Claire Faram: The England captain balancing leadership, motherhood, and a World Champs dream

As England head to Japan for the beginning of another World Championship campaign, Claire Faram finds herself in a familiar position as a mainstay at the heart of England’s midfield and a team captain for a second world championship going in search of more success.

However, for the 2022 bronze medallist and three-time European champion, this has been no ordinary tournament cycle and making it to Tokyo already represents a victory for Faram with the championship arriving just 15 months after becoming a mother.

Faram, alongside Emma Oakley and Milly Home, has once again been entrusted with helping guide England through the pressure that comes with competing for top honours on the world stage, but the journey from sleepless nights to leading England into a World Championship has been anything but straightforward.

“It’s been really tough, I’ll be honest,” she says. “Going from having a newborn baby with the postpartum recovery and all that kind of stuff to then, 15 months later, going to a World Championship has been a bit of a rollercoaster.”

But while Faram recognises the challenges, she also highlights the rewarding feeling returning has brought and instead, the focus quickly shifts to gratitude for the support network around her, for the coaches and physios who helped her return, and for the opportunity to compete at the highest level once again.

“I’m really proud to hopefully show my daughter that you can still have big dreams outside of being a mum,” she says.

“Your life doesn’t stop when you become a mum and you can still pursue the things that you want to pursue.”

For Faram, that pursuit now leads to Tokyo and a World Championship where she believes England are ready to attack.

World Championship cycles can feel long, with training camps, tours, selection battles and months of preparation all building towards a tournament that can be decided in a matter of days.

England’s preparations have included monthly training, a US College tour, and a Home Internationals series that also included a fixture against hosts Japan.

“We feel quite battle-tested,” Faram says. “The team’s looking in great shape, we’ve got a really good mixture of experience and new, exciting talent that I think is going to do some serious damage.”

That blend of established leaders and emerging stars is one of the reasons confidence is high within the squad.

An experienced core remains intact, while younger players have added energy and depth throughout the cycle. The result, Faram believes, is a group hitting its stride at exactly the right moment.

“The campaign has been long, as those four-year cycles are, but I think we’ve built up nicely and we’re peaking at the right time.”

While Faram hopes England will be explosive on the field, teammates tend to see a calm presence and someone who understands the value of composure when pressure is at its highest.

“I try and make sure that I’m quite level,” she explains. “I’m not necessarily someone who’s jumping up and down in the changing room, but I keep a level head and then bring the energy in the moment when it’s needed.”

But Faram also points out that England’s leadership extends well beyond the captaincy group, with players throughout the squad contributing different perspectives.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s on just me to lead the team, we’ve got teammates with a wealth of experience outside of the leadership group and lots of different voices that we can lean on, as well as those guys based in the US that bring great experience from college as well.”

And while the on-field work is crucially important, Faram also draws attention to the importance of the hours spent together away from the field and suggests that one of England’s biggest strengths lies in those connections.

“We love spending time together. We’ve had loads of really good team bonding over the last few months and I think that real care for each other will take us really far.”

“There are high highs and low lows in these tournaments and you’ve got to really make sure that you’re leaning on your team and working together.”

Although Faram is now settled in London with her family and full-time job at Putney High School, her lacrosse upbringing is firmly rooted in the north of England.

Raised through the game in the north-west at Mellor Lacrosse Club, she remains fiercely proud of where she has come from and the role in shaping both the player and person she has become.

“It [Mellor] was an amazing community for learning and playing lacrosse and it really nurtured my talent early on.”

“I’ve always said that I think it’s given me a real grit and determination that has seen me through for a long time.”

“It’s really cool to be representing and hopefully showing young northern players that there’s definitely space in the England team for them.”

England arrive in Japan also aware that the international landscape is rapidly changing; with the growth of the sport worldwide, boosted by increasing investment and the momentum generated by Olympic inclusion, the gap between nations continues to narrow.

Teams such as England’s first opponents Puerto Rico and hosts Japan, whose Under 20 Women won the country their first ever World Championship medal in 2024, have made significant strides, while traditional powers face stronger challenges than ever before.

For Faram though, that progression is something to embrace.

“It’s only a good thing that every country is getting better,” she says. “You have to earn your right to win a medal, it doesn’t get given to you.”

“We’re focused on what we can do, what we can control and we’re really looking forward to showing the world how much we’ve improved in the last four years.”

And while Faram’s mindset remains as usual calm and level-headed, there’s a clear ambition driving this campaign for her and the England team.

“We’re there to win. We want to get into that final, of course, but we’ll achieve that by focusing on it game by game, keeping our eyes straight ahead, knuckling down and getting each job done as it comes.”

Faram and England begin their quest for success on Saturday against Puerto Rico from 15:30 Local/07:30 UK Time.