Belhaven Hill School is a co-ed preparatory school based at Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland (about 30 miles east of Edinburgh).  In September 2023, TLF approved a grant to provide a set of 20 field lacrosse sticks, balls & goggles, plus goalkeeper equipment to introduce the sport at the school.

The Lead for Lacrosse at the school is Rosie Langton, who having previously played the game, wanted to give their boys and girls a chance to try a new sport.  It was hoped this could then provide opportunities for matches with other schools or clubs, as well as offering a lacrosse taster to other children from local primary schools in the surrounding area.

The equipment arrived at the school amidst great excitement, and no doubt some curiosity from the pupils, with a weekly Tuesday evening lacrosse session now scheduled, but having to compete with other mainstream sports (hockey, netball & cricket) offered to pupils at the school.

In March 2024 in conjunction with Lacrosse Scotland, a 'Lacrosse Taster Session' was held as part of an Open Day at the school, and this saw over 60 children, boys and girls, with a mix of lacrosse experience and from different places, all playing lacrosse. This in turn helped to boost to the number of youngsters (particularly boys) signing up for the Tuesday evening sessions - with nine of the 20 in the lacrosse group now being boys.

In May 2024, the team had their first match against the Edinburgh Thistles, which the children really enjoyed and saw a couple more boys (who were new to lacrosse) signing up to play.  Lacrosse Scotland (also funded by TLF) delivered a Lacrosse Coaching course to Belhaven and PE teachers from other local schools, and it is hoped that these teachers will go on to promote lacrosse in their own schools.  Another notable event saw Belhaven send U9, U11 and U13B teams to a ‘Lacrosse & Netball Coaching Festival’ at St George's School, Edinburgh, which helped to introduce the sport to more of the school’s pupils.

The positive start for lacrosse at the school has continued, seeing a number of school-leavers choosing lacrosse as their main sport at senior school, and one of them now playing with Lacrosse Scotland.  The challenge will be to maintain this momentum, where lacrosse (as ever) will have to compete with the other sports clubs for time and a full fixture list. 

There will hopefully be opportunity for more coaching in the neighbouring primary schools, which can supplement the initial interest raised at the first ‘Taster Day’, and provide CPD to the local PE teachers, with TLF potentially providing those schools with some beginner equipment.  Playing matches between schools has proven elsewhere to generate fun and interest for the youngsters, so it would be great if this can happen here.

Rosie Langton (Lacrosse Lead at Belhaven) told TLF:
“The grant has been transformational in terms of the opportunities we have been able to offer the children at Belhaven and beyond.  My immediate aim is to maintain our regular lacrosse numbers at 20, with a good mix of boys and girls, and maybe organise some matches in the summer term.  We hope to offer another lacrosse taster session to include the local schools, and are considering introducing lacrosse to our own younger pupils (ages 5-8 yrs) and throughout the rest of the school (ages 8-13yrs) via our PE programme.”

Border City Lacrosse Club was founded near Carlisle in April 2019 , and in 2020 the club applied to The Lacrosse Foundation for a grant to help to establish & launch the club.

Since then, the club based in Brampton (9 miles E of the centre of Carlisle) has done an amazing job of spreading the sport in the north of the county. TLF has funded field sticks for three secondary schools – Ullswater, Queen Elizabeth and William Howard (in Penrith & Brampton) all of whom are self-delivering the curriculum. In addition, a number of local primary schools have now adopted lacrosse to feed young players into the club, which also provides progression from primary into secondary education. 

In 2023, TLF approved further funding to support the expansion of lacrosse in the southern part of Cumbria, supported by the Border City club, and two passionate lacrosse enthusiasts – Jo Racle, and lacrosse coach Vics Law. Together, they have been working to promote the sport in schools, utilising a four-step model for primary schools in Cumbria to achieve this:

1. Deliver subsidised taster sessions in schools, which would build towards an end of year festival.

2. Promote sustainability by offering a teachers CPD event.

3. Offer a template at the CPD event to enable the schools to more easily submit a small grant application to TLF for the school’s own pop equipment to enable them to self-deliver lacrosse.

4. Provide coaching to any schools who elect to pay for sessions rather than self deliver.

From Autumn 2023, Jo and Vics introduced the sport into a number of south Cumbria schools with over 600 children being given a taste of pop lacrosse.  The focus was on Kendal, which culminated in April 2024 with a lacrosse festival organized for the primary and secondary schools in the area. Despite it being a wet and windy day, over 100 children enjoyed the festival, which attracted 18 teams from 12 schools.

Staff from 19 primary schools in Cumbria have now attended CPD (Continual Professional Development), eleven of which have submitted grant applications to TLF to have their own equipment - typical grants of £800 provide a set of 36 sticks, 36 balls, and 4 x 3ft x 3ft pop lacrosse goals. 

