Walt Christianson to continue as England men's box Head Coach until 2026

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce that Walt Christianson will continue in his role as the England men’s box team Head Coach, taking him up to at least the end of next year’s 2026 ELF Men’s Championship.

Following last year’s fourth-place finish at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships, Christianson will now continue in his role as Head Coach and begin the team’s preparations as they bid to defend the European title they won for the first time in Hanover, Germany in 2022.

The 2026 Euros will see Christianson’s tenure extend into its ninth year, having taken up the role in 2017, and means he will take charge of the national side at a major tournament for a fifth time.

Born in Rossland, Canada in 1959, Christianson attended the University of Victoria to become a teacher and play college basketball.

When his basketball career didn’t take off, he turned to lacrosse at 19, playing the field game for Victoria Sea Spray and eventually Canada from 1981 to 1984.

Christianson’s huge success, however, came in the box lacrosse format with Victoria Shamrocks as both a player and coach winning the Mann Cup, Canada's National Lacrosse Championship, four times in 1983 and 1999 as a player and 2003 and 2005 as a coach.

As coach of the Shamrocks, Christianson was named Coach of the Year in the Western Lacrosse Association in 1990 and 2002, and was named Sport BC's Coach of the Year in 2006.

After stepping down as Head Coach of Victoria Shamrocks in 2011, he took up a coaching role in their junior set-up before, after retiring from a career in teaching in 2016, crossing the Atlantic to become England Head Coach in 2017 ahead of that year’s European Championship.

At that tournament in Turku, Finland, England won four games and finished fifth before Christianson lead England to the 2019 World Lacrosse Box Championship in Langley, Canada.

In his home country, Christianson helped England to fourth place after a memorable bronze medal game against USA finished 11-8 to the North Americans.

Off the back of becoming the highest placed European team at the 2019 World Championship, England were one of the favourites heading into the 2022 European Championship in Hanover, Germany and they didn’t disappoint.

Six wins from six, including an enthralling 13-12 semi-final win against 2017 finalists Czechia, meant England, with Christianson at the helm, lifted their first piece of major silverware.

Last year’s 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships once again saw England finish fourth, and as the highest ranked European side, impressively with an all-domestic defensive line for the first time in history.

With a win percentage of 51.9% in major tournaments as England Head Coach, Christianson is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the world and, having helped shape the box lacrosse programme in England up to this point, we’re looking forward to see what the next year or so will bring.

Walt Christianson said:

“I’m excited to be continuing as England Head Coach as we look to defend our European title next year!

“Since I took up the role in 2017, box lacrosse in England has grown exponentially with the men’s national side cementing their position as one of the best European sides and fourth best in the world.

“I can’t wait to continue with the project, helping to further grow the game in England and improving home-grown players during the next year.”

SEMLA to host two coaching seminars with guest speaker Walt Christianson

England men’s box lacrosse team Head Coach Walt Christianson has been announced as the headline act as the South of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (SEMLA) hosts two coaching seminars later this month.

The seminars are aimed at coaches and those interested in coaching but anyone from any background is welcome at the sessions in London and the Midlands.

The first seminar will be held at Spencer Lacrosse Club, London on Monday 28 April with Christianson being joined by Head of Lacrosse at Putney High and England Lacrosse Aspire Programme Coach, Emilie Ellston, and Head of Lacrosse at North London Collegiate and England Men’s U20 Assistant Coach, Corey Carver.

The second session will take place the following day on Tuesday 29 April at Nuneaton Lacrosse Club where Christianson will once again be on the panel along with Nuneaton Coach Chris White and England women’s box lacrosse team Assistant Coach, Millie Geddes.

Alongside the formal seminar sessions, there will also be a question and answer session with individuals able to submit questions to panel members prior to the event by emailing SEMLA President Rob Gooch on [email protected].

SEMLA Coaching Seminar Schedule

Walt Christianson, Emilie Ellston, & Corey Carver | Monday 28 April | Spencer Lacrosse Club | 7pm-9pm (doors open at 6pm).

Walt Christianson, Chris White, & Millie Geddes | Tuesday 29 April | Nuneaton Lacrosse Club | 7pm-9pm (doors open at 6pm).

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Women's box players invited to training session led by Walt Christianson

The England men’s box lacrosse team is inviting women’s box players to their training session on Sunday 27 April ahead of the 2025 E-Box and ShE-Box Invitational events, with men’s Head Coach Walt Christianson set to be in attendance.

Taking place at the Oxford Academy Dome from 12pm-4pm, the session will run separate men’s and women’s groups working the same drills and activities with scrimmages played over short periods alternating between the two groups.

The hugely experienced England men’s team Head Coach Walt Christianson will be attending and leading the session imbibing some of his wealth of knowledge to participants.

Under his tutelage, England has risen from fifth in Europe to fourth in the world, winning a first European Championship title in 2022 along the way.

Priced at just £15 per person (payable on the day), the session is the perfect opportunity for women’s box players to learn from one of the best coaches in the world.

Players will need to supply their own box lacrosse equipment and should email [email protected] to confirm their attendance ahead of the session.

Walt Christianson names 23-player England squad for 2025 E-Box Invitational

England men’s box lacrosse team Head Coach Walt Christianson has named his 23-player squad heading to Prague, Czechia for the 2025 E-Box Invitational from 2-4 May.

