Border Crossing - Border City LC bring lacrosse to Cumbria
Back in October 2019, TLF approved a grant of £5800 to help establish a new community lacrosse club based at Brampton, near Carlisle in Cumbria. As lacrosse had never been played in this part of England before, this was a pioneering project to help grow the game and introduce the sport to new players. The grant provided funds for the purchase of a stock of sticks, balls, helmets, gloves & pads to enable a men’s lacrosse team to be formed. The club enjoyed matches against Newcastle, as well as Scottish clubs from Glasgow, Stirling & Edinburgh and continues to play now, although there are challenges in getting other teams to travel to play in Carlisle.
From the start, a key priority for the club has been junior development, to find new junior players to take up the sport and give the club the best chance of sustainability. In 2020, TLF approved further grant funding of up to £30,000 (over 3 years) to support the delivery of a schools’ development programme for coaching & equipment costs– This was to be deployed at secondary level [ages 11-16] via the local William Howard School, as well at local primary schools [ages 7-10].
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic restricted the access of external coaches to schools, leading to the coaching to U11’s at primary schools being suspended. But at William Howard, the club gave teachers some basic coaching knowledge, and by loaning them Pop lacrosse equipment, coaching was maintained on an ad-hoc basis until restrictions were relaxed. Club coaching at William Howard resumed as soon as the school reopened, although this was limited to specific ‘bubbles of students’ during school hours (preventing an immediate resumption of the popular after-school club).
At the start of 2021, the club moved to a new permanent ground at Cotehill Park in Brampton, with improvements being made to the ground and buildings by club volunteers during the course of the year. It is hoped that by having this local base (ground is near to the school) it will help to stimulate continuing participation over the coming years, with junior interest already evident from the club’s summer sessions.
From October 2021, the club has been running weekly Saturday morning junior sessions, which have proved popular, typically seeing 10 to 15 youngsters in attendance from age 13 down. The club’s senior players have pitched in to ensure good coach to junior ratios, and many of the kids are now purchasing their own equipment.
In Kendal, club member Mike Orme has also been running junior sessions and it is hoped to organise a 6-a-side competition between the two groups. This is the very beginning of what the club hopes will one day become a fledgling junior league in Cumbria.
Efforts have also been made to re-start the club Ladies team with regular sessions recently introduced – along with plans to schedule some mixed lacrosse at the end of the season.
At the beginning of 2022, William Howard School indicated that they can be self-sufficient in lacrosse coaching – which will enable the Club to move onto a new school to continue the development. To support this TLF have agreed to provide:
30 sticks and balls for William Howard School - so the school’s teachers can continue to deliver lacrosse as part of the PE curriculum independent of the Border City club. Their previous supply of field sticks were on loan from EL, who have now asked for their return.
Another 30 sticks and balls for the Border City club to use in the next ‘education setting’ selected to receive lacrosse coaching.
We wish them every success in their continuing efforts to establish the sport in Cumbria.
NB. The driving force behind the club is Dan Clements and you can find out more about the Border City story in his TLF-supported episode of the 'At The Face' podcast by following this link.
Link to: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1051561/9674805-dan-clements