England complete Home Internationals clean sweep with perfect record

England Lacrosse sealed a perfect weekend in Cardiff as all four teams finished with 100% records in their competitions and completed a Home Internationals clean sweep.

A trio of wins on Sunday for both Senior sides and the U20 Women against Wales secured all three competitions up for grabs and U20 Men went two out of two in their weekend of matches with an impressive victory over Scotland Seniors.

England Senior Women came through a testing opener on Day 1; just one goal up at the half-time break having trailed against Scotland, a shut-out second half and 12-goal scoring streak resulted in a comfortable looking 18-5 win.

They then followed this up with a professional 20-1 victory over Czechia before facing hosts Wales looking to finish on a win and retain the Home Internationals.

England went ahead early with three goals in the first 10 minutes, and despite Wales always keeping the game close with strong defence, the result was rarely in doubt, bringing home a 13-7 win.

The England Senior Men’s final match against Wales became a winner takes all affair as both teams had beaten Scotland and Netherlands in their first two contests.

England steamrollered Scotland in their opener, moving 10-0 up at half-time before settling in the second half for a 17-2 scoreline.

This was then followed again by a flying start against Netherlands, going 6-0 up at the 1/4 time to assert dominance over proceedings and never relinquishing their comfortable advantage to come home 14-4.

In the decider, Wales caused a stir by going a goal ahead, but England remained unfazed, consistently working to break down the Welsh defence to find the net scoring four in each of the first two quarters for an 8-1 HT lead, finishing the game 14-2 victors and Men’s Home Internationals champions.

It was a similar situation for our U20 Women as they stamped their authority on the competition with a big 23-5 win against Scotland, followed up by another strong 17-2 victory over guest nation Germany.

This again set up a decider against Wales who proved to be a step up in competition for the side preparing for this summer’s Women’s World U20 Championship.

It was relatively low-scoring with England dominating the ball for large periods but being held out by an organised, physical Welsh defence; England only 5-1 up at the half.

The narrative continued after the break with England never in free scoring mood, but Wales unable to exert little pressure at the attacking end of things and England continued to chip further ahead, ending the match 11-2 ahead.

Meanwhile, a youthful England U20 Men’s side headed to Cardiff for their own international tests against senior opposition.

Their matchup against Netherlands proved to be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as they held their own against their older opponents in a back and forth game that they always managed to just keep in front of, celebrating a hard-fought 10-9 win.

This was then followed up by an impressive 14-5 defeat of Scotland Seniors, even after falling behind early.

Scotland took 3-1 lead into the 1/4 time, but the U20s regrouped, slowly chipping away at the lead to eventually sneak 5-4 up at the half, and took that confidence into the third and fourth quarters where they ran out easy 14-5 winners with a 9-1 second half.

Plenty of player and coach interviews with each of the teams from across the weekend can be found on the England Lacrosse YouTube channel.

Results
Friday 5 April
9am - England U20 W 23-5 Scotland - (7-2; 14-3; 17-4; 23-5)
England Scorers: Annie Mather 5, Freya Moody 3, Emma Pearce 3, Molly Light 2, Millie Cant 2, Nina Sherwen 2, Grace Connor 1, Rachael Ball 1, Charlie Bell 1, Lucy Evans 1, Fiona MacLean 1, Sienna Richardson 1

11am - England Snr W 18-5 Scotland - (2-2; 6-5; 13-5; 18-5)
England Scorers: Ella Cohen (3G, 3A), Georgie Southorn (3G), Lucy Devine (2G, 1A), Liv Wimpenny (2G, 1A), Claire Faram (2G), Tilly Shires (2G), Milly Home (2G), Julie Wise (2G), Emma Savage (2A)

5pm - England Snr M 17-2 Scotland - (6-0; 10-0; 13-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Alex Russell (5G, 1A), Blair Pachereva (4G), Will Goodwin (2G, 1A), Ed Loveland (2G), Dan Madeley (2G), Tom Roper (1G, 1A), Nathan Wilkinson (1G), Joe Baythorpe (2A), George Bascom (1A)

Saturday 6 April 
9am - England U20 W 17-2 Germany - (8-0; 11-1; 15-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Carys Johnson (3G, 2A), Lucy Evans (3G), Lara Renders (2G, 1A), Emma Pearce (2G), Millie Cant (2G), Habi Littlehales (1G, 1A), Ellie Pobjoy (1G, 1A), Honor Ashby (1G, 1A), Freya Moody (1G), Jemma Thomson (1G), Molly Light (2A)

