On Sunday, England begin their 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship journey in Prague, Czechia as they look to retain the title they won at the inaugural tournament back in 2018.
That year, the competition was an under-20 Championship but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition was postponed by a year and the age eligibility increased to under-21 to give those who would have missed out due to the pandemic a chance to play.
England begin their 2023 campaign with a pool stage game against hosts Czechia on 2 July in a repeat of the 2018 final; England cruised to a 12-3 victory on that occasion to win the 2018 title with attackers Cece Green and Lucy Devine scoring four and three goals respectively.
England’s second and final pool stage opponents are also a familiar foe in close rivals Wales (4 July) who England defeated 17-2 in the 2018 tournament.
More recently, at the 2023 Home Internationals Series in April, England came out on top once again in perfect preparation for the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship, eventually winning 19-4.
In recent weeks, the final 18-player squad has had several training weekends as well as three organised scrimmages against top club teams to get some match practice; the warm weather in the UK over the past couple of weeks has also helped the squad to prepare for the heat they could get in Prague.
Head Coach, Vic Alexander, who also coaches at St Catherine’s School, Bramley, leads the team at her first major tournament as England Head Coach after being announced in February 2023.
Alexander came into the Head Coach role after a five-year spell as Head Coach of Italy Women where she worked to successfully develop the programme in the country, taking the Italians to a 13th place finish at the 2019 Women’s Euros and 18th at the 2022 Women’s World Championship.
She is joined by Assistant Coaches Conor Dockery and Georgie Hurt who both come into the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship off the back of successful The Fly campaigns with Forge Men and Hustle Women respectively.
The team’s backroom staff is completed by Strength & Conditioning Coach, Tom Beresford, Physio, Brett David, and Team Manager, Sophie Tamblyn.
In terms of playing personnel, England come into this tournament with one of the most exciting young teams in Europe with a significant number of players having had hugely successful domestic seasons with their university teams.
Ones to keep an eye on at the tournament include: dynamic impact player and one of England’s captains, Rachael Ball, who has been integral to the success of the University of Nottingham this season and helped Forge to victory at The Fly 2023; one of the youngest members of the squad, Lara Renders, who is a highly creative and versatile player who the whole of England is excited to see perform at this level; and goal-keeper, Sienna Parekh, who is a great communicator and has been really impressive in training, scrimmages against top players, and at The Fly 2023 with Swift.
The 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship takes place from 2-9 July at the Prazacka Sports Centre in Prague, Czechia and every match of the tournament can be watched via live stream on the tournament website HERE.
For more information about the Championship, visit its official website HERE.
England Pool Stage Fixtures
England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST
England v Wales | 4 July | 18:00 BST
Tournament Schedule
Opening Ceremony | 2 July | 14:00 BST
Opening Game | England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST
Pool Stage | 3-5 July
Quarter-Finals | 6 July
Semi-Finals | 7 July
Placement Games | 8-9 July
Final | 9 July | 13:00 BST
Closing Ceremony | 9 July | 14:30 BST