Three English officials heading to Utica for World Lacrosse Box Championships

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce three English officials have been selected to officiate at the upcoming 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York, USA.

Taking place from 20-29 September, Michael Leahy, Emma Jones, and John Pordum will travel across the pond for the inaugural women’s competition as well as the sixth edition of the men’s and will take charge of games across both codes.

All three officials have extensive international experience with all having attended previous World and European tournaments across the box, field, and sixes formats.

In 2022, Leahy was the first person to be awarded World Lacrosse’s prestigious Level 3 Officiating Award and, until recently, he was the only official in the world to hold the award.

England Lacrosse would like to wish the three officials all the best over the next couple of weeks!

Seven English officials heading to the Women's Euros

Seven English officials have been selected as part of a 34-strong officiating team to umpire at this year’s 2024 ELF Women’s Championship in Braga, Portugal.

Paul Bibby, Annabel Campbell, Helen Mavin, Paul Jenkins, Paul Monaghan, David Morris, and Wendy Reynolds have all been chosen to take part in the European Championship that takes place from 10 to 20 July.

All eight umpires represent some of the best officiating talent in England and together have extensive experience wearing the black and white stripes at top-level international competition.

The full 34-person list of officials sees 11 nations represented, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, and United States.

2024 ELF Women’s Championship Officials

Sèraphine Aelterman (Belgium)
Paul Bibby (England)
Jessica Borghoff (United States)
Annabel Campbell (England)
Marco Daniele (Belgium)
Renske De Heuvel (Switzerland)
Judith Fritz (Switzerland)
Bohdan Fuka (Czechia)
Marietta Gedding (Germany)
Elena Heller (Germany)
Paul Jenkins (England)
Ake Kriwall (Germany)
Anke Leibfarth (Germany)
Annika Lie (Netherlands)
Antonia Luetgebrune (Germany)
Annika Mangold-Döring (Germany)
Helen Mavin (England)
Aya Miyazaki (Japan)
Paul Monaghan (England)
David Morris (England)
Pianne Oostwoud Wijdenes (Netherlands)
Natalie Jane Owens (Australia)
Lenka Peskova (Czechia)
Wendy Reynolds (England)
Lucie Ruzkova (Czechia)
Joyce Tai (Hong Kong, China)
Stephen Taylor (Canada)
Pavel Urban (Czechia)
Tammy Varga (Australia)
Sanne Visser (Netherlands)
Lisa Volland (United States)
Mara Wager (United States)
Jen Whelan (United States)
Rena Whitehouse (United States)

English officials selected for 2024 World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship

Two English officials have been selected as on-field officials for the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship, World Lacrosse has announced.

Paul Bibby and David Morris are part of a 38-strong team of officials travelling to Hong Kong, China for the competition that’s set to take place from 15-24 August.

Both Bibby and Morris are highly experienced officials having taken charge of matches at various international competition around the world as well as some of the most high level domestic games in England.

The 38 officials represent 12 nations and three Continental Federations with World Lacrosse’s Officiating Committee helping to select the group of officials in consultation with National Governing Bodies and Continental Federations based on the officials’ quality and past performance in internationally sanctioned events.

The group of officials will be supported through the championship by a team of educators who will mentor, evaluate and assess their performance.

Leading up to the event, the individuals will continue to officiate in their home countries, attend online workshops, undergo fitness testing and take rules exams ensuring that they are best prepared for the championship.

Each official selected for the championship has a World Lacrosse 1 or higher certification, in line with World Lacrosse’s recent efforts to develop an officials’ certification program to ensure a consistent standard across world championships.

England Lacrosse launch Coaching & Officiating Survey

England Lacrosse is pleased to launch its 2024 Coaching & Officiating Survey as it seeks feedback from those involved in the game to give it a full picture of the current landscape in England.

Feedback is welcome from any and all coaches and officials involved in lacrosse in England from all age groups and abilities.

The survey responses will allow England Lacrosse to better understand the experiences of coaches and officials within the sport, particularly after the turbulent past few years.

England Lacrosse will then be able to provide support in the right areas and help make a positive difference to coaches and officials within England.

Please note, the survey closes at 5pm on Monday 15 April.

Join men's rules webinar for developing officials

North of England Lacrosse Officials Association (NELOA) and North West Lacrosse Association will be hosting a men’s rules webinar on Tuesday 5 March at 7pm.

The webinar will include a brief presentation followed by a Q&A session which can cover any aspects of the rules, their application or mechanics.

The webinar is open to all but is primarily aimed at club officials with Level 1 & 2 refereeing qualifications. The webinar also welcomes officials from outside the North-West as well as players and coaches who have rules questions or would like to better understand the rules and functions of officials during matches.

