As 2021 draws to a close, England Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Coups, has issued his annual Christmas message to the lacrosse community.

“When I look back and reflect upon the year 2021, it is undoubtedly with a lot of pride.

“I am proud of the entire lacrosse community, from England Lacrosse staff and volunteers, to the club, school, and university players, coaches, officials, and managers who have all been an integral part of what has been achieved over the past year.

“It hasn’t been easy by any stretch with the pandemic continuing to dictate how we live certain aspects of our lives.

“But I am confident that we have been able to further improve and expand the game across the country with successes such as The Fly (the first national sixes event in Europe), the Lacrosse Accredited Colleges Scheme (LACS, which has seen lacrosse introduced into 34 state further education institutions and counting), and our ever-growing Talent Pathway programme (ensuring the best players in England can flourish in a performance environment).

“I wholeheartedly 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, as I said last years, we are not out of the woods yet; as we enter 2022 and are forced to tackle whatever COVID-19 has for us next, I am confident we and our sport will be as resilient as ever and continue to meet any challenges with the resolve we have displayed so far.

“Lacrosse has much to offer our nation in the coming years; the future is bright for the sport about which we are all so passionate!

“Please enjoy Christmas, look after each other, and stay safe.

Please note, the England Lacrosse Head Office will close at 1pm on Thursday 23 December and will reopen on Tuesday 4 January.

The voicemail will not be monitored during this period and any urgent requests should be sent via email to [email protected].