The squad features four players who represented England at last year’s World Lacrosse Box Championships, including captain and most capped player Tom Roche, all-time top goal-scorer Lyndon Bunio, Elliot Leonard, and Ollie Allsop.

Will Allsop and George Dury return to an England squad for the first time since the E-Box Invitational last year after narrowly missing out on final spots in the World Championship squad; Allsop has 17 caps and a European title to his name while Dury has won five caps during his career so far.

Ben Stowe will add to his three England caps during the 2025 E-Box Invitational as the only goalie in the squad after also last featuring for his country at last year’s E-Box Invitational.

Christianson and his coaching team see this year’s E-Box Invitational as the perfect opportunity to help develop the wider England box playing pool as preparations tentatively begin to defend the European Championship title next year with 16 of the 22-strong squad having never played a competitive game for England before.

England will take on long-term European rivals Czechia B/U20 and Germany during the three-day tournament as well as a first competitive fixture against Japan.

The England squad has two training sessions on Sunday 6 April in Sheffield and Sunday 27 April in Oxford before the squad leave for Prague on Thursday 1 May. Players not within the E-Box squad are welcome to attend the sessions with 50% off the entry fee for non-squad players.

Founded in 2015, the annual E-Box Invitational aims to provide international box lacrosse teams with the opportunity to play full, competitive games against various opponents from across the continent outside of major international tournaments.

There are no winners, no points, and no trophies with the goal being the games themselves as well as gaining experience and making new friends.

England has entered a team into the E-Box competition at three of the past three editions (2019, 2023, 2024).

Previous editions of the event have been live streamed and can be re-watched HERE.

England 2025 E-Box Invitational Squad (caps)

Ollie Allsop (5)
Will Allsop (17)
Lyndon Bunio (20)
Archie Carr
Oliver Dawson
Sebastian Di Siena
George Dury (5)
Harry Edwards
Nathan Edwards
Joseph Hodgkins
Ollie Lee
Elliot Leonard (19)
Ryan Martin
Oscar McCarthy
James McIlhagger
George Medd
Jack O’Mahoney
Travis Payne
Tom Roche (39)
Jack Robinson
Ben Stowe (3)
Finn Ward
Kristien Warren

Reserves
Kyle MacQueen (3)
Tyler Rodberg

Staff

Walt Christianson | Head Coach
Rob Ingham Clark | Assistant Coach
Cai Jefferies | Assistant Coach
Pete Wilson | Assistant Coach
Merrisa Heraldson | Physiotherapist
Rob Gooch | Team Manager

England 2025 E-Box Invitational Schedule (all times UK)

Friday 2 May | England v Czechia B/U20 | 3pm
Saturday 3 May | England v Germany | 6pm
Sunday 4 May | England v Japan | 5pm

England star Katie Greenwood to coach at 2025 Triple Arrow Camp

Triple Arrow Camps has announced that England field and box star Katie Greenwood will be a Lead Coach at the 2025 Cheltenham Ladies’ College Plus+ Camp, taking place from Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 April.

Greenwood brings a wealth of experience to Triple Arrow Camps having played in three major tournaments with England across two disciplines: she was England’s field goalie at the 2019 ELF Women’s Championship and 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship and appeared in the offence at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships.

An experienced Sixes Lacrosse player, Greenwood is also a part of the British Lacrosse training squad, representing them at the 2022 World Games, and has appeared in two seasons of The Fly Sixes Lacrosse League (2021 & 2024).

Initially a midfielder, the 33-year-old transitioned to the cage during high-school which continued through to college, first at St. Mary’s College before taking a year off during her sophomore year and transferring to Florida Southern.

It was at Florida Southern that Greenwood really honed her goal-keeping skills and was named a two-time NCAA DII All-American and Goalie of the Year.

Following college, and after turning down offers to try out for the American professional women’s league and the USA national side, she began coaching at her old school St. Mary’s College before eventually moving to England.

In 2017, after that year’s World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in England, Greenwood was persuaded by a friend to try out for the England senior national team and since then has never looked back becoming an integral part of the national team set-up and helping to mentor up-and-coming goalies like Emilie Chandler and Dylan Whittington in the process.

Greenwood is the first coach to be announced on the 2025 Triple Arrow Camps programme and will have an all-round coaching focus, although any goalies attending the camp will have the opportunity for one-to-one time with her.

The 2025 Triple Arrow Plus+ Camp is for the true lacrosse lovers and allows campers to be immersed in a full lacrosse learning environment.

In addition to the typical top-class coaching you would expect from a Triple Arrow Camp administered by the National Governing Body, the Plus+ Camp is specifically tailored to help young athletes improve their game with expert sessions around strength & conditioning (S&C), nutrition, and recovery using the state-of-the-art health and fitness facilities at Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

Plus+ offers campers a range of sessions delivered by our experienced coaches including small-sided games, positional skills, transition and overload, inside S&C, and much much more.

In addition to access to both grass and artificial playing surfaces on site, Cheltenham Ladies’ College boasts two sports halls, a climbing wall, a refurbished 25m swimming pool, a multi-purpose activity studio and 58-station fitness gym with free weights, spin, and rowing areas for camp access.