9am - England U20 M 10-9 Netherlands Snr - (3-3; 6-5; 8-7; 10-9)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Jamie Mochan 2, Billy Styche 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Zak Spreckley 1

3pm - England Snr W 20-1 Czechia - (6-0; 8-0; 14-0; 20-1)
England Scorers: Liv Wimpenny (3G, 1A), Milly Home (3G), Ella Cohen (2G, 4A), Georgie Southorn (2G, 2A), Cece Green (2G, 2A), Alice Ripper (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Emma Savage (1G, 1A), Minty Loxton-Barnard (1G), Lucy Devine (1G), Tilly Shires (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-4 Netherlands - (6-0; 9-2; 12-3; 14-4)
England Scorers: Blair Pachereva 3, Nathan Wilkinson 2, Alex Russell 2, Ed Loveland 2, Cam Major 2, Will Goodwin 1, Will Locker 1, Elliott Bickerton 1

Sunday 7 April 
12.30pm - England U20 M 14-5 Scotland Snr - (1-3; 5-4; 9-4; 14-5)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Zak Spreckley 3, Henry Smith 2, Owen Shuttleworth 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Ryan Frayne 1, Jamie Mochan 1

1pm - England U20 W 11-2 Wales - (3-1; 5-1; 9-2; 11-2)
England Scorers: Charlie Bell (5G), Nina Sherwen (2G), Millie Cant (1G), Ella Dimbylow (1G), Grace Connor (1G), Ellie Pobjoy (1G), Habi Littlehales (1A), Bonnie Russell (1A)

3pm - England Snr W 13-7 Wales - (5-2; 8-5; 11-6; 13-7)
England Scorers: Georgie Southorn (4G, 1A), Milly Home (3G, 1A), Tilly Shires (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Liv Wimpenny (1G), Cece Green (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-2 Wales - (4-1; 8-1; 10-1; 14-2)
England Scorers: Blair Pachevera 4, Nathan Wilkinson 3, Joe Baythorpe 2, Will Goodwin 2, Alex Russell 1, Elliott Bickerton 1, Tom Roper 1

Final Standings

Senior Women
1 England
2 Scotland
3 Wales
4 Czechia

Senior Men
1 England
2 Wales
3 Netherlands
4 Scotland

U20 Women
1 England
2 Wales
3 Scotland
4 Germany

England senior men's team revealed ahead of 2024 Home Internationals Series

England Lacrosse is pleased to announced the 20-player England senior men’s squad to compete at the 2024 Home Internationals Series in Cardiff, Wales this weekend.

The competition, taking place from 5-7 April, will see England take on other international sides in the team’s first competitive fixtures since they finished sixth at last year’s 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego, USA.

Since then, Sam Patterson has been appointed the new England Head Coach and he has been tasked with putting together a team capable of competing at the European Championship in 2025.

England will play three matches at the 2024 Home Internationals Series with them taking on Scotland, Netherlands, and Wales.

To buy tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, click HERE.

England Senior Men’s Squad

George Bascom
Joe Baythorpe
Simon Bellamy
Elliott Bickerton
Alex Davidson
Nick DeCaprio
Hal Dwobeng
Daniel Goodwin
William Goodwin
MacGyver Hay
Grady Jackson-Fayle
William Locker
Edward Loveland
Daniel Madeley
Cameron Major
Dave O’Callaghan
Blair Pachereva
Alex Russell
Tom Roper
Nathan Wilkinson

Tickets on sale for 2024 Home Internationals Series

Tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, featuring England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands, Czechia, and hosts Wales are now on sale.

Taking place at the Cardiff University Playing Fields, Cardiff from 5-7 April, the annual Home Internationals Series will see senior, under-20, and under-18 men’s and women’s teams play against each other in a main competition and a festival with the winners in each tournament being crowned 2024 Home Internationals champions.

Tickets start from just £6 for a single day concessions* ticket with two-day passes and full tournament tickets also available.

If you buy before Friday 29th March, you can grab a full tournament pass for the price of two day tickets!

Last year’s competition, held in Nottingham, saw England dominate, winning every trophy on offer, including the senior men’s and women’s titles.

