Joint statement from World Lacrosse and Haudenosaunee Nationals

World Lacrosse and the Haudenosaunee Nationals have released the following statement after an Olympic-related announcement by American President Joe Biden earlier today:

World Lacrosse and Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse express our sincere gratitude to President Biden and the United States government for their expressed support of Haudenosaunee inclusion in the lacrosse competition at the LA28 Olympic Games. Recognition of the cultural significance of lacrosse to the Haudenosaunee people – and the Haudenosaunee people to lacrosse – is an important step in our Olympic journey.  

The Olympic Games are the most powerful platform for promoting understanding and peace among nations. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the International Olympic Committee, LA28, and the U.S. and Canadian Olympic Committees to explore potential pathways for the Haudenosaunee to participate in the Olympics while respecting the Olympic Games framework.   

Haudenosaunee Nationals Player Statements

“Lacrosse holds such a sacred place in Haudenosaunee culture, and its inclusion in the Olympic Games reflects the diversity and unity that are central to the Olympic Movement. This endorsement by the U.S. government reflects a shared commitment to fostering inclusivity, and will help build additional momentum as we continue our journey as Haudenosaunee people with a desire to bring the medicine of lacrosse to the world.” - Fawn Porter

“This marks a positive step forward in the ongoing journey toward a more inclusive and respectful world of sports, and ensuring that indigenous voices and traditions are celebrated on the world stage. We approach this the way we do the game of lacrosse: with open hearts and open minds. We remain very optimistic that an Olympic pathway can be identified that both honors our deep heritage in the sport and respects the existing framework of the Games.” - Randy Staats

International Olympic Committee Grants Full Recognition to World Lacrosse

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Membership today voted to grant Full Recognition to the international federation for lacrosse (World Lacrosse).

The vote took place during the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games.

For World Lacrosse, the conferral of Full Recognition by the IOC is the fulfillment of a goal the organisation first established for itself more than a decade ago and is a reflection of the vision and contributions of countless volunteers around the globe who have been steadfast in their commitment to support the continued growth of lacrosse by expanding opportunities for participation at every level.

“This is a momentous day for lacrosse enthusiasts around the world and a reason for our entire World Lacrosse family to celebrate,” said World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern. “We are deeply grateful to the Membership of the International Olympic Committee for today’s vote and the expression of confidence it reflects. With Full Recognition comes greater responsibility, and we are committed to serving as an active and engaged member of the international sport community and supporting our partners across sport.”

“We also offer our congratulations to the other international federations who, alongside World Lacrosse, also secured Full Recognition today. We are proud to be your partners and wish you the very best for continued success,” added Redfern.

“The evaluation process for Full Recognition has been intensive, but at every step in the process, the IOC has helped make World Lacrosse a stronger, more effective international federation, and we greatly appreciate the IOC’s ongoing support and encouragement,” said World Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. “While today’s decision represents a historic milestone for World Lacrosse, it is not the culmination of our journey. Rather, we will use this new status and the momentum it creates to find new ways to continue expanding opportunities for participation in lacrosse around the globe while supporting even greater growth.”

As part of the evaluation process for Full Recognition, the IOC Sports Department conducted a comprehensive review of more than 500 pages of material submitted by World Lacrosse before making its recommendation the IOC Executive Board.

The grant of Full Recognition by the IOC ensures World Lacrosse will maintain its status as a member of the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF).

Additionally, World Lacrosse will continue to be eligible to receive financial support through the IOC Development Program and will continue to benefit from access to IOC meetings, educational seminars, publications and other resources.

Moreover, the conferral of Full Recognition means World Lacrosse and the game it stewards will continue to grow in stature and influence in the community of international sport.

Read the full World Lacrosse statement HERE.

Jane Powell Appointed Member of New World Lacrosse Women in Sport Commission

England Lacrosse National Performance & Talent Development Manager, Jane Powell, has been appointed as one of four member representatives on the new World Lacrosse Women in Sport Commission.

The Commission, which is expected to begin its work in January 2021, will form part of a global Women in Sport Advisory Commission for World Lacrosse, participating in “strategy and policy development, and taking the lead for specific projects and communications with an aim of positioning World Lacrosse as a champion for women in lacrosse”.

Jane will meet with the other members on the Commission four times a year to help explore ways of reaching all the member nations to set up projects and programmes to develop and support women’s lacrosse growth.

Jane, who has been working for England Lacrosse for seven years, has had an illustrious sporting career and has always been at the forefront of the drive to encourage women to get into sport.

