Spencer Lacrosse Club Raise Money for New All-Weather Pitch

Spencer Lacrosse Club are raising money to pay for the construction of a brand new all-weather pitch close to their club as part of Sport England’s ‘Return to Play: Active Together’ scheme.

It’s been a tough year for lacrosse clubs all around the country and, as part of their 21st birthday celebrations, Spencer have decided to team up with their friends at Spencer Hockey Club to raise money as part of what they’re calling ‘Project 21’.

As part of the fundraising, the first £20,000 raised by both clubs together will be match funded by Sport England as part of their ‘Return Play: Active Together’ scheme.

The scheme sees Crowdfunder and Sport England team up to make £2.5 million of match funding available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the on-going coronavirus crisis and with the safe return to play. 

It was set-up last year to help sports clubs that have experienced short term financial difficulty, or need to adapt how they operate due to the pandemic.

So far, Spencer have raised over £7,500 of their initial £10,000 target and they say that hitting their target will allow the club to offer a midweek training session for their juniors, who currently only have one session per week (meaning they either train or play, not both) and also allow their women’s section to expand to meet the huge demand (they are currently limited by training facilities that are too small).

Spencer now has a thriving women’s and junior girl’s section, complementing their strong men’s and boy’s club. Junior lacrosse is also thriving under head coach Pete Compton with 100 junior members signing up this past year.

The club now has ambitions of introducing lacrosse to as many youngsters as possible in the local community through their primary schools programme.

The club have organised a couple of events to both raise money and celebrate their 21st birthday including a sponsored 21 mile walk by members, finishing at the club house for their 21st birthday bash and their inaugural summer ball (a black tie event at a top London venue).

If you’d like to donate to Spencer’s Crowdfunding page or find out more about the club, simply click the button below.

Additionally, if your club/team would like to apply to Sport England’s Return to Play: Active Together scheme, click HERE.

New National 6s Event to launch this summer

England Lacrosse are excited to launch a new major national competition this summer to set the bar for lacrosse in England.

The National 6s Event, utilising the new fast and innovative 6s format, will represent the first elite level competition using the 6s rules of the sport.

With no international events for 2021, we have moved to create the opportunity to support our world class, high-performance athletes in expressing themselves on the biggest stage.

And with lacrosse on the path to Olympic inclusion, we’ve recognised the need to support high-performance, international athletes on their journey to the Olympics.

The 6s format will see its first introduction to the international arena at the 2022 World Games and our event will make sure our top athletes are ready to compete with the world’s best.

The National 6s Event will feature side-by-side men’s and women’s competitions, giving our male and female athletes absolute equality in profile and performance, bringing together the best players and coaches from across the sport to develop ideas and share experiences of the 6s game.

Event Dates

• Saturday 17 July

• Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 August

All competition dates to take place at a venue in the Midlands region.

Players

The focus of the event is to be centred around the players; creating a high-performance environment with a specific focus on athlete performance and development.

We’ll provide a key opportunity for players to gain experience playing 6s at the highest level, giving you the platform understand the format in a performance setting.

The Event will give you the platform to showcase your abilities in the 6s game, with the chance to kick start your Olympic journey.

Player applications will be assessed by a selection panel to identify the top 55 athletes across each of the men’s and women’s game to progress into the selection pool, ensuring an appropriate standard of competition.

There will be no cost to players to compete in the event, encouraging applications from the widest possible player pool.

The player application stage is open until Thursday 6 May.

Coaching

As an event showcasing the best talent, we’re looking for the top leaders and mentors of the game to be at the forefront of shaping strategy for the 6s format.

We’re looking for experienced, forward-thinking coaches ready to run with innovative ideas to give the players the edge both on and off the field.

You’ll be overseeing squad management, leading on a clear team ethos, and then letting them fly when it comes to game time.

The coach application stage is open until Thursday 29 April

England Lacrosse to Host 'A Game of Two Halves: Turning a Game Around with Phil Collier' Webinar

England Lacrosse are delighted to announce an extra-special webinar entitled 'A Game of Two Halves: Turning a Game Around’ presented by National Team Director of the England Women’s National Squad and Great Britain 6-a-side Head Coach, Phil Collier.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday 5 May at 6pm and will focus on the bronze medal match from the 2017 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship between England and Australia in Guildford.

The highly experienced, Phil, who was in charge of the England team for this historic match, will talk through the differences between the first- and second-half performances, analysing how England managed to gain victory over Australia and win their first World Championship medal since 2005.