Ticket Details

Full Weekend Adult | £22.25
Full Weekend Concessions | £16.75
Two-Day Ticket Adult | £22.25
Two-Day Ticket Concessions | £16.75
Day Ticket Adult | £11.25
Day Ticket Concessions | £6.00

*Concessions include under 16s, over 65s, and students with a valid student card.

British Lacrosse announces Euro Lax Sixes Cup squads

British Lacrosse has announced its men’s and women’s squads to compete at this year’s Euro Lax Sixes Cup, taking place from 23-25 February in Vila Real De Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal.

The men’s team Head Coach, Tom Wenham, has selected 12 players to make the journey to Portugal, including England’s field 2023 World Championship stars Hal Dwobeng, Drew Bickerton, and Cameron Major.

The squad also includes three of England box’s regular starters and 2022 European Championship winners in Ben Page-Laycock, Matt Tatton, and Ming Trinh.

Indeed, all but one of the 12-player squad has played in The Fly Sixes Lacrosse league with nine of them returning to the competition in 2024.

Women’s Head Coach, Phil Collier, has selected a 14-player squad, with a two-player reserve list, for the Euro Lax Sixes Cup that includes nine players in the current 2024 England senior training squad and four 2022 World Championship bronze medallists.

Every single player in the 16-player wider squad has made an appearance in The Fly Sixes Lacrosse league with 15 of them set to represent one of the four teams once again later this year.

The Euro Lax Sixes Cup is a competition that has yielded some success for British Lacrosse teams over the years with both men’s and women’s teams lifting the inaugural trophies in 2022.

2023 saw British Lacrosse men bring the title home once again after a 25-12 victory over Switzerland in the final.

That year, British Lacrosse women opted not to submit a team with two England teams taking their place instead; England red eventually won the competition after going unbeaten throughout the tournament.

13 teams have been confirmed as taking part in the Euro Lax Sixes Cup this year, including hosts Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Great Britain, and, for the first time, Brazil.

You can keep up to date with all the latest from the 2024 Euro Lax Sixes Cup on Instagram HERE.

Women’s Squad

Torz Anderson
Ella Cohen
Sophy Coombes-Roberts
Claire Faram
Chess Gray
Anna Neville
Emma Oakley
Lottie Robertson
Anna Saunter
Emma Savage
Livy Schellekens
Dylan Whittington
Liv Wimpenny
Sofia Wise

Reserves 

Hannah Whiteley 
Laura Warren

Men’s Squad

Tobias Cleaver-Ross
Hal Dwobeng
Drew Bickerton
Cameron Major
Ben Page-Laycock
Will Prescott
Tom Roper
Matt Tatton
Ming Trinh
George Shonfeld
Will Shirt
Ryan Sweetman

Sam Patterson appointed new England Men's Head Coach

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Patterson as Head Coach of the England Men’s Performance Squad.

Patterson takes charge off the back of a successful coaching career across club, university, and international level, following an equally distinguished playing stint spanning more than 20 years.

Since 2016, he has been Head of Lacrosse at Nottingham Trent University, overseeing the transformation of the institution’s lacrosse programme to firmly establish NTU as one of the top lacrosse programmes in the country.

Patterson has taken the NTU Men’s performance squad to the BUCS National Championship final five years in a row, claiming the title in both 2018 and 2023.

He has also had success with the Women’s performance squad, leading the programme to the top tier of BUCS lacrosse, as well as picking up the BUCS National Trophy in 2022.

In addition to team success on the field, through his time at NTU he has also overseen the individual player development of a number of England internationals and will now pick up those relationships again in his new role.

As a player, Patterson is one of the most decorated players in the history of England Lacrosse.

He represented England in a remarkable four Senior World Championships from 2006-2018, is a three-time European Championship gold medal winner and has won numerous trophies playing for club side Stockport.

Following his international playing career, Patterson soon also transitioned into international level coaching, serving as an Assistant Coach to the Men’s Performance Squad from 2019-2022, building on the experience gained coaching throughout the England Academy system.

Patterson’s first outing following the appointment is set to be at April’s Home Internationals tournament in Cardiff, before looking ahead to the upcoming 2025 European Championships.

Derek Morgan, England Lacrosse National Performance Manager, said: “Sam is a highly respected figure within the English game and following his international playing career, has now proven himself to be one of the most talented coaches around.

