England Lacrosse is pleased to confirm the appointment of Derek Morgan as the new EL Lead for Performance.
Derek will oversee the management of the National Teams Performance Programme and work with the talent coaching programme staff to continue to embed the England Lacrosse values and culture in the National Squads Performance Programme.
This will entail providing the programme with a strategic overview, implementation plans, performance management and analysis systems to ensure a continued pipeline for future success across the whole pathway.
Derek joins EL at a successful and exciting time for our national teams following our senior women’s World Championship bronze, a first European Box Lacrosse gold, and the rapid development of the Sixes format on the world stage.
With consistently busy international calendars moving forward, Derek’s appointment will help with providing a clear strategy for the future development of the programme to meet those growing demands.
Derek joins EL from GB Taekwondo where he has worked since 2015 as Coach Development Officer and Talent ID Scout leading on the talent identification and recruitment of athletes across all martial arts, and working across all GB Taekwondo programmes to share and develop best practice in establishing effective talent development environments.
This role followed on from nine years with Lancashire Cricket Board, working across the supervision and delivery of the Lancashire talent pathway, supporting the development of young players through age group cricket.
Derek has also been Head Coach of the England Learning Disability cricket team for 12 years providing strategic leadership and coaching expertise to the Learning Disability elite cricket programme and leading on delivering a culture of excellence throughout the programme.
On the appointment, Derek said: ‘'I am thrilled to be offered this opportunity by England Lacrosse at a really important time as the sport continues to evolve and I look forward to adding value across the organisation as England Lacrosse strives to meet its performance ambitions.”
Mark Coups, EL Chief Executive, said: “I’m very pleased to be able to appoint someone of the calibre and experience of Derek into a key role within the organisation.
“Derek has extensive experience in working with national squads and performance athletes, as well as providing wider strategic insight across a performance programme to provide cohesion and structure which will be valuable for our performance programme moving forward.”
“I would very much like to welcome Derek to England Lacrosse and the lacrosse family and look forward to him beginning his role with us.”