In this famous encounter, England found themselves 6-3 down at half-time before working their way back to 9-9 by full-time thanks to an Olivia Hompe equaliser with two minutes to play.

After three tense periods of extra-time, Megan Whittle netted the golden goal winner in the fourth period to secure the bronze medal for England on home soil.

The webinar will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and you can sign up by clicking the button below!

Jane Powell Takes on New Role with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

England Lacrosse are delighted to announce that Head of Talent and Performance, Jane Powell, has been appointed by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as Advanced Support-Coach Development with a focus on under-represented groups, women, and diverse communities.

Jane will begin the exciting dual role in this month which will see her work part-time for coach development in cricket as well as part-time in her role in high performance lacrosse.

Jane has been an integral part of the England Lacrosse team since she joined the team in 2013 and she has been instrumental in transforming the Talent Pathway system and performance squad’s structure.

England Lacrosse will continue to benefit greatly from Jane’s qualifications, knowledge, and experience in developing our successful performance pathway with the goal to remain as the number one playing nation in Europe and a medal contender on the world-stage. 

Jane's knowledge and experience has also assisted in developing the strategic direction of the governing body and her invaluable contribution to lacrosse will continue to shape our sport into the future. 

Jane has built a strong talent and performance team within the England Lacrosse staff structure who will now step up their responsibilities to allow for a seamless transition as Jane begins her new role with the ECB.

The new role will allow Jane to work in a sport about which she is extremely passionate, well respected world-wide and has a long history of success as a player (including time as England captain) and a coach.

“Jane’s appointment with the ECB is a positive step for our sport”, England Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Coups said upon Jane’s appointment.

“Whilst we are able to retain her knowledge and expertise for lacrosse, we are also in a position to use and benefit from her involvement with a high-profile and progressive governing body such as the ECB. 

“Jane is incredibly well-respected in the world of cricket and I know that she will be excellent in her new role.

“Her retention as our Head of Talent and Performance enables Jane to continue at the helm of our elite programme and to lead our plans to achieve medal success on the European and world-stage.”

Nationwide thank you to volunteers for support during pandemic

England Lacrosse has joined forces with Sport England and Club Matters on a brand new video to recognise the amazing efforts of volunteers across grassroots sport and physical activity during the pandemic.

This past year has seen so many volunteers step up to support their clubs and groups, their community and each other, and this video is an exciting way for us to share our thanks.

From helping to make their club Covid-safe to enable a return to play, to reaching out to support their wider communities through food banks, delivering medicines, or checking in on neighbours, sports volunteers have gone above and beyond, and this is a contribution we are all keen to recognise. 

The video is fronted by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, who delivers a collective message of thanks for everything that volunteers have been doing over the last year.

We hope this video will help to remind people across lacrosse why they volunteer, show them how much their efforts are appreciated and encourage them to carry on.

At a time when sports clubs and organisations have faced unprecedented challenges, the invaluable role of those who give up their time to support the sport sector has never been more apparent. 

Six million adults and 1.6 million children and young people volunteer every year to help sport and physical activity happen, and Sport England’s Director of Sport Phil Smith says the support of this workforce will be key in helping sport recover over the coming months.

“The last 12 months have been an incredibly challenging time for the sport sector, but without the support of huge numbers of volunteers who have stepped up, things would have been significantly harder.

 “With the support of our amazing volunteers, we can help community sport thrive again and to enable people to benefit from all the great things we know sport and physical activity can provide.”

In a video released by Sport England’s Club Matters Programme #ClubMatters, Baroness Grey-Thompson joins Sport England and a swathe of national governing bodies of sport and wider partners in a collective message of appreciation to all who play their part in enabling sport and physical activity to take place. 

Southampton University Ladies Lacrosse Club Gears up for Return to Play

The lacrosse community rejoiced this week as grassroots lacrosse was able to return to play in an adapted manner for the first time in 2021.

People up and down the country have been leaving their homes and stepping back onto the pitch to play some of the sport they love and the players at Southampton University Ladies Lacrosse Club are certainly no different.

We spoke to Southampton University Ladies President, Olivia Turner, just before the return to play about restarting lacrosse and she said she, and the rest of the club, simply cannot wait to get back out playing!

“The most exciting thing we are looking forward to is getting back to lacrosse!

“We’ve all missed it so much so we definitely can’t wait for training, socials and getting to see everyone’s friendly faces again!”

On the whole, it’s been a tough year for the club but they have managed to keep their members engaged, mainly through online means.

“During this last lockdown, we have had a variety of activities to keep our members engaged; the main ones being online socials and encouraging our girls with their lacrosse skills, whether it be going for a throw about with another club member, or putting out a wall-ball routine.

