Doug Shanahan Appointed as England Senior Men’s Head Coach
England Lacrosse is pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Shanahan as England Senior Men’s Head Coach.
Jane Powell of England Lacrosse said:
“I am delighted to welcome Doug into the Head Coach role! His vast experience and knowledge will help challenge and shift our men’s squad to achieve a higher level of performance. We are fortunate to have someone with his background committing the time to invest into our Men’s programme”
“I am honoured and thrilled to accept this prestigious position. I am confident that I will be able to lead the team to unparalled heights and I look forward to continuing my working relationship with England Lacrosse.”
Shanahan, who was recently appointed as Assistant Coach to the squad in July, has now stepped up to the top role after Steve Lydon made the decision to step down following a change in circumstances.
He is recognised as one of the greats of the game, with a memorable and storied career including entry to no less than four Halls of Fame. He was a dual college athlete at Hofstra University, named as a three-time All-American in both lacrosse and American Football. In 2001, he was also the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, recognising the best college player of the year.
Shanahan’s playing experience in International lacrosse includes representing USA at the 2002 and 2006 World Championships. In particular in ’02, he picked up gold, was named to the All-World team and as MVP.
Post-College, he went on to have a substantial Major League Lacrosse career for a number of teams including the Chicago Machine and Philadelphia (Bridgeport) Barrage, winning the Championship in 2004.
Since 2006, he has also taken on multiple coaching roles at different levels ranging from High School to College level and will now bring his vast knowledge and experience to English lacrosse for this upcoming Championship cycle.
Shanahan will lead Team England to the 2020 European Championship in Wroclaw, Poland before working towards the 2022 FIL World Championship in Coquitlam, Canada.
“Securing Doug Shanahan as Team England’s Men’s Head coach is fantastic news for the whole sport in England. His track record both as a player and a coach speaks for itself and we are excited for him to have the opportunity to work with our National Team.
We have very talented and committed players in our Team and Doug’s involvement as coach will improve them as individuals and as a team.”