The ultimate aim for Dan Clements at Border City is to create and establish a satellite club based in Kendal, providing a more accessible club setting for those young people from the surrounding area – as well as a second club in the county.  The commitment of this group to support the development of lacrosse is recognised., and the challenge of maintaining this initial momentum in a location ‘remote’ from the traditional lacrosse heartland will be vital. 

Next year, Mellor Lacrosse Club (founded in 1925) celebrates 100 years of lacrosse.  Remarkably, for a small village community based on the Cheshire/Derbyshire border, it has enjoyed great success over these years, winning North of England and National titles, and produced a number of players who have gone on to represent England, Scotland & Wales. 

Historically, the club has benefitted from successive generations of their lacrosse-playing families, along with its links with the nearby primary school which prompted other local young people to take up the sport. 

About eight years ago, the club decided to expand its junior programme to increase involvement from a wider geographical area.  The club junior programme has developed each year, and now has over 160 children participating in their junior teams. It welcomes players from eleven primary schools across the local area including Marple, Romiley and New Mills.  

As Club President Martin Mochan told TLF:
“This expansion has seen the club grow into a truly inclusive place to play sport.  We want to continue this development and ensure we can safely equip all new players as they start their journey into lacrosse.  For years, we have facilitated this through donated equipment which was often ill-fitting or damaged, but the safety of participating junior players has become imperative.  Whilst we have always aimed to be self-sufficient, we are facing tougher financial times and higher equipment costs”.  

Mellor’s programme includes boys and girls age-group teams starting from U8/U9 all the way up to U16/U18, and their grant application to TLF focused on support for the youngest age-group to ensure these new players had access to age-appropriate equipment. 

A grant of £7800 was approved, which provided 30 sticks, 15 helmets, 15 pairs of goggles, 15 sets of elbow pads, 3 sets of goalie kit, 4 goals, plus cones, training bibs, and goal targets.  These were all gratefully received by the club, and enthusiastically used by the young boys and girls ready for the new 2024/25 season.  

As Martin Mochan concluded:
“Having this support from TLF has been hugely beneficial to our junior programme. This now acts as a springboard to grow our development programme and attract even more children to the game. Our Sunday sessions now see over 120 boys and girls learning and playing the game, and with the right equipment and the right sizing we've already seen a dramatic improvement from our newest players".

Founded in 2008, The University of Plymouth Lacrosse Club has grown rapidly and after fifteen years boasts five teams – a Men’s and Women’s First and Second, and a Women’s Development Team – which cater to all levels of ability.  

With 150 members, the club required funding in order to expand and develop the sport, so the University applied to the Lacrosse Foundation for a grant in August 2023 which we awarded in September 2023 to provide the club with the following: 
• 6 x helmets
• 6 x pairs gloves
• 1 x goalie kit comprising stick, helmet with throat guard, gloves, chest pad and padded shorts
• £750 towards pitch hire for training of development players

The new equipment enabled the club to significantly accelerate the development of freshers and beginner players, allowing them to participate in multiple games alongside experienced teammates, an opportunity that was rare for first-year players in previous years. The grant has also resulted in the club developing the men’s teams.  

As Ellie Cherrington, Club President, said:
“The development, particularly among our male players, has been remarkable. For the first time, we have a full Men's second team that can engage in dedicated friendlies, fostering player confidence and ensuring strong retention in subsequent years, a notable improvement from past difficulties in retaining male players.”

The club’s growth over the years, and especially in the last year, is proof that the sport is gaining popularity.  According to one player:
“Lacrosse has made the biggest impact for my university journey. Going in as a complete beginner was scary but is 100% worth it. It is such a niche sport which makes it so much better and more enjoyable. I hope the work that the university club has done, helps to promote the sport in the southwest.”

Another club member said:
“I’d never seen lacrosse before going to university. Since joining the club, I have made a family at Uni and have grown to love a new sport. The hard work of the club really promotes the sport which shows with the crowds that attend our Varsity games. I'm so glad I have picked up a stick.”

So what does the future hold for the University’s lacrosse club?

With The Lacrosse Foundation’s grant, the club hopes to champion the growth of lacrosse in the South West. By providing Plymouth University’s Lacrosse Club with the funds, it enables them to train at more suitable facilities, and provides equipment which will benefit all members of the club.  

Club President Ellie Cherrington concluded: 
“Our project will make the club more accessible to all different levels of players and will help promote the game across the student community.  Once graduated, these students will hopefully join club teams and continue to play the sport, helping to support TLF’s mission of growth and development across the UK.”