“We’ve also hosted online fitness sessions both within the club and with our students’ union, and hosted fitness challenges such as a 5K running challenge.

“On top of this, we have taken part in fundraisers for various causes - such as Movember and Sign Language.

“Other than challenges and activities, the main way we have kept members engaged is through social media, through posts on our Facebook page keeping our members informed of changes in Government Restrictions, putting out polls to see as a club what activities people would enjoy during and post-lockdown, or posting regularly on our Instagram to keep everyone keen and excited for practises and socialising to return.”

Despite their herculean efforts during the past 12 months to keep their members engaged, the club has not been untouched by the global pandemic and it has affected their ability to stick to their usual annual routine.

“As a university club, a lot of the focus is on socialising and getting to know new people, alongside learning/playing lacrosse.

“We have sadly not been able to do much of what we usually would in a regular season, such as play league fixtures, in-person socials, training sessions etc.

“Despite this, we have certainly made the most of a bad situation and when we were allowed to run training and play some matches for a period back in September and October, we had a very successful pre-season, and were very successful at recruiting new members. In fact, we managed to recruit more members last September than at the start of any other previous academic year!”

Speaking about Southampton’s plans for the return to play, Olivia says they’ve been planning ever since the Prime Minister first announced the loose roadmap for easing restrictions last month.

“We have been planning ahead to re-engage our members after lockdown, from organising fun training sessions, socials under covid-restrictions, and a lot of attention given to our new members to keep them keen despite not having the usual experience.

“We have been allowed to plan training sessions over the Easter holidays as a chilled and fun way to get everyone back after a few months, with full training sessions happening after the holidays.

“We have been constantly updating our members through Facebook and Instagram as to what we can and can’t do, and giving lots of timelines, so luckily our members have had time to prepare and are very excited by a return to lacrosse.

“Our students’ union has also been very helpful, promoting our club on Instagram to help us recruit new members and encourage those already part of the club to come back.'“

And when asked about how Southampton University Ladies Lacrosse Club will help to keep those members engaged who aren’t able to be in Southampton yet due to restrictions, Olivia was confident the club would have the ability to keep those people interested.

“Wherever possible we will encourage those who can’t currently be in Southampton to join our online socials and events as and when they are held.

“The university have discouraged people returning to campus unless absolutely necessary. However, we always make it clear that anyone, of any playing ability, who is willing to follow the current guidelines is welcome to join Southampton University Ladies Lacrosse Club!

If you want to learn more about Southampton Ladies Lacrosse Club, you can visit their Facebook page HERE.

England Lacrosse Announce Improved Partnership with Official Kit Supplier, Kukri Sports

England Lacrosse is pleased to announce an extended partnership with our Official Kit Supplier, Kukri Sports, which will see the international sportswear brand provide sponsorship as well as bespoke playing and training wear for all England national squads, academies, and England Lacrosse staff.

Building upon our historic relationship which saw Kukri Sports become our Official Kit Supplier back in 2019, this new era will see England Lacrosse work more closely with Kukri around marketing and communications and ensures that our England national squads have a secure partner for the next three years, something that is absolutely vital during this uncertain and difficult time.

Kukri already boasts some high-profile clientele, providing bespoke kit for some of the world’s leading sports teams and educational establishments including, the England Commonwealth Games team, British Wheelchair Basketball, British Gymnastics, Lancashire Cricket and Loughborough University.

This new deal will also see Kukri assist us in high-profile kit and merchandise launches as well as work closely with us to deliver competitions, ticket giveaways and match-day events for all our members.

England Lacrosse Marketing Manager, Caroline Royle, said the improved partnership is brilliant for England Lacrosse and our England squads.

“I am extremely pleased to have secured an improved contract with Kukri for the next 3 years. 

“I would like to thank them for their continued support, particularly over the last 12 months. 

“As we start to see international fixtures and competitions re-start as COVID restrictions lift, the relationship we have built with them will be invaluable.”

Josh Beal, Sales Director GB & Europe, said

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with England Lacrosse and are excited to play a more prominent role in delivering a fantastic athlete experience across all squads.

“We look forward to seeing a return to the fields and pitches and can’t wait to see the players back out there performing to their very best”.

Our range of official replica kit and England Lacrosse leisurewear will continue to be available to buy online through Kukri’s England Lacrosse online store to show your support for Team England.