In her previous role as Head of Coaching with England Hockey, Jane was a key driver of their Field Hockey Talent Programme and, since 2013, has transformed the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway, now engaging with over 800 girls from all over the country.

The World Lacrosse Women in Sport Commission was set-up earlier this year to acknowledge that “every woman has the ability - and the fundamental human right - to participate in our sport”.

It will work on improving three main aspects of lacrosse:

• Diversity: “the different characteristics of people who make up our women’s community. Diversity is the strength of our lacrosse community with all 67 current members across five continents”.

• Inclusion: “what we will do to ensure our diverse women’s lacrosse community is reflected effectively in all areas of our sport”.

• Opportunity: “what we provide to improve with creativity and encourage members of our global women’s lacrosse community who are currently under-represented to feel welcome, included and that their voice is heard”.

A former England cricket captain and head coach with over 50 years’ experience within the world of sport, Jane believes she has the depth of experience that can contribute positively to the Commission.

“Over those 50 years, I have seen changes in the way women have been engaged and supported and, whilst there has been some movement, there is still a long way to go until parity is achieved,” Jane remarked upon hearing of her appointment to the Commission.

“I have played, coached, and led sport across a number of different sports and different countries, coaching in England, India, Iran, and Australia; each of those countries shows different responses to women playing sport and it has enhanced my knowledge and understanding.”

“Because of my own background as an educationalist and coach I have been fortunate to have contributed to the development of programmes for young girls and subsequently national teams and believe I have the right skills and knowledge to succeed in my new role and encourage more women and girls around the world to get involved with lacrosse.”

Jane won’t be the only English representative on the Commission, however, as World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern, newly elected World Lacrosse Finance & Governance Director, Sallie Barker, and England Lacrosse Official Stephen Taylor will take up the role of Chair, World Lacrosse Board Appointee, and Commission Administrator respectively.

England Lacrosse wish Jane, Sue, Sallie, and Stephen all the best in their new roles on the Commission.

World Lacrosse Postpone Upcoming World Championships

Last week, World Lacrosse announced three of their upcoming World Championships would be postponed and moved back a year to allow more time for the world to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was made at the annual World Lacrosse General Assembly and means the Men’s World Lacrosse Championship will be moved from 2022 to 2023 while the Men’s World Indoor Lacrosse Championship and the Women’s Under-19 World Lacrosse Championship will both be moved from 2023 to 2024.

A decision will be made regarding the Men’s Under-21 World Lacrosse Championship and the Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in December where it is likely these tournaments will either be cancelled or postponed as well.

Although absolutely necessary to curb the rate of coronavirus infections around the world, the postponement and possible cancellation of World Championships does present a significant and unique challenge to talent & performance programmes both here in England and across the globe.

England Lacrosse National Performance & Talent Development Manager, Jane Powell, believes that, after a year devoid of World Championships and potentially another one just around the corner, she, and the England Lacrosse Talent & Performance team, has a number of key issues to deal with.

“After a difficult last 10 months, the motivation of players in our National Squads is still exceptionally high but all players need to have a goal on the horizon and until World Lacrosse have their board meeting in December we don’t fully know at this stage what the decision will be.

“Preparing and peaking at the right time are key priorities for our coaches and support staff and until we know those dates (for the Men’s U-19 and Women’s World Lacrosse Championships) we will not be able to put in place the key markers of fitness targets and match preparation around that.

“As a governing body, we are already seeking out potential match opposition to help test and prepare our teams in lieu of a World Championship in 2021.

Despite World Lacrosse taking the decision to postpone many of their upcoming World Championships, the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) are still looking to go ahead with their Men’s European Lacrosse Championship next summer, something Jane says is quite difficult to prepare for at this stage.

“As far as the senior men are concerned, we are preparing as best we can for the European Championships scheduled for July 2021 but with a restriction on numbers at practice and overseas based players and coaches not able to contribute it is an uphill climb.

“During the national lockdowns, we have also had to shut down any practices and training as under UK Government guidelines we fall outside of the definition for elite sport; this has been a tough call on the players but they continue to be motivated via online Zoom team meetings and individualised training programmes.

“The squad continues to develop as best they can but it is certainly not an ideal scenario - when you consider the size of a men’s squad it is important to train at the level and intensity that you need to play at and with a maximum of 30 people which includes coaches, medical staff and sports science support we have yet to get the whole squad together”.

