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 women's Home Internationals Series squad announced

England Lacrosse is thrilled to announce the 22-player squad ready to make the trip to Cardiff, Wales for the Home Internationals Series this weekend.

The annual competition, taking place from 5-7 April at Cardiff University Playing Fields, will see England take on other international sides in competitive fixtures as they continue their preparations for the 2024 ELF Women’s Championship later this year.

At that competition in Braga, Portugal, England will be looking to build upon the bronze medal they secured at the World Championship in 2022 and win an unprecedented fourth consecutive European title.

England will play three games during the 2024 Home Internationals Series, including matches against Scotland, Czechia, and Wales.

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

England Senior Women’s Squad

Laura Beaman
Chloe Chan
Emilie Chandler
Ella Cohen
Lucy Devine
Claire Faram
Cece Green
Milly Home
Zoe Lovibond
Minty Loxton-Barnard
Anna Neville
Emma Oakley
Alice Ripper
Lizzie Rutherford
Anna Saunter
Emma Savage
Tilly Shires
Georgie Southorn
Dylan Whittington
Charlie Wilson
Liv Wimpenny
Julie Wise

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

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.

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." 

21 England players announced as part of British Lacrosse women's training squad

21 England players have been named as part of British Lacrosse’s 30-player 2023/24 women’s training squad, including seven players who represented England and finished third at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Maryland, USA last year.

The training squad has been chosen by Head Coach, Phil Collier, alongside Assistant Coaches, Ailsa Stott, Kate Nelson-Lee, and Erica Erb as they begin to prepare for the next edition of The World Games due to be held in Chengdu, China in August 2025.

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.

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

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

Torz Anderson
Charlie Berqvist
Emma Brown
Emilie Chandler
Ella Cohen
Zoe Dickson
Claire Faram
Chess Gray
Emily Gray
Cece Green
Georgie Greenwood
Sarah Hearns
Minty Loxton-Barnard
Harriet Mann
Anna Neville
Emma Oakley
Sienna Parekh
Alice Ripper
Lottie Robertson
Emma Savage
Livy Schellekens
Tilly Shires
Georgie Southorn
Laura Warren
Hannah Whiteley
Dylan Whittington
Liv Wimpenny
Julie Wise
Sofia Wise
Sophy Coombes-Roberts

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.

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.

England defeat hosts Czechia in opening game at ELF Women's U21 Championship

England stormed to a 14-7 victory against Czechia in the opening Group A game at the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship in Prague despite a spirited performance from the hosts.

Hat-tricks from Sofia Wise and Emma Pearce saw England finish the first quarter with a five goal cushion and the score at 6-1.

But Czechia showed their quality in the second and third, restricting England to just three goals in those periods and reducing the deficit to three.

England regrouped in the fourth and final quarter and goals from Carys Johnson, Lara Renders, Pearce, and Ella Dimbylow ensured a 14-7 victory ahead of the team’s second Group A game on Tuesday against Wales.

England started with intent in the opening minutes of the game quickly finding themselves a goal up after Johnson picked the ball up just behind the Czechia goal, drove inside and passed to an unmarked Wise who finished with ease.

Before long England had doubled their lead through Wise once again after she was played in brilliantly by Dimbylow who spotted Wise’s run from deep.

England’s third and fourth goals came soon after the second - first through Pearce who finished from the edge of the fan after being played in from behind the goal by Annie Mather and then through Wise who scored her hat-trick goal after being picked out beautifully by captain, Rachael Ball.

To round off the first quarter, Emma Pearce scored her second of the match in exquisite style after driving toward goal and finishing from range and added her hat-trick goal soon after from a free position.

In a sign of things to come, Ellen Pantazopoulou scored Czechia’s first goal of the game from a free position with just a couple of seconds left of the first quarter.

As the game moved into the second and third quarters, Czechia found their stride with E. Pantazopoulou scoring twice either side of another Wise goal for England before Victorie Štědrá and E. Pantazopoulou grabbed another couple for the opposition moments after Rachael Ball had scored from close range for England.