UK Coaching Offers Free Return to Play Coaching Resources

As part of their Return to Play guidance, UK Coaching has collated the expert advice of coaches from a range of different sports to help coaches across all sports to safely navigate the phased return to face-to-face coaching, one step at a time.

UK Coaching is an organisation that supports the three million coaches in the UK by delivering best practice, training, research and industry standards across sports, communities and national governing bodies of sport.

With a timetable for lifting restrictions having now been set out, they have produced a tool-kit of essential advice that will allay any fears coaches may have ahead of their return to coaching.

The timescales for the roadmap out of lockdown are different for each of the Home Nations (they have produced a graphic that sets out the schedule for England); however, the advice and resources contained in the toolkit will be useful for all coaches.

There is also a set of free coaching tips, a return to coaching webinar, community advice and support, online course, and inspiring stories from across the coaching landscape.

To access the free resources, simply head over to UK Coaching’s website by clicking the button below.

Just Two Weeks Left to Take Part in the Bouncing Off the Walls Fundraiser!

There’s just two weeks left to get involved in the England Lacrosse Bouncing off the Walls fundraising campaign which has already raised over £7,000 for The Raspberry Pi Foundation.

It’s been three months since we launched the fundraising campaign in partnership with The Raspberry Pi Foundation which aimed to raise money to buy computer kits for vulnerable young people during the latest national lockdown.

And we’re delighted to say that so far the lacrosse community has raised £7,125 which will go towards buying at least 35 computer kits for those in need!

Each computer kit costs just less than £200 and includes:

• A Raspberry Pi desktop computer;

• A monitor;

• A webcam;

• Educational software;

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

Ofcom estimates that almost two million children in the UK do not have access to a laptop, desktop, or tablet at home and, with your help, the ‘Bouncing off the Walls’ campaign aims to change this and make an active difference to people’s lives.

With the national lockdown due to end on Monday 29 March, we’re asking for one last push from the lacrosse community to help us raise as much money as possible before the fundraiser comes to an end on Easter Sunday (4 April).

You can do this by making a one-off donation to our JustGiving page or by taking part in the challenge and setting yourself an amount of wall balls to complete and asking your family and friends to sponsor you £1 for every 100 wall balls you do.

If you take part then you’ll also be eligible to enter our prize giveaway where you could be in with a chance to win a Raspberry Pi 400 computer kit OR 1 of 10 England Lacrosse branded KeepCups!

We’ll be announcing the winners of the prize giveaway on Monday 12 April so, what’re you waiting for?

Coronavirus Update - 19.03.21

England Lacrosse are continuing to work with Government agencies as we prepare our return to play guidance for the next phase of the Government’s roadmap, lifting covid restrictions on 29 March. 

As stated in the roadmap, it is expected that organised outdoor sport will be permitted with certain restrictions in place for lacrosse to return on this date.

Further information with regard to this phase is expected to be announced on Monday 22 March by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 

In order to keep the lacrosse community updated and informed, England Lacrosse has outlined the following communication plan for the much anticipated return to lacrosse:

• Week commencing 22 March - England Lacrosse return to play guidance released

• Monday 22/Wednesday 24 March (Time TBC) - Webinar for Regional Association Chairs

• Thursday 25 March (6pm) - Webinar for club/team COVID Officers

If you are a COVID Officer and want to attend the webinar on 25 March, please sign up below.

England Lacrosse Talent Pathway Player, Freya, Shortlisted for National Award

England Lacrosse Talent Pathway player, Freya, has been announced on the shortlist for the Independent Schools Association Spring 2021 Athlete of the Term award.

Freya, who is 13 years old and a pupil at Malvern St James Girls’ School in Worcestershire, has been nominated for the national award due to her excellent progress in two different sports which has seen her represent her county in football and enter the Talent Pathway in lacrosse.

The winner of the award is voted for by the public on Twitter and all the nominees will be invited onto a special Q&A session with former England and Paralympics GB footballer, Jack Rutter!

The Independent Schools Association (ISA) is the registered charity that represents the Heads of 550 of the UK’s best independent schools.

They work closely with Headteachers and with other professional bodies to promote excellence in independent education and they seek to influence the national educational debate on behalf of their members, while promoting independence and choice.

Freya is up against five other talented youngsters for the award and you can vote for her by simply retweeting the ISA’s tweet on Twitter which can be found below.

The deadline to vote is midday on Friday (19 March)!

Experienced Lacrosse Players, Tom Roche and Rob Arnott, Launch New Lacrosse Club in West London

Last week marked the official launch of Richmond Lacrosse Club, a brand new junior lacrosse club which aims to “introduce one of the fastest growing team sports in the country to youngsters based in West London.”

Based at Old Deer Park in Richmond and nicknamed "The Stags”, the new club’s under-10 programme for boys and girls hopes to begin on Sunday mornings in late April 2021 with additional age groups launching in September 2021.

The club is the brain-child of co-founders and experienced lacrosse players, Tom Roche and Rob Arnott, who hope the new club will open children’s eyes in the local area to the joys of lacrosse.

Tom, who is an England Field and Box international as well as Head of Lacrosse at Richmond, grew up playing lacrosse in his home town of Mellor, Greater Manchester.

The game has taken him all over the world, representing England at international-level in countries such as the USA, Czech Republic, Canada, and Finland.

Outside of playing, Tom is an experienced coach with experience working with children and adults of varying abilities, from those who are complete beginners to those at the very top of the domestic game.

As Head of Lacrosse with Richmond, Tom wants to build a lacrosse product for parents which can engage their children with lacrosse, through local competition and access to coaches at the very top of the game. As Richmond and its surrounding teams grow, it's Tom's mission to deliver the same great experiences in lacrosse which he remembers growing up. 

Tom’s co-founder, Rob, on the other hand, was first introduced to lacrosse while studying at Durham University.

Having played almost every sport on offer while growing up, lacrosse was new and exciting and he quickly threw himself into learning the basic skills. But it was really the speed of the game and team camaraderie which embedded lacrosse within him and cemented a long-term love for the sport.

Since his university days, Rob has gone on to play Premier Division lacrosse, has represented the South of England, and in 2013 won the European Club Cup with his club team, Spencer. 

As Head of Operations at Richmond, Rob wants to channel his passion and energy into introducing lacrosse to the next generation. Having only picked up the sport at 19, he wants to make sure that today's youngsters have the opportunity to try the sport from a young age.

The pair, along with their head coach, Steph Gibson, and coach, Sam Perry, can’t wait to get started and they hope Richmond will be able to emulate some of the great work done by lacrosse clubs in the north of England through their junior programmes.

When the sessions launch at the end of April, all equipment will be provided and no previous playing experience will be necessary. There will be non-contact sessions which will focus on getting kids active and having fun while learning some basic lacrosse skills like catching, throwing, and scooping.

If you want to know more about Richmond Lacrosse Club, you can visit their website below where you can also sign up to their newsletter to ensure you’re the first to find out about all their latest news, information, and updates.

2021 Men's European Lacrosse Championship postponed

The European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) has announced that the 2021 Men's European Lacrosse Championship originally scheduled for 21 -30 July in Wroclaw, Poland, will not be held as planned in summer 2021.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, ELF said: “It is with sad hearts that we inform you today that the EC2021 and the European Qualifiers for WC 2023 will not be held in summer 2021 due to the ongoing consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

ELF thanked the organising team in Poland and European NGBs, players, officials and organisers for their continued dedication to the event and their understanding of the situation.

The Championship was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, but was rescheduled to 2021 following the original coronavirus outbreak across Europe.

England are still the current European champions, winning the 2016 edition of the competition in Budapest, Hungary, defeating Israel 7-6 in the final.

ELF will continue to consult with its member countries to explore all possible options for delivering a high-quality tournament once the circumstances allow.

The ELF statement also announced the postponement of the Ken Galluccio Cup, the annual event held in Ghent, Belgium as the European Club Championships for the champions of the domestic leagues throughout Europe.

European Lacrosse Association update #ELF pic.twitter.com/UmHiOAZjN0

— European Lacrosse (@EuropeLacrosse) March 11, 2021

England Lacrosse to Host Webinar Aimed at Students with Legal Partners RPC

England Lacrosse are excited to announce a special, one-off Question Time-style webinar, with our Legal Partners RPC, aimed specifically at students (17-24).

The webinar will focus on the following four main areas: building a network, skills employers look for that can be learned in sport, mental health: worries after a pandemic, and why do women who play sport do better?

It will be chaired by England Lacrosse Club Co-ordinator, Kasey Allen, and the panel will include England under-21 men’s team coach, Mike Armstrong, who has extensive knowledge of the university game, England senior women’s player, Camilla Hayes, who also has a legal background, and Alex Anderson, who is a partner at RPC.

Questions will be sent to the panel prior to the webinar but there will also be an opportunity for open questions towards the end of the event.

It is set to take place next Wednesday (17 March) at 4pm and will last approximately one hour; if you wish to send a question to the panel before the webinar, please send them to Kasey Allen at k.allen@englandlacrosse.co.uk.