“He has significant major tournament experience as a player and has worked as a coach on both our Talent Pathway system and as a senior Assistant Coach to develop his top-level coaching knowledge.

“Additionally, his impressive track record at NTU has demonstrated his ability to create a cohesive, structured programme that has delivered positive results on a consistent basis.

 “The Men’s Performance programme has a strong core of young, talented athletes and we see Sam as someone who will be able to nurture that talent, while also creating a clear vision and identity for the programme moving forward.”

On his appointment, Sam Patterson said: “This is a huge privilege and honour to be given the responsibility to take the England team forward in this exciting time in our sports history.

“This undoubtably will be the biggest challenge in my coaching career to date, but one I am laser focused on ensuring will be a successful period for our national team.

“We are blessed with a fantastic group of players, and I am really excited to start working with them. This is very much a busy time for our players with more lacrosse commitments than ever before, so I will be working in close collaboration with all our national team formats, junior teams, and the academy.

“I also want to convey to the players my first priority is to create the best possible environment for them, give them clarity and buy-in of the process we are about to embark on together, and build a highly competitive team we can all be proud of and get behind ahead of the European Championships, and onward to the World Championships in Japan in 2027.”

Vacancy | England Men's U20 Team Manager

England Lacrosse is looking for an experienced, committed, and enthusiastic Team Manager to support the running of the England men’s under-20 programme.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to manage the programme domestically and in preparation for international fixtures and tours as appropriate within the programme schedule.

The immediate remit will be to conclude planning and delivery of preparations for and participation in this summer’s ELF Men’s U20 Championship in Wroclaw, Poland from 20-28 July.

Beyond this, the role is to deliver an ongoing, long-term development programme to support players’ transition from high potential to high performing members of England Lacrosse’s men’s senior programme.

The Team Manager will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager and England men’s under-20 Head Coach in overseeing the planning, logistics and financial sustainability 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 the planning, logistics and finances for the programme, whilst ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of individual players is managed to ensure they are prepared to compete on the international stage and perform consistently to the highest standards required to achieve sustained success.

The Team Manager should be comfortable working with elite athletes and adept at managing and working collaboratively with a team of staff to achieve maximum output from available resources.

The successful Team Manager will also be required to work closely with the Head Coaches of the other performance programmes in solidifying the synergy and clear progression pathway between the squads.

As with all Team Manager roles, England Lacrosse will be holding a full, open application and interview process with all prospective candidates welcome to apply.

This is a voluntary role with reasonable and necessary expenses provided.

How to apply:

To apply please email the following documents to Abi Merrill at [email protected]

• Cover Letter highlighting your motivation for the post and relevant experience.

• Up to date CV.

• Complete Equalities monitoring form HERE.

For more information about the role, read the Role Description HERE and the Role Advert HERE.

Application closing date: Friday 23 February 2024.

World Lacrosse awards three world championships to Korea and Japan

World Lacrosse today announced the hosting rights to three upcoming world championships, with the 2025 Men’s U20 Championship officially awarded to Korea, and the 2026 Women’s Championship and 2027 Men’s Championship awarded to Japan.

Korea will host its first world championship, as the eighth edition of the men’s U20 championship will be held in mainland Asia for the first time in its history. The event will be held in Seoguipo on Jeju Island from 18-25 July 2025.

Japan hosted the women’s championship in 1997 and as the 12th edition of the event returns to Japan, it joins the United States and England as multi-time hosts. Japan will host the men’s championship for the first time in its 15th edition, and joins a group of Australia, Canada, England and the United States that have hosted both the men’s and women’s championships.

The 2026 and 2027 events in Japan are each expected to take place in July, with a specific location that will host both championships to be announced at a later date. It will mark the first time the men’s and women’s championships have been held in the same city in consecutive years, a sustainable and equitable approach for World Lacrosse events.

World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said:

“We are thrilled to award these championships to Korea and Japan, two of our model members that are both ready to stage world-class events in incredible cities. With our upcoming women’s U20 championship, we will have four championships in four years in Asia, which reflects how the game has grown at a breathtaking speed. I am excited for our global community to experience firsthand why the region is a new epicenter of lacrosse.”

Japan has been a member of World Lacrosse since 1990 and Korea has been a member since 1995. Both organisations were founding members of the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union in 2004, which has grown to 19 members.

