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!

North West's Referee's Trophy schedule revealed

The schedule for the annual Referee’s Trophy has been revealed by the North West Lacrosse Association (NWLA) with four games throughout the day.

Taking place on Sunday 6 October 2024 at Wilmslow Lacrosse Club, the day will feature three Lancashire v Cheshire matches in U15 boys, U17 boys, and senior women age groups before a battle for the senior men’s Referee’s Trophy between Stockport and Heaton Mersey.

The aim of the Trophy is to raise money to aid the development of referees in the north of 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.

Stockport are the reigning champions after a 16-10 victory over Cheadle in the 2023 competition; in that competition Lancashire beat Cheshire 12-11 in the U15 match while Cheshire defeated Lancashire 12-10 in the U17 game.

The scheduled women’s match was cancelled due to one of the teams being unable to field a team.

Schedule

11am | Lancashire v Cheshire (U15)
12pm | Lancashire v Cheshire (U17)
1pm | Lancashire v Cheshire (senior women)
2pm | Referee’s Trophy | Stockport v Heaton Mersey (senior men)

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.

Stockport secure 2023 Referees' Trophy title

Stockport secured the 2023 Referees’ Trophy after a 16-10 win over Cheadle at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club on Sunday.

In the under-15 competition, Lancashire won the battle of the counties as they took home the title by beating Cheshire 12-11 (after overtime) while it was Cheshire who won the under-17 tournament beating Lancashire 12-10.

Unfortunately, the scheduled women’s match was cancelled due to one of the teams being unable to field a team.

The Trophy, which aims to aid the development of referees, raised over £1000, all of which will be fed directly back into the refereeing programme in the north of England.

Any officials in the north who would like to be mentored by some of England’s more experienced referees, should reach out to Peter Davidson (petersdavidson@yahoo.co.uk) who can help arrange this.

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.

Sign up for England Lacrosse membership ahead of the 2023/24 season

England Lacrosse membership is now available to purchase or renew ahead of the upcoming 2023/24 lacrosse season starting in September.

If you were an England Lacrosse member for the 2022/23 season, your membership will expire at 23:59 on 31 August and in order to play, coach, or officiate during the upcoming 2023/24 season, you will need to renew before that date; if you have set your membership to renew automatically, then you are not required to do anything.

If you were not a member last season, simply follow the buttons below to grab yourself an England Lacrosse membership and enjoy these benefits:

• the ability to compete in any England Lacrosse sanctioned event, league, or competition;

• priority access and a discount to all England Lacrosse courses, seminars, and training days;

• priority notification and access to all England Lacrosse events;

• access discounts and special offers from England Lacrosse partners;

• access to funding for lacrosse projects;

• access to the England Lacrosse insurance package.

The prices for England Lacrosse membership for the 2023/24 season are as follows:

• Senior | £39.50 per year

• Junior | £19.75 per year

• Student | £19.75 per year

• Armed Forces | £19.75 per year

• Fan | £6 per year

For more information about England Lacrosse membership for the 2023/24 season, click below.

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 to use 2021/22 World Lacrosse women's rules for 2022/23 season

The England Lacrosse National Lacrosse Committee (NLC) has decided to continue to use the 2021/22 World Lacrosse women’s rules for the 2022/23 season after their meeting last month.

This means the most recent World Lacrosse rule changes dated January 2022 will not be adopted by England Lacrosse for the upcoming 2022/23 season. 

NLC has made this decision because of timescales related to World Lacrosse’s publishing of their latest rule book including the new rules.

Instead, these latest January 2022 rules will be implemented for the 2023/24 season.

To view the latest England Lacrosse-approved women’s rules, click HERE.

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.

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.