Your Role In Aspire
Parents & Guardians
At England Lacrosse, we understand how important parents and guardians are in helping young athletes succeed and enjoy their sporting journey. The Aspire Programme is here to challenge and support your athlete as they grow, both as players and as young people. Your involvement is key in creating the right environment for this to happen.
Drawing on best practice from across sport, we believe young athletes thrive when they are encouraged, supported, and allowed the independence to manage their own development.
How You Can Support Your Athlete’s Development
✔ Prioritise Healthy Habits
Sleep: Encourage good routines that allow for consistent, quality sleep. This supports learning, concentration, recovery, and performance.
Nutrition: Help your athlete develop healthy eating habits that fuel both body and mind. Balanced meals, hydration, and appropriate fuelling for training and recovery are all essential parts of athlete wellbeing.
✔ Champion the Right Mindset
Focus on effort, attitude, and learning over outcomes or selection.
Help them see challenges as opportunities to grow.
Promote resilience and self-reflection after both success and setbacks.
✔ Support Independence & Responsibility
Encourage your athlete to take ownership of communication, preparation, and planning for Aspire activities.
Allow them space to ask questions, solve problems, and learn through experience.
✔ Maintain Perspective
Remember this is a long-term journey, enjoy the process and help your athlete to keep balance across school, friendships, sport, and rest.
Support their love for the game, not just their performance.
✔ Respect the Programme & Coaches
Aspire is designed to stretch and support athletes at appropriate stages. Please trust our coaches to manage this process.
Avoid offering tactical or technical advice from the sidelines; instead, encourage reflection and communication with coaches directly.
Aspire isn’t just about today’s progress; it’s about building foundations for the future in sport and beyond. By working together with parents and guardians, we can help each athlete gain not just skills on the pitch, but confidence, resilience, and healthy habits for life.
Get Funding
With lacrosse heading for the LA 2028 Olympics, there’s never been a more exciting time to join Aspire. And we don’t want the costs of the programme to hold your young athlete back. If you need financial support, your child might be eligible for a grant from The Lacrosse Foundation or your local County Sports Partnership.