If there are specific topic areas within the rules which attendees would like to be addressed, please email in advance of the webinar to Peter Davidson (petersdavidson@yahoo.co.uk) and NELOA will try to incorporate the relevant information within the presentation.

 Officials Mentoring

If your club has any new or aspiring officials who need a little support to help them on their officiating journey, NELOA would like to hear from them (or you) to discuss how best to offer guidance.

Again contact Peter Davidson at the email address above.

Officiating Advisory Group releases 2024 reading list

England Lacrosse can confirm our Officiating Advisory Group (OAG) has released its annual reading list for 2024.

The list aims to allow all officials in the English game to continue their professional development off the field with a view to overall continued improvement on it.

With different media types, insights into different sports, and a range of different approaches, the texts in the list gives officials the opportunity to become more rounded in the role and offer other insight inanition to the rules manual.

To view the 2024 reading list, click the button below and click HERE to access the 2022 version.

England Lacrosse announces winter officiating course schedule

England Lacrosse has announced its officiating course schedule for winter 2024 with six dates aimed at Level 1 and 2 officials who want to continue their umpiring or refereeing journey.

Taking place between Tuesday 23 January and Tuesday 20 February, there are four Level 2 umpire, one Level 2 referee, and one Level 3 referee courses.

The umpire courses are split across two webinars while the Level 2 referee course consists of a single webinar to be delivered online between 7:30pm and 9pm on the designated dates; the Level 3 referee course requires participants to attend an online webinar followed by a single training day.

Dates for the training days are still yet to be confirmed but there will be one in Manchester and another in the Greater London area in April 2024.

Umpire courses
All webinars take place from 7:30pm-9pm

Tuesday 23 January 2024 | Webinar 1
Thursday 1 February 2024 | Webinar 2
Thursday 15 February 2024 | Webinar 1
Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Webinar 2

Referee courses

Thursday 25 January 2024 | Level 2
Tuesday 20 February 2024 | Level 3

For more information about the courses and to book your spot, click the relevant button below.

Be an official at 2023 BUCS Lacrosse Sixes

England Lacrosse is searching for individuals to officiate at the annual British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Lacrosse Sixes at Nottingham Trent University on Sunday 15 October 2023.

Taking place at Nottingham Trent’s Clifton Campus, the BUCS Lacrosse Sixes competition features university teams from all over the country, playing the new six-a-side version of lacrosse.

It is a fantastic opportunity for officials early in their journey to begin officiating Sixes Lacrosse, with experienced Sixes officials attending to help develop emerging talent; officiating coaches will also be in attendance to provide further coaching and development.

Officials who take part will receive a £75 match fee and up to £50 in travel for the day of attending with officials needing to be on-site no later than 9:30am and the final games finishing at around 6pm.

Any officials wishing to attend the event should click the button below and complete the form.

Please note, applications will close at 9am on Tuesday 3 October.

Annual Referee's Trophy to take place at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club

The annual Referees’ Trophy will take place at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club on Sunday 1 October, it has been announced.

Lancashire will play Cheshire twice for the under-15 and under-17 trophies before Oxton take on Timperley (women) and Stockport play Cheadle (men) in the senior competitions.

The aim of the Trophy is to raise money to aid the development of referees in England by charging an entry fee to spectators.

Adult tickets are £5 with concessions costing £2 and there is also the option to purchase a family ticket (two adults, two children) at £12.

Tickets can be bought on the gate via cash or card at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club on the day of the competition.

Please note, parking is limited at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club and carpooling or travelling by public transport is being encouraged where possible.

New opportunity to gain England Lacrosse Level 3 Umpire Award

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce a date for the latest Level 3 Umpire Course, giving umpires the opportunity to gain England Lacrosse’s highest umpiring award.

Taking place from 10am-4pm at Heathfield School, Ascot, on Saturday 21 October 2023, the course will allow umpires to build on the knowledge learned during their Levels 1 and 2 awards and eventually begin to officiate at Home Internationals and be selected for European competitive tournaments.

The Level 3 Umpire Course is open to all individuals currently holding a Level 2 Umpire qualification aged 18 and above, and who have held the Level 2 qualification for at least one playing season (i.e. before September 2022).

Costing just £110 for England Lacrosse members, there is unfortunately no sign up without an up to date England Lacrosse membership.

Registration for the Course is open until Friday 20 October 2023.

Wendy Reynolds appointed as Chair of Umpiring Advisory Group

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce that experienced official Wendy Reynolds has been appointed as the new Chair of the Umpiring Advisory Group (UAG).

Reynolds brings more than 35 years of lacrosse experience, 20 years of that as an umpire, to the role and succeeds Paul Bibby who left the role last year.