Jeju Island is known as “The Honeymoon Island” of Asia, and a hub for Korea’s fast-growing passion for sports and culture. The island is accessible with an international airport and Korea previously hosted the 2017 Asia Pacific Lacrosse Championship in Seogwipo with six men’s teams and five women’s teams competing, as well as the 2022 APLU Qualifier for the 2023 Men’s Championship with six teams in attendance.

Japan has hosted many major international sports events, including recent editions of the Olympic Games and Rugby World Cup in recent years. The country boasts the world’s largest city and exceptional public infrastructure, including transportation, accommodations and a variety of sports facilities, as well as world-famous sightseeing destinations.

The three events will conclude the current four-year cycle of World Lacrosse Championships beginning in 2024 before the sport is contested at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Vacancy | England Senior Men's Head Coach

England Lacrosse is looking for an experienced, committed, and enthusiastic Head Coach to lead the England senior men’s programme initially through to the conclusion of the 2025 ELF Men’s Championship.

The England senior men’s team is currently ranked sixth in the world following this summer’s World Lacrosse Men’s Championship; England’s ambition is to consistently challenge the world’s leading lacrosse nations, as well as to retain their status as European champions.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the England senior men’s programme, including leading the programme at the 2025 ELF Men’s Championship, the annual Home Internationals Series, and other international fixtures and tours as appropriate within the programme schedule.

The Head Coach will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager in driving the strategy, culture, and ongoing direction of the programme in alignment with England Lacrosse’s vision and values.

They will be responsible for leading an integrated support staff, the development and implementation of plans designed to develop the squad, and driving a performance culture to underpin the squad’s ability to compete consistently on the international stage.

Ideally, they should be comfortable working with elite athletes and adept at managing and working collaboratively with a team of staff to achieve maximum output from available resources.  

The successful coach will also be required to work closely with the Head Coaches of the England Men’s under-20 and Boy’s Aspire programmes to solidify the synergy and clear progression pathway between the squads.

As with all coaching roles, England Lacrosse will be holding a full, open application and interview process for the new cycle with all prospective candidates welcome to apply.

The successful candidate must be available to fulfil the following initial commitments, leading domestic training camps on the weekend of 13 & 14 January, 24 & 25 February, and 16 & 17 March along with leading the England senior men’s team at the annual Home Internationals Series in Cardiff on 5, 6, & 7 April 2024.

To read a full job description for the role, click HERE.

How to apply:

To submit an application 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. 
· Up to date CV.
· Complete Equalities monitoring form – via this link. - Equalities Monitoring Form

Responsible to: National Performance Manager and Chief Executive Officer

Application closing date: Friday 8 December

Interviews to be scheduled w/c Monday 11 December

World Anti-Doping Agency release 2024 Prohibited List

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its 2024 Prohibited List. The Prohibited List designates the substances and methods that are prohibited in sport.

Following an extensive consultation period by WADA, the 2024 Prohibited List was published on 27 September 2023. This gives athletes and support personnel sufficient time to make themselves aware of the changes, review any medications they use on Global DRO, and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) if required before the updated List comes into effect on 1 January 2024.

Included on the 2024 List is the substance tramadol which will be banned in-competition from 1 January 2024. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic and is classified as a prescription only medicine in the UK. Tramadol misuse is of concern because of the risks of physical dependence, opiate addiction, and overdose. It has led to it being a controlled drug in many countries. If you are concerned about tramadol misuse, please reach out to England Lacrosse or speak to your doctor prior to the change in status on the 2024 Prohibited List.

Please visit UK Anti-Doping's website HERE to read a full summary of the changes on the 2024 List.

The following resources are also available to read on WADA’s website:

• The full 2024 Prohibited List
• The WADA 2024 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes
• The 2024 Monitoring Program which includes substances not currently on the List but are being monitored by WADA for potential patterns of misuse in sport.

British Lacrosse announce Hong Kong Super Sixes squads

British Lacrosse has named their men’s and women’s squads to compete at the World Lacrosse Super Sixes in Hong Kong, China at the end of the year.

The first squads to be revealed since it was announced that Sixes Lacrosse will feature at the LA28 Olympic Games, both 12-player British Lacrosse teams feature a host of experienced players as well as several up and coming young athletes.

World Lacrosse describes the Hong Kong Super Sixes as the “highest-level world lacrosse sixes format tournament on an international level”, featuring up to 16 teams (eight men's and eight women's) competing in a three-day competition.

