As part of England Lacrosse’s new monthly guest column, England Box Lacrosse and British Lacrosse Assistant Coach and Northern Box Lacrosse Head Coach, Andy Downing, gives his thoughts on volunteering in the world of lacrosse.
Fellow lacrosse players,
I’d like to open with a quote that has rang true with me in my later lacrosse life: “When one finger is pointing forward, three are pointing back.”
To build our future, Northern Box Lacrosse is expanding our schools’ programs. We continue to work towards our dream of a legacy lacrosse facility and this will remain high on our agenda. Players are realising that playing box lacrosse helps and speeds up their instinctive ability in all disciplines. You only have to look at the college lacrosse pre-season programs and the new box leagues in the States to see its potential and perhaps something we could grow over here in England.
I’d like to ask the question, “What do you do for lacrosse?”
I’ve been involved in lacrosse since I was seven years old when my uncle gave me my very first stick and bundled me off to Heaton Mersey’s junior program. I use the word “program” lightly here as ultimately it was just parents and the odd senior player having a chuck about for an hour, no session plans, no paperwork, just fun with my mates and I loved it, I loved every minute of it. The club and its culture has given me life long friends, fantastic memories and a sense of belonging that has helped mould me into the man I am today.
My lax mums and dads have all moved on now and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank them for their time and encouragement towards a young lad who couldn’t catch, couldn’t pick up a ball, or even tie his shoelaces. Empowering young people can literally be that simple and the value of a volunteer is worth a million Lacrosse District Officers. Don’t get me wrong a college player coming over from America and coaching was good, fun and exciting and a good hook in any business model, but without proper support around that Lacrosse District Officer the system breaks down.
Clubs with consistent volunteers are seeing the generational wealth of a few invested parents willing to support their club in any way they can - just being an extra body to help with those shoelaces, helping with gloves on the wrong hands or broken sticks. It's not a quick fix, but I know that with a welcoming culture any junior program can work.
Northern Box Lacrosse has been up and running for five years now. Hard work and time invested has been a struggle and the lack of facilities is the main issue; where do you play a sport with very specific facility requirements?
I’ll tell you: transform dilapidated tennis courts and make do! The football chant “We're top four and we play on a tennis court” rings to mind. A huge thank you to Disley Sports Club for the opportunity; their tennis courts have hosted junior tournaments, women’s and girls’ sessions, Tasko Cups, international tryouts and practices and the most rewarding moments by a mile have been coaching the juniors (boys and girls).
For example, in one of the girls’ sessions, a young player wasn’t shooting the ball properly as she wasn’t used to a men’s stick. We changed her stick (more whip) and adjusted her stance and she absolutely pinged a corner off the pipe at what seemed like 100 mph. She immediately looked at me and dropped the stick like she’d just discovered making fire for the first time… job done!
Another recent personal reward whilst sitting with Walt Christianson (the England Box Lacrosse Head Coach) at the recent tryouts in Sheffield took me by surprise and I wasn't expecting it. I was sitting in the stands watching some box without having to worry about refereeing/running the shot clock/coaching on the bench/getting water/tying those shoelaces. I turned to Walt and told him I’ve just had an epiphany and explained why… he didn’t get it and just told me to shut up and watch the players! He’s used to sitting and watching a game as we all know box lacrosse is massive in his home country, Canada, but I’ll remember that moment for many years to come and look back at what we’ve built.
If anyone is willing to get involved, be it through your time or a financial contribution, this is a great opportunity to invest and put something back into the sport we all love.
“When one finger is pointing forward, three are pointing back” - anonymous
Andy Downing is the Head Coach and founder of Northern Box Lacrosse which aim to “bring Box Lacrosse to the masses” through their men’s, women’s, and junior sessions which take place at Disley Amalgamated Sports Club, Disley, Stockport. Andy is also Assistant Coach of the England Box Lacrosse team and British Lacrosse (men’s sixes).
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 [email protected].