Assistant Head at Heathfield School, Ascot, Reynolds began playing lacrosse in 1987 as a goal-keeper and represented England for 14 years picking up a World Cup silver medal (1993) and bronze medal (1997) in the process.

After retiring from playing, Reynolds had a desire to remain involved in lacrosse at a high level and eventually moved into umpiring, representing England once again at every U19 and senior World Championship between 2003 and 2013 and being a part of the umpiring teams in two gold medal games.

Since 2014, Reynolds has been a member of the World Lacrosse Officiating Committee and a World Championship Lead Mentor/Assessor and in 2017, she was awarded the World Lacrosse Emeritus Award for Women’s Officiating.

Upon her appointment, Reynolds said:

“I have already chaired this committee under a different title, from around 2006–2009 and then had to take more of a back seat due to work commitments. I was still involved assessing at events but now want to get more involved again and help the next stage of officiating development.”

The UAG, working under the guidance of the Officiating Advisory Group and National Lacrosse Committee, is responsible for leading on the strategy for the future of umpiring in England.

The Group provides guidance and expertise on the application of rules for the domestic game, works with regions to promote umpiring across the country, and acts as a point of contact for any relevant umpiring issues.

Ian Ashworth appointed as Chair of Refereeing Advisory Group

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce experienced official Ian Ashworth has been appointed as the new Chair of the Refereeing Advisory Group (RAG).

After originally playing lacrosse at school before losing contact with the game, Ashworth first qualified as a Level 1 referee when his youngest son was 10 and his Boardman and Eccles team needed assistance with officials for junior games.

From there, Ashworth progressed to senior lacrosse as a club official before moving onto higher officiating qualifications and Chairing the North of England Officials’ Association.

Having been an official for almost 23 years now, Ashworth has represented England at both European and World Championships and has been an Officials’ Coach at three World Championships including at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego.

Ashworth continues to officiate domestic men’s lacrosse and mentor officials at a grassroots level and becomes the Chair of the RAG with immediate effect, succeeding Mark Buckley.

England Lacrosse would like to place our thanks on record to Mark whose experience and knowledge has been invaluable since his initial appointment to the Group.

The RAG, working under the guidance of the Officiating Advisory Group and National Lacrosse Committee, is responsible for leading on the strategy for the future of refereeing in England.

The Group provides guidance and expertise on the application of rules for the domestic game, works with regions to promote refereeing across the country, and acts as a point of contact for any relevant refereeing issues.

England Lacrosse statement

The whole lacrosse family is sad to hear of the Queen’s passing on Thursday 8 September.

We send our condolences to the Royal Family at this difficult time. We also join the international lacrosse family and people all over the world in mourning her loss and in thanking Her Majesty for over 70 years of dedication and service to this country and its people.

She will be greatly missed by us all.

Lacrosse Guidance

We request that our affiliated organisations and members are respectful in playing sport during this period of national mourning.

With this in mind, an official National Mourning Guidance document has been published by Sport England HERE.

The guidance states that there is no formal obligation for organisations or NGBs to postpone or cancel sporting fixtures or events, between now and the state funeral.

Lacrosse activity, including training, matches and events can continue if organisers choose to do so.

If you are taking part in lacrosse activity during this period, it is highly recommended that organisers consider an appropriate mark of respect, such as holding a period of silence and/or wearing black armbands or ribbons.

If activity is planned for the day of the state funeral, organisers need to consider postponement or cancellation as a mark of respect; England Lacrosse will be cancelling all centralised activity on this day.

Mourning is very personal, and it is anticipated that individuals, families, and communities may want to mark Her Majesty’s passing in their own ways, and we should respect the personal decisions made by others.

If you would like to send a message of condolence to the Royal Family at this time, you can do HERE.

England Lacrosse announce autumn/winter 2022 level 2 umpiring courses

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce our autumn/winter 2022 level 2 umpiring courses as we look to expand our ever-growing pool of umpires.

It is the perfect opportunity for those who already hold a level 1 umpiring qualification with England Lacrosse to grow their knowledge and improve their officiating as we head towards the new season.

England Lacrosse will hold a total of six courses throughout the back end of 2022 and early into 2023 with each course consisting of two online webinars with learners being given work to undertake between sessions.

Following the completion of the online webinars, learners will be emailed with assessment opportunities at regional events/tournaments.

There are five available dates for Webinar 1 & six available dates for Webinar 2 and learners need to ensure they are able to attend one of each webinar dates in order to undertake the course (all webinars take place from 7:30pm - 9pm).

Webinar 1

Wednesday 21 September
Thursday 6 October
Tuesday 25 October
Tuesday 17 January
Wednesday 18 January

Webinar 2

Monday 26 September 
Wednesday 28 September
Thursday 13 October
Tuesday 1 November
Tuesday 24 January
Wednesday 25 January

If you would like to enrol on a level 2 umpiring course, click the button below.