Right at the end of the third quarter, Lucy Evans added another for England just before a Markéta Fišerová goal ensured England went into the fourth with a slender three goal lead.

Any nerves about England not being completely in control of this opening match of the tournament were put to bed at the start of the fourth quarter as Johnson, Mather, Renders, Pearce, and Dimbylow all scored with just one reply from Czechia through Sofie Pantazopoulou.

The victory sees England top of Group A after one game with Czechia and Wales battling it out in the late game tomorrow.

You can watch the entire game in full HERE.

England points scorers | Wise (4G), Pearce (4G), Ball (1G, 2A), Johnson (1G, 1A), Mather (1G, 1A), Dimbylow (1G, 1A), Evans (1G), Renders (1G), Cant (1A)

Czechia points scorers | E. Pantazopoulou (4G), S. Pantazopoulou (1G), Victorie Štědrá (1G), Markéta Fišerová (1G), Lucie Chottousová (1A)

MVP | Jemma Thomson

Preview | England at the 2023 ELF Women's U21 Lacrosse Championship

On Sunday, England begin their 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship journey in Prague, Czechia as they look to retain the title they won at the inaugural tournament back in 2018.

That year, the competition was an under-20 Championship but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition was postponed by a year and the age eligibility increased to under-21 to give those who would have missed out due to the pandemic a chance to play.

England begin their 2023 campaign with a pool stage game against hosts Czechia on 2 July in a repeat of the 2018 final; England cruised to a 12-3 victory on that occasion to win the 2018 title with attackers Cece Green and Lucy Devine scoring four and three goals respectively.

England’s second and final pool stage opponents are also a familiar foe in close rivals Wales (4 July) who England defeated 17-2 in the 2018 tournament.

More recently, at the 2023 Home Internationals Series in April, England came out on top once again in perfect preparation for the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship, eventually winning 19-4.

In recent weeks, the final 18-player squad has had several training weekends as well as three organised scrimmages against top club teams to get some match practice; the warm weather in the UK over the past couple of weeks has also helped the squad to prepare for the heat they could get in Prague.

Head Coach, Vic Alexander, who also coaches at St Catherine’s School, Bramley, leads the team at her first major tournament as England Head Coach after being announced in February 2023.

Alexander came into the Head Coach role after a five-year spell as Head Coach of Italy Women where she worked to successfully develop the programme in the country, taking the Italians to a 13th place finish at the 2019 Women’s Euros and 18th at the 2022 Women’s World Championship.

She is joined by Assistant Coaches Conor Dockery and Georgie Hurt who both come into the ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship off the back of successful The Fly campaigns with Forge Men and Hustle Women respectively.

The team’s backroom staff is completed by Strength & Conditioning Coach, Tom Beresford, Physio, Brett David, and Team Manager, Sophie Tamblyn.

In terms of playing personnel, England come into this tournament with one of the most exciting young teams in Europe with a significant number of players having had hugely successful domestic seasons with their university teams.

Ones to keep an eye on at the tournament include: dynamic impact player and one of England’s captains, Rachael Ball, who has been integral to the success of the University of Nottingham this season and helped Forge to victory at The Fly 2023; one of the youngest members of the squad, Lara Renders, who is a highly creative and versatile player who the whole of England is excited to see perform at this level; and goal-keeper, Sienna Parekh, who is a great communicator and has been really impressive in training, scrimmages against top players, and at The Fly 2023 with Swift.

The 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Lacrosse Championship takes place from 2-9 July at the Prazacka Sports Centre in Prague, Czechia and every match of the tournament can be watched via live stream on the tournament website HERE.

For more information about the Championship, visit its official website HERE.