Many nations around the world are in the same situation as the England National Squads and Jane has been working tirelessly since March to ensure the Talent & Performance programme continues to function, enabling the best players in England to fulfil their potential.

“As a governing body and management teams of each of the squads, we have met via Teams video calls on regular occasions and we are monitoring the players and situation daily to check on the well being of all.

“We hope everything gets back to something like normal soon and we can restart our top-level training and matches as quickly as possible to ensure our National Squads are able to compete with the best in the world once again”.

In addition to the decision to postpone some World Championships made at the General Assembly, World Lacrosse also approved the World Lacrosse Official 6v6 rules, raised the upper age eligibility of age group tournaments to Under-20, removed restrictions on the number of teams who can compete at Under-20 and 6v6 World Championships, and voted that no World Championships will exceed 10 days in length.

The full details of day two of the World Lacrosse General Assembly can be read HERE.

Uganda Lacrosse Recognised as World Lacrosse Full Member

The Uganda Lacrosse Association (ULA) has become the first National Governing Body from the continent of Africa to be recognised as a World Lacrosse (WL) Full Member, in a move that indicates the huge growth in lacrosse across the world.

The ULA first became an Associate Member of WL nine years ago in 2011 and, by unanimous vote of the WL Board of Directors, is now being elevated to Full Member status.

As a Full Member, the ULA will have a voting delegate eligible to participate in the annual World Lacrosse General Assembly.

In addition, national teams representing Uganda will be eligible to advance to the championship bracket and win medals in all WL World Championship events.

After the announcement, WL President, Sue Redfern, said:

“Sport has the power to transform lives, and that is exactly what we see happening in Uganda through the important work and progress of the ULA.”

“Today’s announcement is a significant milestone in the growth of our game, but there is considerable work that still must be done in order to make certain lacrosse is available to any young person, anywhere in the world, who wishes to participate.”

The recommendation to elevate the ULA to Full Member status was made by the WL Development Committee, “based upon the tremendous progress being made to expand opportunities for participation in the sport in Uganda”.

The ULA joins Puerto Rico Lacrosse and the Hungarian Lacrosse Association as members of WL that have been elevated to Full Member status in the past year, taking the total of WL member-National Governing Bodies to 68 worldwide.

Read the full WL statement HERE and we wish the ULA all the best as we welcome them as a WL Full Member!

Ron Balls Awarded World Lacrosse Lifetime Achiever Award

Former England Lacrosse board member, Ron Balls, has been awarded the Lifetime Achiever Award by World Lacrosse to commemorate more than 40 years service to the development of the sport around the world.

The honour, the highest bestowed by World Lacrosse, comes as Ron steps down from his role as Secretary General of the world governing body after four successful years.

Prior to his role as Secretary General, Ron spent eight years as the Finance Director on the international federation Board of Directors.

Ron, who was instrumental in establishing the Federation of International Lacrosse — known today as World Lacrosse (WL) — was honoured with the Lifetime Achiever Award by World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern, during day two of the organisation’s Virtual General Assembly over the weekend.

The Lifetime Achiever Award is given to select individuals in recognition of extraordinary service to the international federation and lasting contributions to the global growth of the game.

As WL Secretary General, Ron helped lead the effort to gain recognition for the international federation with organisations such as the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and, in November 2018, provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In addition to his service to the Board of Directors, Ron served as Men’s Competition Chair, where he played a lead role in the planning and delivery of numerous World Championship events and helped expand opportunities for athletes to compete at the highest levels of lacrosse.

In the pre-FIL days, he was also the Secretary/Treasurer of the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) during two periods: 1975-78 and 1990-94.

Ron initially got involved in lacrosse after a school friend introduced him to the game, joining Buckhurst Hill LC and going on to play at County and South of England level.

He organised the competitive league structure in the South of England for 33 years between 1969 and 2004 and served on the England Lacrosse Board from its inception in 1997 until 2016.

Prior to that, he was on the board of the men’s organisation in England (English Lacrosse Union) and was a prime mover of the merger of the men’s and women’s organisations into a single governing body.

World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern said: “World Lacrosse would not be where it is today, nor what it is today, were it not for the extraordinary contributions and commitment of Ron Balls.

“I cannot think of a person better-suited to receive our most prestigious honour; Ron has left an indelible imprint on our international federation, and generations of players, coaches and officials will continue to benefit from his lasting contributions.”

England Lacrosse would like to congratulate Ron and wish him all the best for the future!