ELF search for Referee and Deputy Referee in Chief for the European Box Lacrosse Championship 2022

The European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) are on the look out for a Tournament Referee in Chief and Tournament Deputy Referee in Chief to attend the European Box Lacrosse Championship 2022.

The tournament, taking place in Hanover, Germany between 30 July - 6 August, is the second edition of the competition after the inaugural Championship in Turku, Finland in 2017 and was originally scheduled for July 2021.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic continuing to stop widespread overseas travel during 2021, the tournament was postponed until 2022.

ELF are asking that applicants for the two roles are qualified as Level 3 box lacrosse officials or equivalent and have previous championship tournament experience.

They should be well-versed in World Lacrosse box lacrosse rules, three-official mechanics, and be able to perform in high-stress environments.

The Referee in Chief will be responsible for guiding ELF referees in all officiating matters regarding performance, both before and throughout the Championship.

This requires extensive understanding and demonstrated application of World Lacrosse box lacrosse rules and interpretations, as well as strong practical officiating and theoretical rules and mechanics knowledge to evaluate and advise the tournament referees in real time.

The Deputy Referee in Chief will work with the tournament Referee in Chief to coordinate and deliver pre-championship officiating clinics (both off- and on-floor), gather feedback on mentoring process from all involved parties, and support the Referee in Chief in all other matters, as needed.

Please note, applications close at 23:59pm on 23 January 2022.

If you’re interested in applying for either role or just want some more information, please click HERE.

Umpire at the 2022 National Schools Lacrosse Championships

England Lacrosse is looking for umpires to officiate at the 2022 National Schools Lacrosse Championships, taking place at Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre, Aldershot from 19-22 March next year.

Umpires will be needed for all four days of the Championships, including for England Lacrosse during the under-19 divisions’ games on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March.

As the biggest schools’ lacrosse event in the UK, the National Schools Lacrosse Championships is the perfect opportunity to officiate a high level of lacrosse, with umpires attending from all over Europe.

Umpires officiating on the first two days of the tournament will be paid a fee of £100 per day, plus up to £50 per day in travel expenses, dependent on your location.

On Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 March, officials are not appointed centrally by England Lacrosse and schools are required to find officials themselves.

However, to assist schools, any umpires who are available on the Monday and Tuesday and wanting to be involved can register their interest below.

Officials will then be put in touch with schools who require assistance closer to the start of the Championships.

Anyone officiating on behalf of the schools will be paid directly by the schools.

Please note, any accommodation and food costs will be the responsibility of the umpire.

To officiate at the National Schools Lacrosse Championships, umpires must:

• Hold a minimum Level 1 umpiring qualification.

• Complete the England Lacrosse annual rules test*

• Hold a valid England Lacrosse membership*

*Officials coming from other countries are not required to hold a valid England Lacrosse membership or complete the annual rules test. They must, however, have the required membership for their own country and be in good standing with their own national governing body.

Applications are open until Monday 13 December and applicants will be contacted during that week to confirm their place to umpire at the event.

If you wish to attend the event, complete the form below and if you have any questions, please contact England Lacrosse Officiating Coordinator, Ryan Griffiths, via email at r.griffiths@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

England Lacrosse statement on personal equipment

England Lacrosse would like to remind players and officials of rules regarding the wearing of personal equipment.

At a recent Officiating Advisory Group meeting, it was raised that the group had been made aware of instances of safety rules for the sport not being adhered to.

England Lacrosse takes player safety as a priority and safety rules must be followed to ensure that all players and officials can undertake a safe game.

The Officiating Advisory Group require the following to be highlighted to all players, officials, coaches and administrators.

All players, whether playing men’s, women’s, mixed, or indoor lacrosse, are required to wear mouth guards to participate. 

·      As per World Lacrosse rules and local regulation in England, players must wear a World Lacrosse approved mouth guard at all times during a game. Failure to do so will result in the appropriate sanction by officials, which will include refusing to let a player participate. Details of the World Lacrosse mouth guard specifications can be found in the WL rule books

All players, whether playing men’s, women’s, mixed, or indoor lacrosse, are required to remove all jewellery.  

·      As per the World Lacrosse Rules and local regulation in England, players must remove all jewellery. Failure to do so will result in the appropriate sanction by officials, which will include refusing to let a player participate.

There are certain exceptions regarding religious and medical alert jewellery, the precise wording of which can be found in the rulebooks linked below.

England Lacrosse’s main priority is to keep participants safe. We believe that following all equipment and safety regulations is an integral part in doing so.

If any player is unsure of any regulations or requires clarification, links to both sets of rules can be found in the links below, or on the World Lacrosse website.