For the Triple Arrow Plus+ Camp, there are both residential and day places available from £402.50 with residential campers having access to all the available facilities at Cheltenham Ladies’ College alongside scheduled activities following their evening meal each night.

Vacancy | England women's box team Head Coach

England Lacrosse is looking to appoint an inspirational and highly professional individual as the second-ever women’s box lacrosse team Head Coach following last year’s inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships.

As the organisation seeks to build on the incredible achievements of our women’s box team at the 2024 World Championships in Utica, New York, where the team placed fifth, the next major assignment will be to consolidate our unofficial position as Europe’s leading team at the inaugural Women’s Box European Championship scheduled for summer 2026.

The successful Head Coach candidate will have the opportunity to shape and evolve a performance culture providing players with an environment in which they can thrive in pursuit of individual and collective excellence.

They will be responsible for leading the coaching strategy and delivery, along with the development and implementation of plans for a programme to prepare athletes to compete on the international stage and perform consistently to the highest standards required.

Comfortable working with elite athletes, the ideal candidate will also be adept at managing and working collaboratively with a team of staff to achieve maximum output from available resources. 

The Head Coach will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager in overseeing the strategy, standards, and ongoing direction of the programme and ensuring the overall culture of the programme is aligned with England Lacrosse’s vision and values.

For more information about the role, download the role description HERE.

Please note, this role is voluntary with reasonable and necessary expenses provided.

How to apply:

To apply for this position please email the following documents to Abi Merrill at [email protected]:

· Cover Letter highlighting your motivation for the post and relevant experience (500 words max.).
· Up to date CV.
· Complete Equalities monitoring form, via this link: Equalities Monitoring Form

Responsible to: National Performance Manager

Application closing date:  Sunday 9 March

Vacancy | England women's box team Team Manager

England Lacrosse is looking to appoint a dedicated and hard-working individual as the women’s box Team Manager following last year’s inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships.

As the organisation seeks to build on the incredible achievements of our women’s box team at the 2024 World Championships in Utica, New York, where the team placed fifth, the next major assignment will be to consolidate our unofficial position as Europe’s leading team at the inaugural Women’s Box European Championship scheduled for summer 2026.

The Team Manager will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager and England women’s box team Head Coach in overseeing the planning, logistics and financial monitoring of the programme and ensuring the overall culture of the programme is aligned with England Lacrosse’s vision and values.

They will be responsible for providing the highest quality of communication to players to ensure that they are at all times informed regarding the expectations of the programme.  They will execute planning and delivery of the operational/logistical needs of the programme whilst monitoring and reporting the ongoing finances for the squad. 

They will also hold responsibility towards ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of individual players is a priority to this programme.

For more information about the role, download the full role description HERE.

Please note, this role is voluntary with reasonable and necessary expenses provided.

How to apply:

To apply for this position please email the following documents to Abi Merrill at [email protected]:

· Cover Letter highlighting your motivation for the post and relevant experience (500 words max.).
· Up to date CV.
· Complete Equalities monitoring form, via this link: Equalities Monitoring Form

Responsible to: National Performance Manager

Application closing date:  Sunday 9 March

England discover 2025 E-Box Invitational opponents

The England men’s box lacrosse team has discovered its opponents for the upcoming 2025 E-Box Invitational event taking place from 2-5 May in Prague, Czechia.

In their first competitive fixtures since finishing fourth at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, USA, England will take on Czechia B/U20, Germany, and Japan in the annual exhibition of box lacrosse.

Czechia and Germany both boast impressive box lacrosse programmes highlighted by their respective third and second placed finishes at the 2022 Euros in Hanover, Germany.

Over the past 20 years, Japan have had an exponential rise within the world of lacrosse and have finished in their highest ever placings at the recent 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship (field, 5th) and 2022 World Games (sixes, 3rd).

Their box lacrosse programme is still in its fledgling stage but an impressive eighth place finish at last year’s World Championships shows they have ambitions to break the top six in this format of the game too.

Founded in 2015, the annual E-Box Invitational aims to provide international box lacrosse teams with the opportunity to play full, competitive games against various opponents from across the continent outside of major international tournaments.

There are no winners, no points, and no trophies with the goal being the games themselves as well as gaining experience and making new friends.

England has entered a team into the E-Box competition at three of the past four editions (2019, 2023, 2024).

In 2022, a women’s event, entitled ShE-Box, was introduced with five teams from across Europe taking part and in 2023 the first ever English team, SBL Ravens, entered; 2024 saw England’s first ever women’s national side enter where they won four of their five games.

Previous editions of the event have been live streamed and can be re-watched HERE.

2025 E-Box Invitational England Men’s Schedule (all times UK)

Friday 2 May | England v Czechia B/U20 | 3pm | Radotín
Saturday 3 May | England v Germany | 6pm | Malešice
Sunday 4 May | England v Japan | 5pm | Radotín

England men's box team's Corey Small hits 400 NLL goals

The England men’s box team attacker Corey Small reached a huge 400 career National Lacrosse League goals with a hat-trick for Toronto Rock in a 10-11 defeat to San Diego Seals on Saturday.

An elder statesman in the team at 37-years-old, Small currently sits fourth in the top points-scorers table for Toronto Rock this season with 20 (nine goals and 11 assists).