England Pool Stage Fixtures

England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST

England v Wales | 4 July | 18:00 BST

Tournament Schedule

Opening Ceremony | 2 July | 14:00 BST

Opening Game | England v Czechia | 2 July | 15:30 BST

Pool Stage | 3-5 July

Quarter-Finals | 6 July

Semi-Finals | 7 July

Placement Games | 8-9 July

Final | 9 July | 13:00 BST

Closing Ceremony | 9 July | 14:30 BST

Search begins for England Women's Box Lacrosse Team Head Coach & Team Manager

England Lacrosse has today begun the search for the first ever England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team Head Coach and Team Manager with applications open until Sunday 9 July 2023.

This comes after the recent announcement from World Lacrosse that confirmed the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York, USA, would comprise a men’s and women’s event running concurrently.

Following this announcement, England Lacrosse is seeking to field the first ever England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team at this landmark event and, as a consequence, is inviting applications for a Head Coach and Team Manager to support these plans.

England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team Head Coach

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the inception and delivery of a programme in preparation for the inaugural World Lacrosse Women’s Box Championships in 2024.

They will be responsible for the coaching, development, and implementation of plans for a programme to prepare athletes to compete on the international stage and perform consistently at the highest standards required to achieve sustained success.

They will need to 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 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.

To read the England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team Head Coach role description, click HERE.

England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team Manager

The Team Manager will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager and 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 squad, 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 at the highest standards required to achieve sustained success.

Please note, both roles are voluntary with reasonable and necessary expenses provided.

To read the England Women’s Box Lacrosse Team Manager role description, click HERE.

We’re part of the team, are you? England Lacrosse is ready to support UKAD’s Clean Sport Week

We all have a role to play in keeping sport fair and clean. England Lacrosse is proud to reaffirm our commitment to clean sport by backing UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) Clean Sport Week campaign.

Clean Sport Week is UKAD’s national awareness week championing clean sport, education and anti-doping initiatives with sports across the UK.

This year’s Clean Sport Week takes place on 22 – 26 May 2023. The theme is “Teamwork in Clean Sport”.

Athletes are central to the team, responsible for making sure they compete clean – it's their body, their responsibility. Coaches, doctors, medical staff, parents, and us as the National Governing Body for lacrosse. We are all part of the team and play a vital role in supporting athletes. Collectively, we need to stay educated, inform athletes of their responsibilities, and create a positive culture that gives athletes confidence to win well, without doping.

In support of UKAD, we’re getting behind Clean Sport Week. We challenge all athletes, coaches, and athlete support personnel to show your team player credentials and work together with athletes to fulfil their anti-doping responsibilities.

We are also proud to be working with UKAD on the Assurance Framework, which National Governing Bodies must complete to show they are meeting their anti-doping responsibilities. As part of this, we’ve been creating an Education Strategy to support athletes early on in their career.

We encourage anyone in our sporting community that would like to learn more about anti-doping to sign up to UKAD’s Clean Sport Hub where there are free education courses for athletes, students, coaches and practitioners.

Follow @ukantidoping on social media to see a range of educational and exciting content throughout the week.

To find out more about UKAD’s Clean Sport Week initiative click HERE.

OPRO renew long-standing 20-year partnership with England Lacrosse

OPRO, the world’s largest manufacturer of the most technically advanced mouthguard, today announced the renewal of its long standing partnership agreement with England Lacrosse.

The deal will see OPRO support the national pathway as well as grassroots lacrosse players across England, providing them with the highest level of protection for their teeth.

Alongside England Lacrosse, OPRO are now the official mouthguard partner of over 60 associations including the Great Britain Hockey, England Rugby, Wales Rugby, the UFC, the GAA, and Great Britain Taekwondo. With 25 years of experience, OPRO is dedicated to bringing leading technology and safety to athletes at all levels of sport.

Caroline Royle, England Lacrosse Marketing Manager, commented: “We are pleased to be continuing our ongoing relationship with OPRO.

“In such a dynamic, fast-paced sport, safety and quality protection is paramount, so we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the market’s leading mouthguard brand and look forward to working together to support lacrosse players across England.”

OPRO Commercial Director Daniel Lovat, said: “OPRO have been partnered with England Lacrosse for 20 years and we are delighted to be able to continue support them, ensuring players from grassroots to the national pathway have access to the best protection for their teeth.

England Euro Lax Sixes Cup squads announced

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce the two England squads heading to the 2023 Euro Lax Sixes Cup in Portugal this weekend.

Taking place from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 February at the Vila Real de Santo Antonio in the Algarve region of Portugal, the Euro Lax Sixes Cup, now in its second year, will feature 12 international women’s teams, including two England squads, and eight international men’s teams, including one representing Great Britain.

The competition showcases the new proposed-Olympic and Commonwealth sixes version of lacrosse and, as such, the two England squads are jam-packed full with experienced players who have featured at The Fly and other sixes competitions over the past three years.

No less than 17 of the 27 players heading to Portugal have featured at The Fly since 2021 with 10 already ear-marked to play at the tournament again this year.

Seven of the squad have had a taste of the Euro Lax Sixes Cup before when they competed for England U23 at last year’s competition while a further eight represented the two British Lacrosse sides that eventually played each other in the final in 2022.

And the teams will be led this year by England senior women’s Head Coach and Head Coach of Rise at The Fly 2023, Michael Molster, who will be assisted by Hustle’s 2023 Assistant Coach, Georgie Hurt as well as Richard Lalor, and Harriet Rogers.

England White will take on Italy and England Red will play Netherlands in their opening group-stage fixtures on Friday before the former take on Germany Black and the latter play Belgium later in the day before the knockout rounds begin on Saturday.

To keep up to date with all things Euro Lax Sixes Cup, follow them on Instagram HERE.

England Red

Laura Beaman
Emma Brown
Alex Cant
Ella Cohen
Tara Dempsey
Anna Featherstone
Minty Loxton-Barnard
Zoe Lovibond
Anna Neville
Lizzie Rutherford
Livy Schellekens
Maddy Sketchley
Hannah Thurston
Liv Wimpenny

England White

Anna Boyne
Millie Hughes
Ella Malik
Emma Oakley
Alice Ripper
Zara Russell
Emma Savage
Tilly Shires
Georgie Southorn
Liv Thomas
Eleanor Williams
Sofia Wise
Julie Wise

England Lacrosse sign new 3 year deal with Net World Sports

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce a three-year contract extension with Net World Sports which sees the sports equipment brand continue their fantastic work and become the EL Official Match and Training Equipment Provider.

The extension comes off the back of a successful initial one-year partnership signed in 2021 that saw Net World Sports provide equipment for various England Lacrosse events, including ball stops and coaches’ clipboards at The Fly.

As part of the new three-year deal, Net World Sports will continue to provide their FORZA lacrosse equipment for England Lacrosse events as well as for social media giveaways and competitions.

They will also be providing an exclusive discount to leagues, clubs, schools, coaches, players, and all those associated with England Lacrosse throughout the duration of the agreement.

Based in Wrexham, Net World Sports has been a champion of designing and manufacturing the best quality sporting products since 2009 and houses more than 10,000 products, 95% of which are own brand, in their new 380,000 square foot warehouse.

They sell equipment across a huge range of sports from archery and cricket to Gaelic football and pickleball and they stock a huge variety of high-quality lacrosse training equipment for everyone’s needs, whether you’re an individual practising in your back garden or a club coaching the next generation of talent.

England Lacrosse Head of Commercial & Marketing, Caroline Royle, is excited to continue what has been a successful partnership so far.

“We have loved working with Net World Sports over the past year or so and we’re so excited for what the future holds for our partnership.

“We’ve already seen some of their kit in action at The Fly and various other England Lacrosse events we cannot wait to continue testing and developing new lacrosse products as we move forward.”

Lois Jones from Net World Sports said:

“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with England Lacrosse. Working closely with the team has enabled us to gain valuable feedback which has aided the development of our FORZA lacrosse product range.

We look forward to enhancing our product offering over the coming years with the support and expertise of England Lacrosse and seeing our equipment in use at their annual events.”

To check out the Net World Sports range, click below: