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.