in doing just that.

Last season we spent time listening to what you, our members, would like from our membership offer. 

So, for this coming season, we have made a few changes that should give you more choice, more flexibility and better meet the varying needs of all our members and people involved in Lacrosse.

Our Standard Membership continues to offer a comprehensive package for all players, coaches, and officials throughout the season with your usual competition opportunities, insurance coverage, member discounts and direct member-only communications as part of the England Lacrosse family.

Our new Membership Plus offer will now members the the option of an enhanced package, giving increased support and extra peace of mind for members who may want it.

Our six-month membership, beginning in February, and the 7-day flexi membership, better reflects the way people engage with our game, recognising the year-round nature of the sport and giving new or returning players an accessible option to get involved.

Promoting a Safe Sport continues to be a key priority for us moving forward and an important part of our Safe Sport commitment for the coming year will be encouraging and ensuring the compliance to our policies of our members across the game.

Confirming the up-to-date knowledge of our officials through our Annual Rules Tests, and that our coaches hold appropriate safeguarding and first aid qualifications is hugely important in making the game safe for everyone taking part and most importantly a welcoming environment for all.

You will be able to find out how to meet and update your information for these Safe Sport standards later in the Membership Pack.

I am sure you have also all been enjoying the coverage from the Paris Olympics across the last couple of weeks and celebrating in the successes of our GB athletes.

Watching these Games knowing that in four years’ time this will be our sport being showcased to millions around the world has added an extra level of excitement and anticipation for what is to come in the next few years.

Your membership helps to support the development of our upcoming athletes as well as playing a crucial part of building the future of Lacrosse, from grassroots initiatives to elite competitions.

While in the past, the summer months have traditionally been a quieter period for the game, this is certainly not the case anymore!

With club and school camps, summer tournaments, overseas tours and recruitment days gearing our community clubs up for the start of the upcoming season, we head into the new season with real momentum and enthusiasm.

On the international stage, we are delighted that our Women’s squad have impressively won the gold medal at the European Championship, while our Men’s Under 20s made the final of their European Championship and are now looking ahead to next year’s Worlds in Korea.

We send our best wishes to our Women’s U20s as they start their World Championships in Hong Kong next Thursday (15 August).  We also have an exciting event starting in September as we compete at the joint Men’s and Women’s Box World Championships with women’s team competition being added for the first time. It will be a proud moment for all involved to see the Women’s and Men’s Box teams competing at the upcoming Championship and we send our best wishes to both teams.

Finally, the season will start with our National Lacrosse Day, Saturday 14th September.  The day is always a great marker for the start of our season, and I know many clubs across the country take this weekend to celebrate all the brilliant people within our lacrosse communities that make it such a special sport to be a part of!

Thank you to everyone joining the England Lacrosse community, your membership and support does so much for the game.  I hope you all enjoy the year ahead, and I look forward to seeing you all out and about during the season.