Cobham Lacrosse Club Continue Coaching (Online) Despite Lockdown

Cobham Lacrosse Club Continue Coaching (Online) Despite Lockdown

It’s been almost a year since the first national lockdown began in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and, since then, clubs, teams, and individuals have come up with a variety of different ways to keep active and playing lacrosse while remaining in line with the latest Government restrictions.

Cobham Lacrosse Club is one of those and in this third national lockdown they have continued to hold coaching sessions online via Zoom.

The decision to continue coaching their members was an easy one for Club Chairperson Sheena Macrae to make as she believes it’s more important than ever to look after everyone in the Cobham Lacrosse Club family.

“We understand the important role sport plays (physically and mentally) in our players’ lives and the structure that it can help provide as well as its importance in their development.

“Additionally, we are a junior club (ages 8-18+) and so we aim to help parents by giving an outlet for pent-up energy!

“Our Zoom sessions allow the children ‘contact’ with their fellow players which we feel is vitally important in lockdown when they can’t meet with friends at school or at their various clubs.”

The coaching sessions are run by former head coach of Cobham Lacrosse and current head coach of Loughborough University Women’s Lacrosse as well as associate coach at U19 Lacrosse Scotland, Heather Macrae.

Heather is working with Cobham’s current team of senior coaches to develop their virtual sessions, something which she’s seen used to good effect at Loughborough University Lacrosse and Lacrosse Scotland.

The next step is to roll out virtual coach education for Cobham’s junior coaches too as they feel that, with restrictions and lockdown set to continue indefinitely, it’s important that all their coaches can confidently lead virtual sessions as well as understand the unique safeguarding issues that come with the online world.

As a club aimed at juniors, the online training sessions have been a fantastic way of connecting young people with their friends at a time when face to face socialising isn’t allowed and the demand has been huge.

“We are only at the start of our virtual sessions, but the feedback is already extremely positive from parents and players”, remarks Sheena, “And we had 100 players join in on their age group’s sessions last weekend!

“We’re going to try to continue [the online training sessions] for as long as lockdown lasts and then we will reassess the situation; this pandemic has forced everyone to do things a little differently and think outside of the box and we are monitoring our approach as we go along and will do whatever is in the best interests of our members, coaches, and other stakeholders at every stage in the journey.”

Cobham's online training sessions are tailored by age group and they cover sessions for everyone from the ‘minis’ (ages 8,9 & 10) right up to the under-15s and the firsts.

Each session is carefully planned and delivered according to each age group’s prior experience and ability and, according to Sheena, the online training sessions are just the beginning for Cobham as they try to remain engaged with their players and members during the next few months of lockdown and restrictions ahead.

“We are currently looking into provision of sports science support for our players’ development as well as continuing to enrich the portfolio of our coaches.

“The coaching role has probably changed forever due to the pandemic, so we plan to keep our coaches up-to-date in their skill-set.

“And, we have always offered guest coaching sessions but virtual training offers very exciting opportunities to bring in external experienced coaches to inspire the players and enrich them during this time.”

For more information about Cobham Lacrosse Club, visit their website HERE or their Facebook page HERE.

Training Squad for 2021 Men's European Championships Announced

Training Squad for 2021 Men's European Championships Announced

England Lacrosse is pleased to announce the England Men’s training squad ahead of the 2021 European Lacrosse Championship in Wroclaw, Poland.

Head coach, Doug Shanahan, along with assistant coaches, Mike Bartlett and Sam Patterson, have completed their evaluations following assessment weekends last year and selected their group to take forward ahead of the Championship scheduled for late July.

The squad will now begin preparations to defend their title as European champions which was secured with a thrilling 7-6 win over Israel back in 2016.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic postponing most international competitions in 2020 and 2021, the European Lacrosse Championship, originally set for July 2020, is still going ahead and England Lacrosse would like to congratulate all the athletes who have been selected to the training squad.

In line with the England Lacrosse Return to Play guidelines, the squad are not currently able to undertake training sessions but are still optimistic in looking ahead to the summer.

"As we navigate these unprecedented times,” Head Coach, Doug Shanahan remarked upon release of the training squad, “I am really looking forward to coaching this group of fine young men to march on to the European Championships.

“The players are going to face tremendous challenges moving forward, different from any other England team in the past. However, the staff and I are confident that we will be able to face them together as a team.

“I am excited to see what the future holds and happy with the level of talent and skill that we will have representing the England Lacrosse men's team."

Doug, Mike, and Sam would like to congratulate everyone who’s been included in the training squad and thank everyone who attended the assessment weekends last year.

Please note, there are still additional UK- and overseas-based players yet to be assessed who will also be considered for the final squad.

A full schedule for the Championship is pending but you can follow updates at www.elc2020.com

Midfield

Adam Hall
Ben Page-Laycock
Cam Major
Elliot Leonard
James Ready
Joe Baythorpe
Luke Mills
Mike Pomfret
Ming Trinh
Ryan Forshaw
Ryan Sweetman
Tim Collins
Tom Bracegirdle
Tom Roper
Will Hardy

Attack

Ben Stringer
Dan Watson
Jake Parker
Nathan Edwards
Phil Johnson
Will Prescott

Goal

Will Baxter
Hal Dwobeng
Jack Burke
Matt Goddard

Defence

Andrew Baxter
Austin Holgate
Dan Smith
George Dunn
George Walker
Joe Chorlton
Matt Tatton
Oli Rogerson
Paul Wainwright
Taylor Harrison
Tom Brook
Tom Hallam
Tom Roche
Tommy Kirkland
Will Allsop

England Lacrosse Announce Two Coaching Webinars as Part of 'Cafe Conversations' Series

England Lacrosse Announce Two Coaching Webinars as Part of 'Cafe Conversations' Series

England Lacrosse are excited to announce that we will be hosting two coaching webinars over the next couple of weeks as part of our ‘Cafe Conversations’ series.

The first webinar, entitled ‘Coach the Person: A Holistic Approach to Coaching’, will take place this Thursday (21 January) at 5:30pm and will see seasoned coach, Chris Chapman from UK Coaching, offer a guide to the latest research and his practical ideas as to how coaches can really coach the individuals with whom they’re working.

Chris' own thoughts have been shaped by his career as a PE Teacher, Coach Developer for UK coaching, Performance Youth Coach and National Player Development Manager for Rugby Football League (RFL).

The second webinar will take place a week later on Thursday 28 January at 6pm where Performance Director of the England Women’s National Squad and Great Britain 6-a-side Head Coach, Phil Collier, will share his early thoughts and concepts surrounding the 6v6 game.

If you are interested in coaching the 6 a-side game within your club, school or university or if you’re simply curious about the transfer of tactics from the 10-a-side game, then this is the webinar for you!

The ‘Cafe Conversations’ series originally started when a group of England Lacrosse Talent Pathway coaches and staff joined together to discuss ideas and concepts after lacrosse was suspended last year.

And now, during this third national lockdown in the space of a year when lacrosse is suspended once again, we are opening up these conversations to everyone.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact England Lacrosse National Talent Co-ordinator, Martin Cragg, on m.cragg@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

Please note, both webinars have been held and registration is no longer open.

England Lacrosse Staff Raise £2,000 as part of the 'Bouncing off the Walls' Fundraising Campaign

England Lacrosse Staff Raise £2,000 as part of the ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ Fundraising Campaign

England Lacrosse staff have raised £2,000 after taking part in the newly launched ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ fundraising campaign over the weekend.

After the official launch of the campaign on Friday, which sees England Lacrosse team up with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to help raise money to buy computers for vulnerable young people, England Lacrosse staff took on the challenge by completing 1,178 wall balls each.

England Lacrosse, on behalf of the staff, then donated £1 for every 10 wall balls each person did totalling a whopping 20,000 wall balls and raising £2,000 in the process.

This is all part of England Lacrosse’s new ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ fundraising campaign which aims to keep the lacrosse community active during the third national lockdown in the space of year while also raising some much needed cash that will be used to buy computer packages for those who need them most.

An estimated 9% of families in the UK do not have access to a laptop, desktop, or tablet at home, according to data published by the Children’s Commissioner in August 2020, and our ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ fundraising campaign hopes to raise enough money to buy at least 100 of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s computer packages.

For less than £200, the Raspberry Pi Foundation can provide a vulnerable young person with everything they need to learn at home, including:

  • A Raspberry Pi desktop computer;

  • A monitor;

  • A webcam;

  • Educational software;

  • Ongoing support from a youth worker and the Raspberry Pi Foundation team.

If you’d like to take part in the challenge, then all the information can be found on our dedicated ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ page or you can simply donate an amount of your choice by clicking the donate button below!

You can see how the England Lacrosse staff got on with the #bouncingoffthewalls challenge by watching the video below.

England Lacrosse Launch 'Bouncing off the Walls' Fundraising Campaign

England Lacrosse Launch 'Bouncing off the Walls' Fundraising Campaign

England Lacrosse are pleased to announce the launch of the ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ fundraising campaign, in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which aims to raise money to buy computer equipment for vulnerable young people.

Ofcom estimates that almost two million children in the UK do not have access to a laptop, desktop, or tablet at home and the ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ campaign hopes to raise an initial £20,000 to buy 100 computer packages for those in need.

Raspberry Pi are a UK-based charity that “works to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world”.

The ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ campaign will raise money for their Learn at Home initiative which has recently been scaled up due to the latest national lockdown and the urgency of some people’s situations.

For less than £200, Raspberry Pi can provide a vulnerable young person with everything they need to learn at home, including:​

  • A Raspberry Pi desktop computer;

  • A monitor;

  • A webcam;

  • Educational software;

  • Ongoing support from a youth worker and the Raspberry Pi Foundation team.

England Lacrosse are asking everyone to join us as we try to achieve one million wall balls, raise money for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and get active this new year.

To take on the challenge with us, all you have to do is donate (or ask your family and friends to sponsor you) £1 for every 100 wall balls you complete; 2,000 wall balls will help the Raspberry Pi Foundation purchase one computer package.

And for every £200 raised, a young person will receive their own Raspberry Pi computer kit.

It doesn’t matter if you have a lacrosse stick or not, any bat-type implement can be used to take part in our challenge whether that’s a tennis racket, a cricket bat, or even your hands!

It’s a great way to keep active during the national lockdown and is a way to help us raise money for vulnerable young people who need up to date technology now maybe more than ever.

For more information about the challenge, including how you can sign up and donate, click below.

BUCS Cancel 2020/21 League and Knockout Season

BUCS Cancel 2020/21 League and Knockout Season

British University & Colleges Sport (BUCS) has announced their 2020/21 league and knockout season has been cancelled due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement released early this week, BUCS cited “the unpredictable nature of nationwide lockdowns and restrictions” as the reason why it would not be possible to start their season at the end of January as planned.

This cancellation includes all BUCS lacrosse league and knockout competition for the 2020/21 season.

England Lacrosse has also made the decision this week to postpone the BUCS 8s tournament until the summer, depending on restrictions.

The BUCS statement goes on to say:

“We still intend to run an Outdoor Cricket league in Term 3. We will continue to prioritise student safety, demand and viability to guide our decision making.

“No individual events will happen before March. However, these events are only postponed - we are hopeful that these will take place later in the year. More information on each event is available on the individual sport pages. Our aim is to remain flexible and react to the changing situation as quickly as possible. 

“Whilst physical sport is unable to take place for the next few months, we continue to provide virtual activity and other engaging opportunities. The launch of Challenges on the BUCS Play app enables healthy competition between individuals, teams and universities, and more Challenges will be released over the next few months. 

“Over the last few months, we did all we could to try and make sport happen. We very much recognise the importance of sport, and the part it plays in the physical and mental wellbeing of students, especially at the moment. 

“This news of the League and Knockout competition cancellation will be disappointing for many, especially those in their final year, who won’t have the opportunity to play final matches with the teams that have become a second family over their time at university. However, whilst our overarching goal is to deliver the best student sport experience, to put competition on during this time would risk player welfare and safety, and that is not a chance we are willing to take.”

The statement can be read in full over on the BUCS website.

England Lacrosse Announce 50% Off All Educational Courses!

England Lacrosse Announce 50% Off All Educational Courses!

England Lacrosse are delighted once again to announce a 50% discount on all educational courses during the third national lockdown.

Our Field Lacrosse Coaching, Fundamentals of Coaching Lacrosse, Level 1 Refereeing, Level 1 Umpiring, and Safeguarding courses will all be available with 50% off starting today (Thursday 7 January) and running until midnight on Sunday 21 February.

This will be the third time in a year that England Lacrosse has offered a discount on courses and, with the country plunged into yet another national lockdown, Chief Executive Officer, Mark Coups, thinks it’s a brilliant way to start the year.

“As we enter our third national lockdown, and with the suspension of lacrosse for the early part of 2021, it is important that we support our lacrosse family. 

“Therefore, we have several initiatives launching over the next few weeks.

“The first of these is to again offer a 50% discount on all our educational courses for the lockdown period and this will allow many of you to improve your knowledge of lacrosse and gain certification to coach and officiate.

“We hope that you will take advantage of this offer to expand your skill-sets so improving and growing the game in the long term.

“We understand this is a difficult time for us all as we are again prevented from playing our sport but lacrosse will return and we will be making announcements over the coming weeks about our plans for the coming months.”

England Lacrosse Mixed Lacrosse Leagues Season Cancelled

England Lacrosse Mixed Lacrosse Leagues Season Cancelled

England Lacrosse are disappointed to announce the cancellation of our mixed lacrosse leagues for the 2020/21 season.

The decision comes after the Government’s announcement placing the whole of England into another national lockdown due to a rise in the number of coronavirus cases around the country.

Due to the restrictions that came into force late last year, the mixed lacrosse leagues never really got started in the first place, with only a handful of fixtures being able to be fulfilled before a postponement of the leagues just before Christmas.

Unfortunately, recent Government announcements and the suspension of lacrosse activity until further notice mean that we have had to make the decision to cancel our mixed lacrosse leagues.

England Lacrosse Regional Competitions Officer, and mixed lacrosse leagues’ organiser, Helen Amos, says it’s a disappointing decision to have to make but, given the circumstances, totally understandable and needed.

“With coronavirus cases on the rise all over the country, we understand that it is in the best interests of everybody that lacrosse activity has been suspended.

“Given this suspension, and with no way of knowing exactly when lacrosse will return again, we believe it is the correct decision to cancel the mixed lacrosse leagues season and, hopefully, start again for the 2021/22 season!”

Please direct any questions regarding coronavirus towards covid@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

World Lacrosse Announce New Dates for 2022 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship

World Lacrosse Announce New Dates for 2022 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship

World Lacrosse have announced the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship will take place 29 June - 9 July 2022 after a unanimous vote by their Board of Directors yesterday.

The tournament, which was originally due to take place in July 2021, was rescheduled to 2022 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

During their monthly meeting, the World Lacrosse Board of Directors finally announced the new dates as well as confirmed the competition will still take place in Towson, Maryland, USA on the the campus of Towson University.

As many as 30 national teams are expected to compete in next year’s tournament and World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern, believes the newly announced dates represent some good news to start the new year.

“We would like to thank our host National Governing Body, US Lacrosse, and our host venue, Towson
University, for their continued support and partnership in making certain athletes from around the world will have the opportunity to represent their nation at the highest level of World Championship competition in 2022.”

The summer of 2022 is proving to be jam-packed in the world of international lacrosse with no less than six competitions due to take place!

In addition, World Lacrosse have said they expect to confirm the revised dates for the 2022 Men’s U21 World Championship in the next 60 days.

England Lacrosse Announce 'A Virtual Evening with Tom Wenham'

England Lacrosse Announce 'A Virtual Evening with Tom Wenham'

England Lacrosse are delighted to announce ‘A Virtual Evening with…’ session with former England and current Great Britain Men’s Head Coach, Tom Wenham, on Thursday 14 January, starting at 7pm.

Tom will be specifically looking at, discussing, and analysing the meeting between England and Japan in the 5th place play-off game at the 2018 Men’s World Lacrosse Championship, which England won 11-9.

Winning this game was a huge triumph, firstly, as it gave England a fourth straight 5th place finish at the World Lacrosse Championship but mainly because England found themselves 7-0 down and really struggling at half-time.

A Virtual Evening with Tom Wenham is the perfect opportunity to hear from a seasoned lacrosse professional, who has coached at the very top of the game, as he discusses what was tactically different between the first and second half England performances during that famous match.

England Lacrosse Regional Core Products Officer, Richard Gartside, who has helped organise the evening, said to have someone of Tom’s coaching calibre speaking is really great.

“After a really tough year, when not much lacrosse has been played in England and across the world, An Evening with Tom Wenham will be such an exciting and insightful event.

“The England v Japan game that Tom will be looking at is one of the most memorable England matches in recent years and to be able to hear analysis from the Head Coach on the day really will be a unique experience.”

The virtual evening is free and will take place via video call on Microsoft Teams; everyone who signs up will be sent a link to the call closer to the event.

England Lacrosse CEO, Mark Coups, Issues Christmas Message

England Lacrosse CEO, Mark Coups, Issues Christmas Message

This Christmas message was not the one I had planned when 2020 started and this year has been the most challenging of our lives.

I should be reflecting on a year in which lacrosse took a step closer to achieving our mission of becoming a major team sport with medals being won and more people playing the sport we enjoy so much.

However, the last 12 months have placed significant obstacles in our way and has consistently surprised and disrupted so much of our sport, but my reflection is not one of disappointment.

I am proud of the whole lacrosse community, from England Lacrosse staff and volunteers, to the club, school and university players, coaches, officials and managers. From our National squads, to the young talent pathway players. Everyone in our community has displayed grit and determination, with good humour, to ensure lacrosse has prevailed over the pandemic restrictions. 

I whole heartedly thank each and every one of you for the part you have played this year; you are all a credit to our lacrosse family.

Unfortunately, we are not out of the woods yet; as we enter 2021, further restrictions are likely but there is hope on the horizon that lacrosse will return, and I am confident we will meet these challenges with the resolve we have displayed so far. 

Lacrosse has much to offer our nation and in the coming years. Progress is being delayed by the pandemic, but we all know that the future is bright for the sport about which we are all so passionate!

Please enjoy whatever form Christmas takes for you this year. Look after each other and stay safe.

Mark Coups,
England Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer.

Return to Play Guidance Update - 21 December

Return to Play Guidance Update - 21 December

Following the Government announcement on 19 December, parts of the country have been placed into stricter Tier 4 restrictions.

England Lacrosse has been in communication with Government agencies to clarify what this means for lacrosse participation.

Restrictions relating to sport and physical activity have been strengthened in Tier 4 areas; Tier 4 is effectively a stay at home order.

Sadly, this means playing lacrosse will not be permitted in Tier 4 areas.

There are, however, exemptions for Under-18 and disability sport and England Lacrosse would like to request consideration is given before taking advantage of this exemption; travel must be kept to a minimum.

Whilst there is an exemption for juniors to play, England Lacrosse recognises that the volunteers and coaches who make lacrosse happen have to feel comfortable continuing to provide activity.

England Lacrosse fully supports clubs making decisions on a case-by-case basis about whether to continue in the short-term.

These new Tier 4 restrictions are in addition to some areas of the country changing tiers on Thursday last week; always follow the local restrictions in your area.

All the latest guidance can be found on the dedicated COVID-19 area of our website and any questions should be directed towards covid@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

England Lacrosse Supports Red January Campaign

England Lacrosse Supports Red January Campaign

England Lacrosse are delighted to be supporting this year’s Red January Campaign, in partnership with Sport in Mind, that aims to “get people active every day in January” to promote positive mental health.

The national initiative, that has been running annually since 2016, is also supported by Sport England and the Active Partnership Network.