Originally selected by Edmonton Rush in the first round of draft picks in the 2009 NLL Draft, Small made his NLL debut over 15 years ago on 15 Januray 2010 against Washington Stealth where he scored his first NLL goal and assist.

Since then, Small’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary and 241 points (102 goals and 139 assists) in 70 games across four seasons for Rush earned him a move to Vancouver Stealth midway through the 2015 season.

Another 349 points (148 goals and 201 assists) in 70 games over three seasons followed including an incredible 2017 season where he bagged 117 points in just 19 games.

Small moved from Canada to USA ahead of the 2019 season to join Buffalo Bandits where he recorded 126 points (62 goals and 64 assists) over two seasons that also included the shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic.

A single season in Philadelphia with Wings in 2021/2022 (66 points: 30 goals and 36 assists) was followed by a return to his homeland in 2022 as he was snapped up as a free agent by Toronto Rock where he returned 91 points (45 goals and 46 assists) last season.

Small made his England debut at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, USA where he scored 12 points (six goals and six assists) in five games as England finished fourth.

England men's box team search for potential new players ahead of 2025 E-Box invitational

The England men’s box lacrosse team is on the hunt for the stars of the future as they gear up for next year’s 2026 European Box Lacrosse Championship.

After finishing fourth at last year’s 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships, the team is now looking for potential England players to join them at their next set of training sessions.

The ideal players would have relevant box experience or be young up and coming athletes with the potential to become elite box players such as those currently in the England Lacrosse Aspire Programme.

England’s immediate focus is putting together a squad to compete at the annual E-Box Invitational event in Prague, Czechia.

Taking place from 2-5 May, the E-Box event is an excellent way to develop young or inexperienced England players, giving them a taste of high-level competitive box lacrosse, ahead of the start of the road to the 2026 Euros.

Currently, there are four England training sessions scheduled before the E-Box event with a 20-player squad being selected for the competition after the session on Sunday 16 February in Sheffield.

Those interested in trying out for the 2025 E-Box Invitational squad should attend one or both of the training sessions in January and February with two additional sessions in April.

Sessions are open to all players who are eligible to play for England, including players who do not want to be considered for the E-Box squad but want to train with the England Box Programme.

Training Schedule

Sunday 26 January | Oxford (12pm-4pm)
Sunday 16 February | Sheffield (4pm-7pm)
Sunday 6 April | Venue TBC (Times TBC)
Sunday 27 April | Oxford (Times TBC)

To sign up, simply click the button below and complete the form.

Players drafted for SBL's 2024/25 Winter Box League

154 players have been placed in the four men’s and three women’s teams for Southern Box Lacrosse’s (SBL) upcoming 2024/25 Winter Box League that begins on Sunday 8 December and runs until Sunday 12 January.

Knights, Hornets, Steelheads, and Capitals have been allocated 21 players each while Blaze, Ravens, and Jaguars have been given 23 each with a number of protected players from last year’s competition in the squads.

Almost 30 players across the teams took to the floor for England at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, USA where the men and women secured respective fourth and fifth placed finishes.

In the women’s competition, a number of traditional field lacrosse stars, who have had huge success in the sixes version of the sport in competitions like The Fly or for British Lacrosse, have made the leap over to box including England’s Minty Loxton, Emma Savage, Torz Anderson, and Anna Neville.

The 2024/25 Winter Box League season begins on Sunday 8 December at the Oxford Academy 3G Dome with five games across the men’s and women’s competitions.

Knights will be hunting for a third successive Winter Box League title in the men’s event while, in the women’s tournament, Blaze will be hopping to back up their inaugural win last year with another strong performance in 2024/25.

For more information about SBL and the Winter Box League, click HERE.

2024/25 Winter Box League Squads

Knights

Juliusz Bokiej
Oliver Dawson
Harry Edwards
Nathan Edwards (P)
Benjamin Goodfellow
Alex Graham
Joseph Hodgkins
Connor Macmillan
Kyle MacQueen (2)
Dan Martin
Sam Morten
Jack Nichols
Ben Page-Laycock (1)
Jim Parry
Sean Paton
Eliot Pugh (P, G)
Tom Roche (P)
Tyler Rodberg (3)
Daniel Tapec
Will Walker (P)
Albert Whitehead (P)

Coaches | Tom Roche, Johnny Goodfellow

Hornets

Ollie Allsop
Will Allsop (2)
Jacob Brindle (P, G)
Archie Carr
Ben Collins (P)
Toby Deans
Taylor Harrison (P)
Alfie Lee
Ollie Lee
Ryan Martin (1)
Stuart McGregor Dallas (G)
James McIlhagger (3)
Matthew Morgan
Vimal Raval
Thomas Riley
Kane Roderique-Walker
James Small
Pete Smith
James Stansbury
Ming Trinh
James Walker

Coaches | Car Jefferies, Jane Lee

Steelheads

Charlie Albuery (G)
George Bascom (P)
Ben Buchanan (P)
Tom Bracegirdle (1)
Jorel Doherty
Danny Fagan
Thom Gilbrook (3)
James Goldsmith
Seb Grant
Dale Haxton
Patrick Kearney
Jacob Lynch
Paul Milner
Daniel Milson
Iain Murray (P)
Billy Rawlins (2)
Peter Shepherd
Ben Stowe (P, G)
Andy Thomas (P)
Scott Wallace
Ben Young