The Hong Kong Super Sixes will showcase the Sixes Lacrosse format of the game that features six players on each team, a smaller pitch, fewer pitch markings, and a 30-second shot clock.

Leslie Rance, Chair of British Lacrosse said:

“Firstly, on behalf of the Board, our thanks to all the athletes who participated in the selection process, and congratulations to those chosen to represent British Lacrosse at the Super Sixes Tournament in Hong Kong.

“We are immensely proud of our athletes and wish them the best. With the recent IOC announcement welcoming lacrosse to participate at LA28, our attention is now firmly on qualifying for that tournament.

“International competitions and tournament experience will be a critical part of our preparation and qualification journey. Hong Kong now serves as the first of many stepping stones for our teams with clear Olympic aspirations”

Taking place from 29-31 December in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, the competition marks the start of British Lacrosse’s journey ahead of the Olympic Games in LA in five year’s time.

For more information about British Lacrosse, click HERE.

Men’s Squad

William Baxter
Lyndon Bunio
Hal Dwobeng
Tommy Kirkland
Luke Mills-Doig
Ben Page-Laycock
Hugo Peel
Jamie Powell
Will Prescott
Tomos Rosser
Alex Russell
Will Shirt

Women’s Squad

Emilie Chandler
Zoe Dickson
Chess Gray
Emily Gray
Cece Green
Minty Loxton-Barnard
Emma Oakley
Sienna Parekh
Alice Ripper
Lottie Robertson
Emma Savage
Georgie Southorn

Lacrosse proposed as new sport for 2028 Olympics, pending approval

World Lacrosse has released the following statement after LA28 announced that lacrosse is among the new sports it is proposing to the IOC, for approval during the upcoming IOC Session in Mumbai, India. 

"We are absolutely thrilled and honored by LA28’s decision to propose lacrosse for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games. We are one huge step closer to a monumental milestone for our sport and international community. 

Lacrosse is globally played, accessible and equitable, with a unique origin and modern, youthful relevancy. We are on a path of ascendency, and will be a great partner for LA28 and the IOC. 

Reaching this stage in the process is a testament to the dedication of our players, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators and lacrosse enthusiasts worldwide, who have tirelessly championed our sport. We eagerly await the IOC’s final decision, and look forward to the possibility of lacrosse being showcased on the world's biggest sporting stage, inspiring generations to come." 

Sign up for England Lacrosse membership ahead of the 2023/24 season

England Lacrosse membership is now available to purchase or renew ahead of the upcoming 2023/24 lacrosse season starting in September.

If you were an England Lacrosse member for the 2022/23 season, your membership will expire at 23:59 on 31 August and in order to play, coach, or officiate during the upcoming 2023/24 season, you will need to renew before that date; if you have set your membership to renew automatically, then you are not required to do anything.

If you were not a member last season, simply follow the buttons below to grab yourself an England Lacrosse membership and enjoy these benefits:

• the ability to compete in any England Lacrosse sanctioned event, league, or competition;

• priority access and a discount to all England Lacrosse courses, seminars, and training days;

• priority notification and access to all England Lacrosse events;

• access discounts and special offers from England Lacrosse partners;

• access to funding for lacrosse projects;

• access to the England Lacrosse insurance package.

The prices for England Lacrosse membership for the 2023/24 season are as follows:

• Senior | £39.50 per year

• Junior | £19.75 per year

• Student | £19.75 per year

• Armed Forces | £19.75 per year

• Fan | £6 per year

For more information about England Lacrosse membership for the 2023/24 season, click below.

27 England players announced as part of British Lacrosse men's training squad

27 England players have been named as part of British Lacrosse’s 30-player 2023/24 men’s training squad, including nine players who represented England at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego in June.

The training squad has been chosen by Head Coach, Tom Wenham, alongside Assistant Coaches, Ravi K. Sitlani and Andy Downing as they begin to prepare for the Hong Kong Super Sixes Invitational (26 December 2023 - 1 January 2024).

The latest squad announcement comes after a hugely successful first cycle in 2021/2022 that saw a men’s and women’s team represent Britain at The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, USA for the first time.

In that competition, both the men’s and women’s British Lacrosse teams finished fourth after tight bronze medal matches against Japan and Australia respectively.

The 2023/24 British Lacrosse women’s training squad will be announced in due course once the final selection has been made.

