England Lacrosse open recruitment process for new Board Chair

England Lacrosse have opened the recruitment process to appoint a new Independent Board Chair to guide the organisation.

England Lacrosse are looking for a progressive, knowledgeable, collaborative and enthusiastic leader who shares our passion to become a major team sport in England.

The Independent Non-Executive Chair will be an integral part of the England Lacrosse team at an exciting and pivotal point in the development of the sport, domestically and internationally, as lacrosse seeks to meet its Olympic and Commonwealth aspirations.

You will lead the board in continuing to realise our mission of promoting and developing all forms of lacrosse, working with our board and staff to ensure that our values of Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Inclusivity, Excellence and Teamwork are upheld, whilst seeking to continue the governing body’s sustained development.

You will have proven leadership capabilities, and the ability to inspire a culture of collaboration and development across our varied internal and external partners in line with our core principles of innovation, efficiency, improvement, and responsiveness.

The appointment is voluntary and for an initial three-year term from the date of appointment. 

Meetings are London orientated with alternative access via Microsoft Teams available.

Please click the 'Apply Now' button to download the Recruitment Pack, setting out the core responsibilities and capabilities being sought, alongside details of how to apply.

Closing date for applications: 31 July 2022

Stockport Sixes set to return in September

Stockport Lacrosse Club are once again set to host their annual Stockport Sixes competition, following the successful launch of the event in 2021.

The tournament uses the rules and framework of the new proposed Commonwealth and Olympic Games six-a-side format and the 2022 edition will take place over Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September.

The two-day competition would potentially see six different age groups, including junior boys U12, U14, and U16, junior girls U13 and U15, and senior men and women, playing sixes lacrosse on four pitches with ten-player squads.

Stockport are offering a £30 early bird entry fee for those teams who sign up before 20 August with the fee increasing to £40 after that date.

Please note, entry closes on 8 September after which no further teams will be admitted.

To register your interest in taking part in this year’s Stockport Sixes, please email stockportlacrosseclub@gmail.com with the age groups you are interested in bringing along.

England box lacrosse to host all-star game

England box lacrosse are putting together an all-star team to play against their 2022 European Box Lacrosse Championship squad on Saturday 25 June.

The game will take place at the home of England box lacrosse in the north of England, Skate City in Sheffield, between 4pm and 6pm.

Selected players will be invited to an optional training session with the England squad on the Saturday morning, before the main event (All-Stars v England) in the evening.

Both the morning practice session and the evening All-Stars v England match will be funded by England box lacrosse.

Those wanting to take part in this special one-off event should message England box lacrosse on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE as soon as possible.

The game coincides with the England box lacrosse squad’s final training session before heading out to the 2022 European Box Lacrosse Championship in Hannover, Germany (30 July - 6 August).

They’ll be hoping to capitalise on their fantastic showing at the 2019 World Box Lacrosse Championship in Langley, Canada where they finished fourth and place higher than their fifth place finish at the inaugural European Championship in Turku, Finland in 2017.

Head Coach, Walt Christianson, has recently announced his 23-player squad due to head out to the European Championship. You can read all about his selection 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.

England Lacrosse names men's U21 World Championship squad

England men’s U21 Head Coach, Ryan Garnsworthy, has announced his 23-player squad for the upcoming World Lacrosse Men’s U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland (10-20 August).

This tournament cycle has lasted almost five years due to the global pandemic and the Championship has been postponed and rearranged twice but Head Coach Garnsworthy is delighted to finally release his squad.

He would like to thank all the players that have been involved in this extraordinary process for their hard work, time and commitment.

The final squad now have two months to prepare for the Men’s U21 World Championship that will see 23 nations, including England, Ireland, and Wales, as well as USA, Canada, and Australia.

England Men’s U21 World Championship Final Squad

Sam Rogerson (Brooklands)
Jack Allen (Cambridge University)
Josh Poke (Mellor)
Luca Schurink (Stockport)
Jacob Brindle (Brooklands)
Ollie Lee (Timperley)
Alex Davidson (Cheadle Hulme)
Tom Whitehead (Heaton Mersey)
Daniel Madeley (Rochdale)
Zachary Hepworth (Avon Old Farms)
Dan Flisk (Timperley)
Dan Jones (Mellor)
Will Shirt (Cheadle)
Josh Simpson-Pink (Mellor)
Ed Loveland (Timperley)
Nathan Wilkinson (Sheffield)
Sam Mottershead (Cheadle)
Hugo Peel (Stockport)
Ollie Allsop (Brooklands)
Danny Hilditch (Stockport)
Will Goodwin (Cheadle)
Drew Bickerton (Mellor)
Elliott Bickerton (Mellor)

Reserves

Joachim Ruby (Heaton Mersey)
Brandon Challinor (Cheadle)
Morgan Brown (Stockport)
Will Locker (Sheffield)

Summer Lax returns for summer 2022!

After last year’s inaugural sessions, Summer Lax is back for summer 2022 with hubs in London and Manchester, starting from Thursday 9 June and Tuesday 28 June respectively.

The London sessions will begin on Thursday 9 June (7pm-8pm) at Battersea Park and will run for eight weeks until 28 July. It will cost £5 per session and players can simply turn up and play on the day.

This year’s Manchester Summer Lax sessions will take place once again at Platt Lane Sports Complex and will begin on Tuesday 28 June (7pm-8pm). Those sessions will run for six weeks until 2 August and will cost £3 per session.

Summer Lax is a fun, relaxed and welcoming weekly competition for everyone to enjoy during the summer months that originally began in 2021.

It’s designed to be open to everyone, whether they’ve got experience of playing lacrosse or not, and whether they own any equipment or not.

Each week, players will get a taste of an adapted version of the six-a-side version of mixed lacrosse with no goalkeepers and smaller goals.

If you’re looking for a way to get into lacrosse or just want to play a bit of sport with some friends in the evening, Summer Lax could be perfect for you!

Contacts

London (Battersea Park): Rob Clark (Tel: 07770411628, Email: robclarktraining@gmail.com)

Manchester (Platt Lane Sports Complex): Brin Kenyon (Email: brindleykenyon@gmail.com)

Walt Christianson announces 23-player England squad ahead of 2022 European Box Lacrosse Championship

England Box Lacrosse Head Coach, Walt Christianson, has announced his 23-player squad for the European Box Lacrosse Championship taking place this summer in Hannover, Germany.

The recent Box Nations Cup tournament, as part of the Germany Lacrosse Convention, was the last chance for Head Coach Christianson and the rest of the coaching team to make their squad selections.

The team have whittled an initial 33-player training squad down to 23 following a series of training sessions since November last year and the recent Nations Cup competition.

The final squad now have the best part of two months to prepare for the European Box Lacrosse Championship that will see 15 nations, including England, Ireland, and Scotland, as well as finalists from the 2017 tournament, Czech Republic, and eventual winners of that inaugural Championship, Israel.

England Box Lacrosse European Championships Final Squad

GOAL-KEEPER

Cameron Macleod (Panther City)
Eliot Pugh (Milton Keynes Minotaurs/London Knights)

DEFENCE/TRANSITION

Gavin Abrahamson (Wellington Aces)
Will Allsop (Brooklands/Disley Dynamos)
Tom Bracegirdle (Spencer)
Taylor Harrison (Spencer)
Jordi Jones-Smith (Saskatchewan Rush)
Luke Mills (Brooklands/Disley Dynamos)
Tom Roche (Spencer/London Knights)
Tyson Roe (Vancouver Warriors)
Matt Tatton (Brooklands/Disley Dynamos)
Ming Trinh (Heaton Mersey/Disley Dynamos)
Chris Wainer (Heaton Mersey/ Disley Dynamos)
Albert Whitehead (Spencer/London Knights)

OFFENCE

Ben Buchanan (Spencer/London Knights)
Lyndon Bunio (Calgary Mountaineers)
Dave Groves (Stockport/Disley Dynamos)
Caius Jefferies (Heaton Mersey/Disley Dynamos)
Elliot Leonard (Norbury/Disley Dynamos)
Matt Marsh (Mellor/London Knights)
Ben Page-Laycock (Brooklands/Disley Dynamos)
Jamie Powell (SBL Capitals)
Dan Watson (Mellor/London Knights)

RESERVE

Pete Wilson (Bristol Bombers/London Knights)

Watch The Fly 2022 Finals Day Live

The Fly 2022 Finals Day takes place today (Sunday 5 June) and all the games are available to watch live online!

11:30am - Rise v Swift: Women’s 3rd/4th Play-Off

12:30pm - Swift v Forge: Men’s 3rd/4th Play-Off

13:30pm - Hustle v Forge: Women’s Championship Final

14:30pm - Rise v Hustle: Men’s Championship Final

All action on Day 1 at The Fly 2022

The Fly 2022 got underway on Friday at Lilleshall National Sport Centre, welcoming the second year of the UK’s elite Sixes Lacrosse competition.

The four men’s and women’s teams took to the field after weeks and months of preparations, looking to get their 2022 campaigns off to the best possible start.

 Team Rise led the way as both men’s and women’s teams won two out of two matches on Friday and both sit atop the standings.

Men’s Competition

Rise Captain Ryan Hunns and Freddie Atkins each have 10 goals for the tournament as their attacking power was evident first beating Swift 23-16 in a high-scoring opener, before steamrollering Forge 22-4.

Hustle Men also remain undefeated, taking down Forge in Game 1, 14-9, before following that up with a 17-10 win over Swift thanks to a strong second-half performance, Dan Eckersall leading their scoring with eight so far in the competition.

Swift and Forge are both still looking for their first win, and will meet each other on Saturday Morning looking to avoid finishing the group stage in fourth.

Women’s Competition

The Rise women came through a tough first match-up with a positive result against Forge, 14-13, before ending up more comfortable winners against Swift 23-15 to sit in pole position in the women’s competition.

Forge put the one-goal defeat behind them in the first game to bounce back with an 11-8 victory against Hustle and go 1-1 for the opening day.

Hustle had earlier defeated Swift 13-8 with Julie Wise scoring six in the match and leading her team scoring with seven in the day.

Despite losing both their games on Day 1, Swift Captain Cece Green is the Women’s Competition top scorer with 10 goals and will look to drive her team forward on Saturday.

How to watch tournament lacrosse on ESPN in the UK

Yesterday, World Lacrosse announced an historic agreement with sports broadcaster ESPN, giving the network global media rights to World Lacrosse championships through 2023.

A total of 246 games across three international events will be carried exclusively on ESPN’s linear networks or ESPN+ in the U.S., and in 170+ territories via ESPN International.

The partnership covers three upcoming marquee events: the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship (29 June-9 July; Towson, Maryland, USA), the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship (10-20 August; Limerick, Ireland) and the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship (21 June-1 July; San Diego, California, USA).

In the UK, the easiest way to get your lacrosse fix during the aforementioned tournaments is through the ESPN Player which is available online HERE.

They have two passes available: an annual pass offering 12 months of ESPN coverage at £69.99 or a monthly pass at £9.99; both passes come with a free seven day trial.

ESPN Player streams over 10,000 live sports events every year, including Major League Lacrosse as well as the World Lacrosse championships and is available both via a desktop/laptop or on mobile through their dedicated app.

And with our England senior women’s team finishing third at the last World Championship in 2017 and looking to equal or better that result this summer and our U21 men’s team on an upward trajectory since their European Championship win in 2019, there’s never been a better time to show your colours and support the teams!

2022 ESPN US Linear Coverage

29 June - USA vs Canada (Women’s World Championship)
2 July - Australia vs USA (Women’s World Championship)
7 July - Semi-Final 1 (Women’s World Championship)
7 July - Semi-Final 2 (Women’s World Championship)
9 July - Bronze Medal Match (Women’s World Championship)
9 July - Final (Women’s World Championship)
18 August - Semi-Final (Men’s U21 World Championship)
20 August - Final (Men’s U21 World Championship)

World Lacrosse sign historic, multi-year partnership with ESPN

World Lacrosse and ESPN have reached a historic agreement, giving the network global media rights to World Lacrosse championships through 2023. A total of 246 games across three international events will be carried exclusively on ESPN’s linear networks or ESPN+ in the U.S., and in 170+ territories via ESPN International.

The agreement marks the first multi-year, multi-event media partnership for World Lacrosse – the sport’s international governing body as recognized by the International Olympic Committee – and uniquely features equal rights fees across the men’s and women’s championships. In addition to U.S. coverage across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+, international distribution will be available via TSN (Canada), Star+ (Latin America and Brazil), ESPN Player (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Watch ESPN (Pacific Rim) and ESPN Play (Caribbean).

World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said: “This is truly a historic day for World Lacrosse, and the millions of lacrosse players and fans in all corners of the world. ESPN is the ideal partner to further showcase our great sport around the globe as we experience exponential growth and interest in the game. This unprecedented coverage also provides a significant boost to our Olympic proposal as we seek to gain inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”

The partnership covers three upcoming marquee events: the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship (June 29-July 9; Towson, Maryland, USA), the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship (August 10-20; Limerick, Ireland) and the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship (June 21-July 1; San Diego, California, USA).

Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director of programming & acquisitions said: “ESPN is excited to add extensive coverage of the World Lacrosse championships to our already expansive lacrosse vertical. The men’s and women’s world championships together with our overall college coverage and recent agreements with Athletes Unlimited, NLL and PLL demonstrates our firm commitment to the sport.”

ESPN networks will carry a total of 112 games during the women’s championship, including six on linear channels. The WLWC is slated to return to the United States for the first time in nearly two decades at Towson University in Maryland, where the U.S. will begin defense of its world title in just over a month. The event will represent the first time the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship (formerly known as the Women’s World Cup) has linear distribution in the United States, with the exception of the championship game in 2005 (CSTV).

Following the women’s event, ESPN networks will air 22 games from the men’s U21 championship, offering linear distribution of a junior-level lacrosse world championship for the first time. Two games – including the championship – will air in the U.S. on ESPNU, with an additional 20 matches on ESPN+. The 22 games will also be featured on ESPN’s international networks.

Details regarding the 2023 Men’s Championship will be shared at a later date, with coverage planned to match this year’s women’s event.

2022 ESPN US Linear Coverage

29 June - USA vs Canada (Women’s World Championship)
2 July - Australia vs USA (Women’s World Championship)
7 July - Semi-Final 1 (Women’s World Championship)
7 July - Semi-Final 2 (Women’s World Championship)
9 July - Bronze Medal Match (Women’s World Championship)
9 July - Final (Women’s World Championship)
18 August - Semi-Final (Men’s U21 World Championship)
20 August - Final (Men’s U21 World Championship)

England and British Lacrosse put in good showing at inaugural Nations Cups

Image courtesy of ShutterLax

England women and British Lacrosse men remained unbeaten as they stormed to victory at the inaugural Nations Cups last weekend in Dresden, Germany.

In the box lacrosse competition, England won one and lost one of their two Nations Cup games which took place as part of the first ever Germany Lacrosse Convention.

In a delayed first game due to lightning, the England women select squad, made up of players from the wider England senior training and U23 squads, took on a good Czech Republic side, beating them fairly comfortably in the end 16-9, with Julie Wise scoring four and Alice Ripper and Ella Cohen scoring hat-tricks.

On the Saturday, they then played Germany, blowing them away in a 16-1 victory that saw Julie Wise score a massive six goals with Germany scoring their only goal of the game in the final quarter.

Finally, England women played Czech Republic for a second time in what would be a much closer contest than on the first day of the competition.

England were able to come out on top once again in a one goal game winning 11-10 with the help of four goals from Ella Cohen.

As they continue their preparations for the European Box Lacrosse Championship in Hanover, Germany, this summer, the England box lacrosse team were unlucky to lose their First Nations Cup match 11-8 to Czech Republic.

They started slowly, losing the first quarter 4-0 before winning the second quarter 4-3 and then drawing the final two quarters 2-2. Elliot Leonard and Jamie Powell were the stand-out performers with two goals each.

In their second and final game of the Cup against Poland, England put in a perfect showing, defeating the Eastern European side 12-2, thanks in part to four goals from Dave Groves and braces from Elliot Leonard and Pete Wilson.

And in the men’s Nations Cup, British Lacrosse proved too strong for all the competition as they defeated Germany 19-12 and blew away Poland 26-9 before beating Switzerland 16-7 and Hong Kong 18-11.

They then matched up against Hong Kong once more in the final, again coming out winners 18-10.

Alex Russell (11), Ryan Hunns (8), and Zac Guy (8) were the big scorers for British Lacrosse as they claimed the first ever Nations Cup title.

England box lacrosse

England 8-11 Czech Republic - Dave Groves, Elliot Leonard (2), Sam Perry, Dan Watson, Jamie Powell (2), Pete Wilson
England 12-2 Poland - Cai Jefferies, Dave Groves (4), Pete Wilson (2), Ming Trinh, Sam Perry, Elliot Leonard (2), Jamie Powell

England women

England 16-9 Czech Republic - Laura Beaman (2), Alice Ripper (3), Ella Cohen (3), Julie Wise (4), Sofia Wise (2), Emma Brown, Anna Neville
Germany 1-16 England - Julie Wise (6), Emma Brown, Sofia Wise (2), Anna Neville, Minty Loxton-Barnard (2), Cece Green (2), Alice Ripper, Izzy Brand
England 11-10 Czech Republic - Sofia Wise (2), Minty Loxton-Barnard (2), Ella Cohen (4), Izzy Brand, Alice Ripper (2)

British Lacrosse men

Germany 12-19 Great Britain - Alex Russell (4), Ryan Hunns, Ryan Sweetman (3), Zac Guy (4), Jamie Powell, Tomos Rosser (2), Luke Mills (2), Mike Pomfret, Tom Bracegirdle
Great Britain 26-9 Poland - Ryan Hunns (5), Alex Russell (6), Tomos Rosser (2), Tom Bracegirdle (2), Mike Pomfret (2), Dan Watson (3), Zac Guy (4), Ben Page-Laycock, Ryan Sweetman
Great Britain 16-7 Switzerland - Dan Watson (4), Mike Pomfret, Ben Page-Laycock (2), Ryan Sweetman (3), Jamie Powell (2), Alex Russell, Ryan Hunns (2), Luke Mills
Hong Kong 11-18 Great Britain - data not available
Great Britain 18-10 Hong Kong (Final) - data not available

Ryan Sweetman guest column: Bounce back from COVID

As part of England Lacrosse’s monthly guest column, England, Great Britain, and former The Fly player, Ryan Sweetman, speaks to us about how lacrosse has managed to bounce back after the huge set back of the COVID pandemic.

March 2020 saw the complete halt to all lacrosse activities: senior and U19 national squads were forced to stop their European Championship and World Games preparations, senior and junior clubs had to end their season early, and every school closed, meaning there was no way to promote lacrosse to new audiences and increase participation.

Five lacrosse-less months later and schools were talking about opening, but to what capacity? And would they allow external coaches?

Thankfully some schools entrusted people like myself to return to coaching; lessons needed to be adapted to ensure social distancing and reduce the sharing of equipment, along with shortened lessons to ensure time to swap over groups without ‘crossing paths’ and a thorough cleaning of the equipment. With time, the rules on social distancing eased within classes which was a huge relief as you really can’t keep 10-year-olds away from each other all day!

With every passing week, more schools got in contact with me and my club (Brooklands) and slowly our program begin to build again. Sadly a lot of the schools were still reluctant to open up their after-school clubs but this meant that children interested in lacrosse wanted somewhere to continue playing after their school day finished, so our U8s, U10s and beginners programs at the club grew and grew. 

Pre-COVID, if we had three children attend a beginner session we were busy, but now we’re running two beginners sessions (Wednesday and Saturday) with about six-10 children attending each! Along with the beginners, the U12s also saw growth; this has been achieved through expanding the schools coaching program and school tournaments. More schools on-board plus more classes and year groups equals more children into the club game, particularly those in years three and four.

In a strange twist of fate, COVID has actually supported the growth and development of our club, whether that is through schools valuing Physical Education more after children being stuck at home, parents actively looking to get their child involved in a sport to increase their activity levels and social skills or an increase in trust of us as external providers. 

It’s sometimes hard distinguishing yourself and the sport, against the likes of the Manchester United Foundation, Sale Sharks/Salford Red Devils and all the other large sporting names that coach in schools, but Brooklands Lacrosse Club is certainly on the map in Trafford!

We’re always on the look out for guest columnists from the lacrosse community to speak about a topic they’re passionate about. If you’d like to be featured, please contact j.naylor@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

England Lacrosse 100% ready to get behind UKAD’s Clean Sport Week

With a big summer of sport ahead, England Lacrosse is proud to reaffirm our commitment to clean sport by backing UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) Clean Sport Week campaign.

Clean Sport Week is UKAD’s national awareness week, which runs from 23 – 27 May and champions clean sport, education and anti-doping initiatives with sports across the UK.

The theme for this year’s campaign is “what you see is 100% me” as we all want to see 100% hard work, determination and respect for the rules from athletes competing on the world stage. So, alongside UKAD, we are making it our mission to ensure all our athletes can say with confidence “what you see is 100% me” when competing this summer.

In the build up to Clean Sport Week, we have been working with UKAD to complete the Assurance Framework, which National Governing Bodies must do to show they are meeting their anti-doping responsibilities. In addition, we are ensuring all our athletes are prepared for their upcoming competitions by taking part in UKAD’s 100% me education programme and by inviting them to attend the Clean Sport Week webinar on Tuesday 24 May, which is open to all and will look at important anti-doping topics and advice for preparing for a Major Games.

We also encourage anyone in our sporting community that would like to learn more about anti-doping to sign up to UKAD’s free new Introduction to Clean Sport course via its website, HERE.

To find out how athletes can excel on the world stage sign up to UKAD’s Clean Sport Week webinar HERE, and follow @ukantidoping on social media to see a range of educational and exciting content throughout the week.

To find out more about UKAD’s Clean Sport Week initiative click HERE.

British & English teams set to play in the Nations Cups at Germany Lacrosse Convention 2022

The England senior men’s box team and an England women's select squad, alongside British Lacrosse’s senior men’s team, are set to play in the inaugural Nations Cups in Dresden, Germany, this weekend at the first ever Germany Lacrosse Convention.

England will take on Germany, Poland, and Czech Republic in the box lacrosse competition in what will be vital preparation for Walt Christianson’s men ahead of the European Box Lacrosse Championship in Hannover, Germany, this summer.

They’ll be looking to put in some good performances over the weekend as they look to improve this year on their fifth place finish at the 2017 European Box Lacrosse Championship and fourth place at the 2019 World Lacrosse Box Lacrosse Championship.

The England women’s select squad, made up of players from the wider England senior training and U23 squads, will take on Poland, Germany, and Czech Republic in the women’s six-a-side competition as many of them prepare for The Fly taking place over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend (3-5 June).

In the other six-a-side tournament, British Lacrosse men will face Poland, Hong Kong, Germany, and Switzerland.

Every game, including the ones involving the England and British Lacrosse teams, will be live streamed on SportDeutschland.tv.

More information about fixtures, the Nations Cups, and the Germany Lacrosse Convention in general can be found HERE.

Fixture List (Local times)

Friday 20 May

20:00 | England v Czech Republic (women)

Saturday 21 May

09:00 | Germany v Great Britain (men)
10:30 | Great Britain v Poland (men)
12:00 | Germany v England (women)
13:30 | Great Britain v Switzerland (men)
15:30 | England v Czech Republic (box)

Sunday 22 May

09:00 | Poland v England (women)
10:30 | Hong Kong v Great Britain (men)
10:30 | G3 v G4 (women)
12:30 | L1 v L2 (box)
13:00 | G1 v G2 (men)
13:00 | G1 v G2 (women)
14:00 | W1 v W2 (box)

The Fly welcome First 5 Media as media partner

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce First 5 Media as media partner for The Fly, taking place, over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 3-5 June at Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre.

First 5 Media are a young innovative company who specialise in live sport production.  Most recently they delivered live coverage of the historic Men' and Women's Army v Navy Rugby Union double header at Twickenham in front of 60 000 fans to a global audience. 

The Fly aspires to be the most innovative lacrosse league in the world, and we believe our partnership with First 5 Media will help us to achieve that goal.

With First 5 Media’s expertise, we will be broadcasting our entire Finals Day, Sunday June 5 on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok; our TikTok audience can enjoy exciting additional live content exclusive to that platform.

On the other competition days Friday and Saturday, we will work with First 5 media to deliver exciting content tracking the stories of The Fly through our digital and social output and the only places you can keep up to date with all things The

Fly is through The Fly’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as well the individual team Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok channels. *

We are excited to embark on this relationship with First 5 Media and The Fly 2022 is only the start of the journey; the plans we are making for 2023 and beyond will place lacrosse at the vanguard of sports broadcast technology.

England Lacrosse CEO, Mark Coups:

“As we look forward to the second year of the Fly, I am delighted to announce a new partnership with First 5 Media who are a fantastic company championing sports such as lacrosse. 

“Working with First 5 Media will allow us to develop and improve The Fly, which is so important to growing the interest in the sixes format and expand the profile of lacrosse both in the UK and worldwide.

“Heading into The Fly 2022 and beyond, this partnership will allow us to take our coverage of lacrosse to that next level and we cannot wait to get started.” 

Kevin Dunford, Co-Founding Partner - First 5 Media:

“It’s great to be working alongside such a forward thinking and ambitious governing body as England Lacrosse. The Fly is an exciting and dynamic tournament with an innovative format, which we’re relishing the chance to reflect with exciting content across broadcast, digital and social channels, creating dynamic story telling, utilising innovative technology.

“This partnership is focussed on bringing the sport of lacrosse to a wider more diverse audience, to help grow the profile, interest and participation in the game.”

*Please note, the only other way to watch The Fly is by attending the event at Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre as a spectator and you can pre-register for FREE here.

England Lacrosse vacancy: Inclusion Advisory Group Chair (volunteer)

England Lacrosse is seeking to appoint a Chair to our Inclusion Advisory Group (IAG) to help promote equality, diversity & inclusion within the organisation and with a volunteer network that has varying responsibilities, liabilities, and capacity.

The role will also include identifying key issues and trends that may help to promote the game through relevant interventions and supporting the development of any promotion and education of equality, diversity & inclusion.

The ideal candidate for the role will have a working knowledge of the key legislation relating to equality, diversity & inclusion as well as a passion to promote equality, diversity & inclusion as part of a group.

It will be important to have the ability to relate to the lacrosse community at all levels in the game and it would be beneficial to have had experience of working on discrimination cases and advising bodies on good practice, support, and disciplinary action.

The position of Chair of the IAG is a voluntary role but agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

England Lacrosse is seeking an individual who is excited at the prospect of leading this key area for a growing sport. EL has a public facing commitment to board diversity through our Diversity in Leadership Policy and therefore we are seeking applications from ethnically diverse communities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and the disabled community.

For more information about the role, read the recruitment pack below:

To apply for the position of Chair of the IAG, please send an updated CV and cover letter, along with a completed Equalities Monitoring Form (found in the recruitment pack) to j.naylor@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

Please note, alternative styles of cover letter, such as a video cover letter, will be accepted and considered as part of an application.

England Lacrosse vacancy: Content Creator (part-time)

England Lacrosse (EL) is looking to appoint a part-time Content Creator to help lead delivery in promotional content creation for EL’s members and national audience.

The ideal candidate will have a good knowledge of Adobe suite and motion graphic software as well as experience writing and producing posts for web and social media.

The main responsibilities of the Content Creator are:

• To lead content creation projects producing digital graphics, social media content, email marketing components, website elements, sponsorship decks, print marketing collateral and promotional items.

• To collaborate with staff across the different areas of the organisation to develop content to improve retention of customer base and achieve the business objectives.

• To upload content into relevant platforms and content management systems.

• To lead offsite asset gathering (e.g., behind-the-scenes content gathering on sets/shoots, coverage from events). 

• Have a shared responsibility on traveling with National Teams when competing in World, Europeans, and Test series, to provide engaging content for the Lacrosse community and assist with building the EL brand. 

• To provide support for the Senior Management Group, remote workers and relevant EL committees as requested.

For more information about the role, click HERE.

Closing date: 5pm on Tuesday 31 May 2022

Salary: £12,000-£15,000

To apply for the role, please send a CV and short cover letter to Abi Merrill via email at a.merrill@englandlacrosse.co.uk.

Please note, alternative styles of cover letter, such as a video cover letter, will be accepted and considered as part of an application.

Lacrosse schedule announced for The World Games 2022

The schedule for the men’s and women’s lacrosse competition for The World Games 2022 has been announced with the international, multi-sport event taking place 7-17 July in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. 

British Lacrosse men will play Australia in the opening match of the tournament on 8 July while the women’s side will take on Canada in their first game on 12 July.

The World Games will feature the debut of World Lacrosse Sixes on a truly global stage, with participating teams spanning four continents. The new discipline features short, action-packed games played on a smaller field with fewer players.  

The men will compete from 8 July to 12 July, while the women will begin play on 12 July and conclude on 16 July. All matches will be played at the PNC Field at the University of Alabama. 

The rest of the qualifying stage will see the British Lacrosse men’s team compete against USA (9 July) and Germany (10 July) while the women will play Haudenosaunee (13 July) and Israel (14 July).

Tickets for the event are available HERE.  

Each day is split into two sessions – 10:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. – except for the finals, which will start at 7 p.m. for both the men and women.  

The men’s and women’s events follow the same format: three days of qualifying matches, followed by semi-finals and finals.  

Nine nations will be competing at The World Games. Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Haudenosaunee, Israel, Japan and the United States will compete in both the men’s and women’s events, while Germany will compete in only the men’s event and Czech Republic will compete in the women’s event. 

To see the full schedule for the tournament, click HERE.