Coaches | Sean Gibson, Conor Dockery

Capitals

Alex Cooper
Primal Andrew Fernando
Valts Grinsbergs
Dave Groves (G)
Noah Gurzenski (G)
Jan-Oscar Huges
Alan Keeley (P)
Alex Kelly
Andrew Leggett
Connor MacDougall (1)
Cameron Major (1)
Jacob Nichols Cook (3)
Jack O’Mahoney (2)
Anthony Onwuli
Travis Payne (P)
Jamie Powell (P)
Joe Robertson
Ciaran Sinclair
Lyndon Stewart
Thomas Vasquez (2)
Ben Wilson

Coaches | Rob Clark, Lyndon Stewart, Lyndon Bunio

Blaze

Catherine Brightwell-Gibbons
Harriet Brooks
Emily Ann Byrne
Sophie Cara
Emily Chong
Davina Emetulu
Lucy Ford
Isla Hutchinson
Meredith Ingham Clark
Millie Johnson
Issy Keane
Rachel Kewin
Lauren Lewis (2)
Alice Loughran (G)
Minty Loxton
Tiffany McIntire
Frances Parshall (3)
Helena Prettyman
Lilliana Rosales
Georgie Rutter
Emma Savage
Erin Tufnell
Lily Tyler
Jenny Wood

Coaches | Rob Ingham Clark, Lyndon Stewart

Ravens

Annabelle Akintoye
Torz Anderson
Laura Beaman (2)
Phoebe Blakeley-Crewe
Heather Cegla
Anna Farmer
Natasha Gage
Alice Gallagher Boyden
Hannah Gillings
Molly Goldsworthy
Georgie Greenwood
Katie Greenwood
Alys Johns
Claudia Lane
Harriet Mann
Lucy Mayers (G)
Maeve McKenny
Sophie Morrill (3)
Anna Neville
Lexi Reynard
Paige Rushton
Emily Georgia Watkins
Hannah Warren

Coaches | Iain Murray, Eliot Pugh

Jaguars

Alice Balchin
Darcey Bance
Corinne Batho-Newton
Rosie Bathurst
Amy Bolton
Esme Breach
Danielle Costello
Tara Dempsey
Alex Drewe (1)
Tilly Goldsworthy
Steph Grimes
Lauren Hurley
Rosie Jones
Jane Lee (2)
Bea Podger
Tabby Podger (G)
Ellie Racle (3)
Kate Russell
Zara Russell
Katya Smith
Laura Wright
Gabby Wroe
Emma Wu

Coaches | Millie Geddes, Albert Whitehead

Key | (P) = Protected Player, (G) = Goalie, (1) = 1st Round Draft Pick, (2) = 2nd Round Draft Pick, (3) = 3rd Round Draft Pick.

Play in SBL's 2024/25 Winter Box League

Southern Box Lacrosse (SBL) has opened the player draft ahead of the 2024/25 Winter Box League taking place across four competition days in December and January.

Prospective men’s and women’s players have until 6pm on Sunday 17 November to register for the draft by completing the registration form and paying the £10 draft entry fee that will be refunded if not successful in the draft.

If successful, each player will be required to buy a £20 game pass for each game day they are involved in with the total cost to play in Winter Box League the same as in 2023/24 at £90.

The minimum age for the men’s competition is 18 while the minimum age for the women’s tournament is 16 and all players must hold a valid England Lacrosse membership and not be serving any domestic competition suspension over the period of the Winter Box League season.

Once the registration period closes, the draft will take place during the week commencing Monday 18 November where players will be distributed between the four men’s and two women’s teams.

Player Draft and Team Selection Rules:

• Team coaches may draft up to 25 players per team.

• Team coaches may protect a number of players from their 2023/24 squad. Such players pay the entry fee but cannot be selected by another team. The number of protected players for this season will be agreed in consultation with the Team Coaches.

• A player may decline protection and enter the draft as a free agent. In this scenario, the Team Coach can choose a different player to protect.

• A Team Coach or Team Manager who was a player for a different team last season may be one of the protected players for the team they are coaching or managing this season.

• The competition draft shall use a sequential draft with the pick order as per last year’s results. 

• Players not drafted will receive a refund of their £10 entry fee.

• The maximum size of a game day squad is 18 runners and up to two goalies, as per World Lacrosse box lacrosse playing rules.

• Players selected to be dressed for a game day will be required to purchase a £20 game pass from the SBL online store before midday on the game day. Players who have not purchased a game pass will not be permitted to play in the game.

• The SBL executive reserves the right to consider exceptional circumstances to the above rules.

Please note, SBL will be following England Lacrosse safeguarding good practice guidance.

2024/25 Winter Box League game dates are 8 Dec, 15 Dec, 5 Jan & 12 Jan. Subject to final game scheduling, games will commence at 12:30, 14:30 and 16:30. 

Equipment Hire

SBL has a limited supply of box lacrosse equipment that they will endeavour to make available to players to hire. The player application form captures details of those who wish to hire equipment.

Coaching applications open for SBL's Winter Box League

Applications are now open for Team Coaches for the 2024/25 Southern Box Lacrosse (SBL) Winter Box League season.

Taking place over four Sundays in December 2024 and January 2025, SBL’s Winter Box League is entering its third season and will follow a similar format to last year’s competition; two women’s teams (Ravens and Blaze) will take on each other in the women’s league and four men’s teams (Capitals, Knights, Steelheads, and Hornets) will take part in the men’s league.

Each Team Coach will be responsible for selecting and coaching players throughout the 2024/25 Winter Box League, including during the draft process and competition days, and setting the standard for commitment, professionalism, and integrity for their team.

The Team Coach is expected to be available for each game day and will receive a £40 match fee plus up to £25 in travel at 40p per mile for each game day attended; it is recommended that the Team Coach is not a player-coach.

Team Coaches are responsible for recruiting a Team Manager, who will also receive a £40 match fee plus up to £25 in travel at 40p per mile for each game day attended.

Supporting the Team Coaches, Team Managers will be the primary contact with the league management team and their squad, and ensure the Winter Box League and their team are promoted in a professional manner on social media. Team Managers will also be responsible for team equipment, such as playing jerseys. Although preferable, the Team Manager does not need to attend each game day.

Applicants must have a valid England Lacrosse membership, be over the age of 18 at the time of application, not currently serving any form of suspension issued by a regional association or England Lacrosse, and hold a valid coaching qualification recognised by England Lacrosse of at least Coaching Field Lacrosse (Level 2).

2024/25 Winter Box League competition days:

•  Sunday 8 December 2024

•  Sunday 15 December 2024

•  Sunday 5 January 2025

•  Sunday 12 January 2025

All games will be held at the Oxford Academy 3G Dome, OX4 6JZ. 

To apply, email [email protected] with the following information:

• Full name.

• Contact email and telephone number.

• England Lacrosse membership number.

• Any previous affiliation or preference for a Winter Box League team, including if you have a preference to work with a men’s or women’s team.

Applications close at midnight on Sunday 3rd November 2024.

The SBL Winter Box League management team will review applications and contact applicants within five working days of applications closing.

For more information, visit the Southern Box Lacrosse website HERE.

Valiant England suffer bronze medal match defeat to Haudenosaunee to finish fourth

A valiant performance in the bronze medal match saw England finish fourth at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships despite a 14-5 defeat to Haudenosaunee on Saturday.

Corey Small scored two while Ben Buchanan, Tom Roper, and Jack Royer all scored one as England finished fourth for the second consecutive World Championships.

After five games that had yielded one win (13-8 against Czechia), England started the bronze medal match with intent and, despite an early Haudenosaunee goal after 25 seconds, managed to keep their opponents relatively quiet throughout the first quarter, having seven shots on goal in the process.

Two more goals for Haudenosaunee late in the first quarter from Thomas Hoggarth and Larson Sundown saw England go in at the break looking to overturn a three-goal deficit.

And England came out fighting with goals from Buchanan and Small putting their team within one goal of the men in purple.

A world-class defensive performance from England kept Haudenosaunee to just one goal during the whole second quarter through Travis Longboat, seeing the score at 4-2 going into half-time.

So many games of box lacrosse are won and lost in the third quarter and this 15 period proved tricky for an England side with a never-say-die attitude.

Lyle Thompson and Tehoka Nanticoke showed their quality to put Haudenosaunee 6-2 up after 34 minutes before Small added his second of the game to pull England within three.

Four more goals for Haudenosaunee before the third quarter break courtesy of Hoggarth, Randy Staats, Sundown, and Nanticoke saw the opposition take a seven goal lead into the final 15 minutes.

England weren’t done yet, however, and Royer hit a fourth for his team 50 seconds after the restart to give England some hope of chasing down their opponents.

Haudenosaunee, who had never finished lower than second in this competition, finished with a flourish, scoring four through Longboat, Thompson (2), and Trey Deere to effectively seal the victory for their side.

England did have the last laugh though as Roper scored a fifth with just over three minutes to go but it wasn’t to be on the day and England had to settle for fourth.

England 5-14 Haudenosaunee (0-3, 2-1, 1-6, 2-4)

England scorers: Corey Small (2G, 1A), Jack Royer (1G, 1A), Ben Buchanan (1G), Tom Roper (1G), Lyndon Bunio (1A), Elliot Leonard (1A), Cam MacLeod (1A), Matt Marsh (1A)

England secure fifth spot at inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships

England secured an historic fifth spot with a 14-13 victory over Germany at the inaugural 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York, USA on Saturday.

Five goals from the ever-dependable Alex Drewe, who finished the tournament as the fifth highest points scorer, as well as an incredible winner two minutes from time from Rosie Bathurst saw England over the line in the fifth-place game.

England couldn’t have asked for a better start as they stormed into a four-goal lead after just two and a half minutes thanks to goals from Lucy Ford, Katie Greenwood, and Alex Drewe (2).

Germany were not to be underestimated, however, and stunned England with five goals in reply from Lisa Neubert, Theresa Geissinger (2), Toni Garbe, and Kim Dressendörfer to see them take a 5-4 lead.

Iandra Lamplugh, one of England’s stand-out performers throughout the competition, halted Germany’s goal rush with a fifth for England but it was the team from mainland Europe who would go in at quarter-time with the lead after two quick-fire goals from Laura Delker and Sinem Ünlü put them 7-5 up.

England started the second quarter quickly with Leah Catton adding her name to the scoresheet after two minutes and, despite an eighth Germany goal through Tessa Helf, England were able to levell up the game with goals from Ellie Racle and Laura Wright.

With five and a half minutes until half-time, Germany pulled themselves back in front at 9-8 through Garbe, which is how it remained until the break.

After a quiet opening 12 minutes of the third quarter that yielded no goals, Helf made England’s job all the more difficult with a 10th and 11th goal for Germany either side of an England goal from Racle before Garbe added a 12th as the third quarter came to an end.

England had it all to do heading into the final 15 minutes three goals down at 12-9 but an exceptional four-goal run that saw strikes from Laura Beaman and three from Drewe helped them into 13-12 lead with five minutes to go.

Five minutes is a long time to hold onto a lead in box lacrosse and Helf levelled up for Germany with her fourth of the game with three and a half to go.

With the game seemingly on a trajectory towards sudden-death over-time, up stepped Bathurst with just over two minutes left to fire a 14th in for England who were able to to defend the lead and take the victory to become the fifth best side in the world and highest ranked European team at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships.

England 14-13 Germany (5-6, 3-3, 1-3, 5-1)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (5G, 2A), Laura Beaman (1G, 4A), Iandra Lamplugh (1G, 3A), Lucy Ford (1G, 2A), Ellie Racle (2G), Rosie Bathurst (1G, 1A), Leah Catton (1G, 1A), Katie Greenwood (1G, 1A), Laura Wright (1G), Annabelle Akintoye (1A), Lexi Reynard (1A).

England taken to Church in World Championship semi-final defeat

Robert Church scored five for Canada despite a positive performance from England in a 20-3 semi-final defeat at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Friday.

Jack Royer continued his excellent goal-scoring record during the competition with two more goals, taking his total tally to nine.

Albert Whitehead scored a fortunate third for England in the fourth quarter as his team look to regroup ahead of the bronze medal game against Haudenosaunee on Sunday morning.

Having reached a second successive World Lacrosse Box Championships semi-final, it was always going to be a tough ask for England to come close to a side who have never lost a match in this competition in 21 years.

England started positively, however, and managed to keep a free-scoring Canada to five goals in the first quarter.

Another two goals from Canada were followed quickly in the second quarter before Royer fired in for England’s first of the game.

England had their most successful period in the game at this point with Royer netting a second for his team on a power play to put the scores at 8-2.

Canada’s response to England’s two goals was to amp up their performance and so they went on an 11-goal scoring run over the second, third, and fourth quarters to effectively seal the victory.

Whitehead claimed a third for England with less than eight minutes to go after his shot ricocheted off the Canada goalie and into the back of the net but Church had the last laugh as he netted his fifth and Canada’s 20th with six minutes to play.

Canada will take on USA for another chance to be crowned world champions on Sunday while England take on Haudenosaunee in the bronze medal game at 00:15am on Sunday morning.

England 3-20 Canada (5-0, 5-2, 7-0, 3-1)

England scorers: Jack Royer (2G), Albert Whitehead (1G), Ollie Allsop (1A), Dan Watson (1A).

Luck of the Irish runs out as England progress to fifth-place game

England will fight for fifth place on Saturday after an 11-6 victory over Ireland in their play-in game at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Friday.

Alex Drewe, Leah Catton, Iandra Lamplugh, and Katie Greenwood scored a brace each to ensure England can finish as high as fifth-place in their first ever major tournament.

The game started slowly with both teams starting to feel the effects of playing six games in seven days but it was England who eventually broke the deadlock after six minutes when Iandra Lamplugh struck to put her team 1-0 up.

A slow first quarter was followed by a more lively second and within two minutes England were three goals ahead after strikes from Catton and Greenwood.

Briar Slattery managed to get Ireland on the scoresheet five minutes into the second quarter before England went on a three-goal scoring run with Drewe, Beaman, and Catton all increasing England’s lead.

With one second to go before half-time, Ireland claimed a second through Julia Ruscio but it was England who would return to the floor in the third quarter the most dominant, scoring three more courtesy of Beaman, Greenwood, and Drewe to see the score at 9-2.

Ireland never gave up hope of a comeback, however, and, with England tiring, they began to get more and more into the game with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Four goals without reply from Ireland through Haley Price (2), Ruscio, and Gillian Smith saw England’s close rivals come to within three goals.

But Lamplugh and Georgie Rutter put the team in green to bed with two goals in the final eight minutes to secure England’s spot in the fifth-place game.

England 11-6 Ireland (1-0, 5-2, 3-3, 2-1)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (2G, 4A), Leah Catton (2G, 3A), Laura Beaman (2G, 2A), Iandra Lamplugh (2G, 2A), Lucy Ford (4A), Katie Greenwood (2G, 1A), Georgie Rutter (1G, 2A)

England book semi-final date after quarter-final Czechmate

England reached a second successive World Lacrosse Box Championships semi-final after an impressive 13-8 quarter-final win over Czechia on Thursday.

England’s all-time top goal-scorer Lyndon Bunio got off the mark in this 2024 competition with a brilliant hat-trick of goals and newcomer Jack Royer added to his three goal tally with four more as England downed Czechia in a repeat of the 2022 Euros semi-final.

After three games without a win against some of the best teams in the world during the pool stage, a quarter-final against European rivals Czechia was the first real challenge for England and, despite going a goal down early on in the game, the players looked determined from the off.

Royer pulled England level after six minutes and the team never looked back from there: Corey Small, Elliot Leonard, and Ben Buchanan all netting in a superb two-minute spell to put their team 4-1 up.

Tomáš Knotek hit a second for Czechia before quarter-time but England were really clicking and Albert Whitehead alongside two more from Bunio at the start of the second quarter helped England into a commanding 7-2 lead.

Czechia aren’t a team to be sniffed at, however, and they were always likely to have good spells in the game and so they clawed three goals back through Lukáš Kučera, Pavel Srch, and Jan Fišer leaving England with some work still to do at 7-5.

An eighth for England through Royer was followed by a sixth for Czechia from Srch before England really managed to dominate the game once again.

A five-goal run from the European champions that saw Royer (2), Bunio, Watson, and Leonard all score left Czechia seven goals behind and with too much to do with 10 minutes to go in the game.

As the game reached its dying embers, Czechia claimed two consolation goals through Jiří Loskot and Srch but it was England who would progress to the semi-final.

England will take on world champions Canada for a place in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships final at 9pm (UK) today.

England 13-8 Czechia (4-2, 4-3, 3-1, 2-2)

England scorers: Lyndon Bunio (3G, 3A), Jack Royer (4G, 1A), Ben Buchanan (1G, 1A), Elliot Leonard (2G), Corey Small (1G, 3A), Dan Watson (1G, 2A), Albert Whitehead (1G).

England's semi-final dreams quashed in quarter-final defeat to Australia

England’s hopes of a first World Championship semi-final appearance were quashed as they suffered a 19-12 defeat to Australia in Thursday’s quarter-final.

England’s top goal-scorer Alex Drewe bagged another four goals while Lucy Ford and Ellie Racle both hit a brace in a game that ran away from the women in red in the second half.

Unlike in previous games, England got off to a really fast start and were a goal to the good after three and a half minutes when assistant captain Laura Beaman scored.

Katie Hooper pulled Australia level two minutes later but a quick-fire double from Drewe as well as a first for Ford saw England pull 4-1 ahead.

Just before quarter-time Charlotte Whinnen scored a second for the Aussies which only served to propel England further as they pushed for more goals.

And more goals is what they received in the second quarter when Ford, Racle, Sofia Best, and Iandra Lamplugh all scored to put England six goals ahead at 8-2.

Going into half-time, and perhaps a sign of things to come, Emma Green scored two to put Australia within four goals of England.

In a frantic opening nine and a half minutes of the third quarter, Australia hit seven without reply in an incredible turnaround, leaving England chasing the game and three goals behind their opponents.

Drewe scored her hat-trick goal and England’s ninth before Australia went on a five-goal scoring run that left England with just a little bit too much to do towards the end of the fourth quarter.

The ever-reliable Drewe scored her fourth and Racle hit her second either side of four more goals from Australia as the game finished 19-12.

Australia proceed to the semi-finals where they’ll play USA while England have a play-in game against Ireland at 4:30pm (UK) today with a spot in the fifth-place game up for grabs.

England 12-19 Australia (4-2, 4-2, 1-9, 3-6)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (4G, 1A), Lucy Ford (2G, 2A), Laura Beaman (1G, 2A), Iandra Lamplugh (1G, 2A), Sofia Best (1G), Ellie Racle (2G), Lauren Lewis (1G, 1A), Rosie Bathurst (2A), Zara Russell (1A), Georgie Rutter (1A).

Tom Roche becomes England's most capped box player in defeat to Haudenosaunee

Captain Tom Roche became the most capped England box lacrosse player in history and bagged himself a first major tournament goal in England’s 18-2 defeat to Haudenosaunee in their final pool stage match at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Tuesday.

Roche earned his 36th cap of an illustrious box career that has so far seen him compete in three World Championships and two Euros competitions as England took on Haudenosaunee in their own back yard at the Mary C Winder Community Center in the Oneida Indian Nation.

To cap it all off, Roche scored only his second England goal and first at a major tournament after a quick transition saw Tom Hallam feed Roche who was one on one with the Haudenosaunee goalie.

Roche composed himself and slotted into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal from the edge of the crease, much to the delight of Roche, his teammates and the England fans in the arena.

Live on ESPN in the United States and Canada, the Haudenosaunee started quickly against England, finding themselves a goal up after just over a minute through Tehoka Nanticoke.

England were tight defensively after this and were able to pull themselves level with five minutes gone when Jack Royer let rip with England on a power play.

It would be two minutes before another goal was scored but Haudenosaunee eventually broke England down, scoring another three goals before quarter-time.

Another two goals after the break saw Haudenosaunee pull into a 6-1 lead before Roche claimed England’s second five minutes before half-time.

From here, Haudenosaunee showed why they’re one of the best teams in the world as they went on a 12-goal scoring run without reply from England to see the game finish with an 18-2 scoreline.

England will now take on Czechia in a quarter-final match on Thursday with England fans able to watch live on WL TV or follow live updates on the England Lacrosse Instagram page from 6pm (UK).

England 2-18 Haudenosaunee (4-1, 4-1, 5-0, 5-0)

England scorers: Tom Roche (1G), Jack Royer (1G), Tom Hallam (1A), Ben Page-Laycock (1A).