For more information about British Lacrosse and their plans for the future, click HERE.

British Lacrosse 2023/24 Men’s Training Squad (England players in bold)

Jack Allen
William Baxter
Drew Bickerton
Tom Bracegirdle
Lyndon Bunio
Sam Burgess
Tobias Cleaver-Ross
Nick DeCaprio
Hal Dwobeng
Danny Hilditch
Casey Hughes
Ryan Hunns
Elliot Hurry
Jordan Jones-Smith
Tommy Kirkland
Elliot Leonard
Cam Major
Luke Mills-Doig
Ben Page-Laycock
Hugo Peel
Jamie Powell
Will Prescott
Tomos Rosser
Alex Russell
Will Shirt
George Shonfeld
Josh Simpson-Pink
Ryan Sweetman
Matt Tatton
Ming Trinh

British Lacrosse open expressions of interest ahead of 2023/2024 cycle

British Lacrosse has opened its expressions of interest form to all eligible men’s and women’s players ahead of the next Sixes Lacrosse cycle in 2023/2024.

The men’s and women’s British Lacrosse programmes will be assembling training squads from which teams will be selected to travel to the Hong Kong Super Sixes Invitational (26 December 2023 - 1 January 2024) and the EuroLax Sixes Cup (dates TBC).

This comes after a hugely successful first cycle in 2021/2022 that saw a men’s and women’s team represent Britain at The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, USA for the first time.

In that competition, both the men’s and women’s British Lacrosse teams finished fourth after tight bronze medal matches against Japan and Australia respectively.

Looking forward, the 2023/2024 competition cycle gives British Lacrosse a clear short-term focus as they restart their sixes programme and begin their preparation for the 2025 World Games in Cheng Du, China.

Due to the differences in training schedule, the deadline for expressions of interest for the women’s programme in 1 August 2023 while the deadline for the men’s is 4 August 2023.

To read more and to complete the expression of interest form, click below.

Meet the 17-year-old taking on the world's best

When 17-year-old Hugo Peel was asked at four days’ notice whether he wanted to play in a Senior Men’s World Championship, he admits that there was at first at least a moment’s hesitation.

“They called me on the Tuesday and I had to make a decision by Thursday before flying at the weekend,” Hugo recalls.

 “I was really just planning on chilling out this summer and looking to get myself some money and find a job at a supermarket.”

But as has already become apparent, Hugo is not one to turn down an opportunity when it arises, and come the Saturday morning, Hugo was there at Manchester airport to travel with the squad across the Atlantic to San Diego.

The opportunity to join the squad presented itself at the eleventh hour after the unfortunate injury and withdrawal of another young talent in Dan Jones.

The late change of plans has meant Hugo has had to take a bit of flak from his college teachers at missing two weeks of classes but as he puts it – “it feels like a pretty good excuse.”

At 17, Hugo is one of the youngest players at the World Championship, the youngest playing in Pool A, and youngest ever for England at a World Championship.

Hugo’s story with the sport began back at the age of six years old and with a a Dad and Uncle who had played the game, it was a natural passage for him to take up the sport too.

Although firmly a Stockport boy now, his first taste of the game was at Poynton before soon moving up the road and moving through the junior programmes at Stockport, working with coaches like Simon Rowlinson, someone who he acknowledges with helping him to nail the fundamentals of the game and give him a solid platform throughout his junior career.

But as with most top athletes, lacrosse wasn’t Hugo’s only sporting passion and it was tennis that was his original number one.

Alongside also playing rugby and cricket, he played county level tennis for Cheshire, and it was only around 14 that lacrosse started to take priority.

And then only once the prospect of joining the England U21 programme, who were deep into their World Championship cycle in 2021, did Hugo make the decision to go all in on lacrosse.

“When I got into the 21s squad, I thought this is a big commitment and I need to go 100% in with it.

He also credits his time spent in lockdown as the catalyst for his rapid rise and development at such a young age in making that Under 21 team.

“I worked really hard – we had nothing to do, I thought I might as well work on my lacrosse.

“I played lacrosse every single day and just things eventually start to become more and more natural.”

And although Hugo’s game was improving at a rate of knots, there were some significant challenges along the way.

“When I originally got picked for the U21s at 15, I still wasn’t allowed to play any senior lacrosse – the only senior standard was 21s practice otherwise it was just junior lacrosse with Stockport U16s.

“When I first came into the squad, I remember the first official training session, I didn’t have a clue, I had no idea what was going on, everything was so fast, it was all a bit of a shock.”

The U21 World Championship proved to be a whirlwind experience which typified Hugo’s abilities to learn quickly and make the most of his experiences.

For the fact that he didn’t score in the first four games of the World Championship, but after scoring two in the team’s first win, against Israel, he then also netted in each of the next four games.

Hugo admitted, “In the pool games I was really nervous and even a bit like, I don’t really want to go on the pitch.

“But I told myself that you need to get this experience, you need to put yourself out there and once I scored against Israel I felt that, right, now I belong here.”

Following his emergence in Limerick with the U21s, his upwards trajectory didn’t stop there.

Time was then spent with the GB Lacrosse Sixes team, getting to grips with the new format and playing at the EuroLax Sixes where he returned with a haul of 17 goals and the competition victory.

“The GB setup was really fun and felt very professional,” Hugo said.

“Being with those guys who went to the World Games it gives you an idea of what playing at an Olympics could be like.”

And then finally came the beginning of the unexpected journey to the current World Championship.

Along with friend and player at Mellor George Shonfeld, they both decided to head to senior trials just to see what it was like and check out the experience.

He said, “I just thought I might as well try out because I’m not going to get on, but it will be a good experience.

“And then as each training session went on I kept turning up and each cut was made and I was still there.

“Then after Home Internationals and the final cut and I didn’t make it, I thought fair enough, I was expecting to have got cut a while back, but I’d enjoyed all the training opportunities up until then and was just taking it as a learning curve.”

Even then, Hugo was still catching the eye, playing against Hofstra in the pre-championship warm-up fixture and scoring a goal against the NCAA D1 opposition – A goal that may just have made up the mind of the coaches when looking to select Jones’ replacement.

A few weeks on and now he is here taking in every moment and fully enjoying being immersed in the experience.

“It’s been great, the guys have been really welcoming – I’ve not really felt out of place I’ve just been enjoying it all.

“I’ve actually not been that impressed with how I’ve played in a couple games, but I feel like I’m getting better as things go on and hope I continue that.”

One particular source of support for Hugo has been England captain, fellow Stockport player, and roommate Andrew Baxter.

Baxter made his own World Championship debut when Hugo was just five years old and as he appears at his fourth tournament, he has proven somewhat of mentor figure to him on dealing with the tournament.

“He’s my roommate here and I always take the time to listen to him and what he says -  he’s done this four times now so what he says – it’s probably right!”

As is tradition, as the youngest squad member Hugo has led the team out onto the pitch and at the opening ceremony carrying the England flag aloft to the crowds.

“It’s pretty cool to do it and it does help to kick the adrenaline in – though I do keep forgetting it at the end of the games!”

But for a man so young, a potential exciting future is already starting to be mapped out on the horizon.

Peel, who will still only be 19 by the time the next U20 World Championship comes around in 2025, is already trying to plot out a university lacrosse career that he hopes will bring him back across the pond sometime soon.

“I’m looking to get to play in the States, so going to play out in an another U20s would be a good help in trying to get spotted.

“I’m not exactly sure what path I want to take yet, maybe looking at first heading to an English university for the experience of that and then heading to the states after.

He cites the experiences that players such as fellow England and GB players Tim Collins and Alex Russell got in heading overseas, and development that had on their game, particularly as players that he looks up to playing in a similar role as himself.

Another thing in the not-so-distant future that has been big talk in San Diego has been a potential 2028 Olympics berth for lacrosse.

In five years’ time at 22 and with five more years of senior experience under his belt, Hugo could well be in prime contention for a place on a GB team playing just upstate at LA 2028.

But for now, out in San Diego, we are continuing to witness the emergence of a unique talent that possesses the skill and desire to go to the very top, demonstrated just yesterday by his first Championship goal in the quarter final with Australia.

As the old saying goes, ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough’.

Gallery | England v Australia in the quarter-finals at the Men's World Championship

Check out the shots as England fell to a quarter-final defeat to Australia at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship!

Gallery | England v Puerto Rico at the Men's World Championship

Check out the shots from England’s incredible overtime play-off win against Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship!

Gallery | England v Canada at the Men's World Championship

Check out the shots from England’s final Pool Play match against Canada at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship!