England Lacrosse is delighted to announce the second year of the Lacrosse Accredited Colleges Scheme (LACS) will begin with an additional nine colleges on board.
The scheme, which was launched earlier this year in Further Education institutions across England, aims to assist colleges with the introduction of lacrosse into their curriculums with a focus on Lacrosse 6s as a simple, engaging and inclusive format of the game for the education sector.
Last year’s cohort saw 24 Further Education colleges sign up to the scheme and they’ll be joined this year by nine more, including Barnsley College, Moulton College (Northampton), Sunderland College, BHASVIC (Brighton & Hove), South Tyneside College (Newcastle), Wakefield College, Winstanley College (Wigan), Riseholme College (Lincoln) and York College.
Over the past year or so, the LACS has successfully brought lacrosse to the FE sector through a coordinated and sustainable programme to increase regular participation within the 16-18 age group as part of England Lacrosse’s Playground to Podium strategy for the game and it is something that will be continued in the long term.
England Lacrosse staff have carried out online training to assist the college teachers in the delivery of the sport and are beginning to provide in-person Continuous Professional Development opportunities.
Through support from The Lacrosse Foundation, the colleges have also been provided with equipment packs including sticks and balls along with the new Introduction to Lacrosse resource pack to provide their students with an ideal grounding in lacrosse.
The resource pack looks at the principles of the game, technical skills, activities & game-based practices and also covers the playing and officiating of a full-game situation.
Every card offers ideas for differentiation, progression, and questions to support the learning and each one can be adapted so that it falls in line with any Government coronavirus guidelines that may be in place at any time.
As well as working with the FE teachers, the programme will also provide additional learning opportunities for identified students through a Student Ambassador initiative designed to give young adults leadership skills in addition to supporting practical delivery of lacrosse, again with support from The Lacrosse Foundation.
One of The Lacrosse Foundation’s trustees, Peter Jessup, said it was brilliant to see the LACS programme doing so well so early on in its inception.
"The inclusion of FE Colleges in the LACS initiative enables lacrosse to be introduced to a new group of students (in the 16-18 age group), and into new locations across England - in line with The Lacrosse Foundation's mission to grow the game across all parts of Great Britain.
“After the disruption to the initial rollout (due to the pandemic), it is great to hear that so many FE Colleges are keen to continue their introduction to the sport, along with the new cohort of Colleges for 2021-22."
With the continuing expansion of the LACS programme, England Lacrosse is also delighted that so many students are now able to have the opportunity to experience the sport going forward.
Any FE institutions interested in joining the scheme for the 2022-23 academic year should contact England Lacrosse Regional Competitions Officer, Helen Amos, at h.amos@englandlacrosse.co.uk.