Red January initially began after CEO and founder, Hannah Beecham, witnessed the “transformative effect that regular exercise had on [her] mum as she recovered from a period of severe depression” and she decided to choose January as it seemed like the perfect month:

“It’s a time when many are setting new goals, are low on funds and motivation, with less social occasions to keep us connected. RED was an empowering colour for dark times that could inspire those taking part to get active every day, to beat the blues away.”

The initiative seeks to raise money for Sport in Mind, who work in partnership with NHS Trusts, to deliver sports interventions for mental health care and, in a year when looking after the mental health of the nation has been more important than ever, it is a great time to sign up and get active!

And with a growing community of over 150,000 “REDers”, no-one has to complete Red January alone; they’re very active on social media where you can keep up to speed with expert tips, fitness inspiration, and connect with other REDers from all across the world.

If you think this is the challenge for you then why not sign up for Red January today?

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

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 two World Championships scheduled for 2021

World Lacrosse Postpone Women’s and Men’s U-20 World Championships

World Lacrosse has announced the decision to postpone the Women’s World Championship and Men’s U-20 World Championship, moving both tournaments from 2021 to the summer of 2022.

In a statement released earlier today, World Lacrosse said they had “examined the continued impact, uncertainty and disruption created by the global pandemic on preparations for these events, along with input provided by our member-National Governing Bodies regarding athlete health and safety, team training, travel and other logistical considerations.”

The decisions were taken by the World Lacrosse Board of Directors at their December monthly meeting with dates for the rescheduled events to be “confirmed as a matter of priority and communicated to World Lacrosse members as soon as possible”.

The Men’s Junior World Championship, will become a U-21 event to allow for the continued eligibility of players currently training for the Championship in Limerick, Ireland at the University of Limerick, while the Women’s World Championship has been confirmed as being held in Towson, Maryland, USA at Towson University.

World Lacrosse also said they expect the sequence of events for World Lacrosse and its members in 2022 to be:

  • Late June/early July - 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship (Towson, Maryland, USA).

  • July 7 - 17 - The World Games 2022 (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)

  • Late July/early August - 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U-21 World Championship (Limerick, Ireland)

Upon the release of the statement, World Lacrosse President, Sue Redfern, remarked:

“These are extremely difficult decisions, particularly given the need to provide our members with as much advance notice as possible whilst managing the risk and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.

“Given the full range of considerations, this is the right decision for World Lacrosse and our members; an extra year to prepare means the participating teams will be able to train with certainty in knowing these events will take place in 2022, and athletes can now focus on preparing with confidence for their moment on the global stage”.

The full World Lacrosse statement can be read HERE

Tilly Shires Runner Up for BUCS Sportswoman of the Year

Tilly Shires Runner Up for BUCS Sportswoman of the Year!

England women’s national team midfielder, Tilly Shires, finished as a runner up for the Sportswoman of the Year award at this year’s British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Awards.

In a virtual presentation held yesterday evening, Tilly was up against Anna Emilie Moller (Athletics, St. Mary’s University) and, eventual winner, Esme Burge (Hockey, University of Nottingham) for the prestigious award.

The award was chosen by a judging panel of 34 people from across the sporting spectrum, including former Wales international lacrosse player and now Senior Sport Empowerment Officer at Stonewall UK, Erin Walters-Williams.

The Sportswoman of the Year award “celebrates the domestic or international success of a student studying at a BUCS member institution. The award recognises the highest possible standard of competition achieved by an eligible female identifying student”.

Tilly, who studied at Durham University before her graduation this summer and was an integral part of their lacrosse team during her three years there as well as their captain, also represents England and has made 13 appearances so far for the national side.

She most recently represented her country at the 2019 Women’s European Lacrosse Championship in Netanya, Israel, where she played in all seven games, scoring nine goals, as England stormed their way to victory in the tournament.

Durham finished top of their league last season and were due to battle Exeter in the Cup Championship Final before coronavirus forced sport to be halted and this was thanks in no small part to captain Tilly who drove the team to success.

England Lacrosse would like to wish Tilly a huge well done for making the final three and we simply cannot wait to see her back on the world stage (hopefully) very soon!

The winners of all the awards can be viewed HERE, including a very special message from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal!