In June 2021, TLF approved a grant to the Harris Academy at Wimbledon in SW London for equipment (sticks, balls & goals) to enable the school to introduce lacrosse to its students (aged 11-18).

Based on their positive response, we held discussions with the Harris Federation (which now has over 50 schools in London & the South East), to explore opportunities to introduce the game more widely, and agreed with them a standardised application process & equipment pack [45 sticks, 48 balls, 4 goals] to enable other establishments in the group to apply to us.
 
In the first few months of 2022, we have approved grants for seven other Harris schools based in: Bermondsey; Clapham; Croydon; Crystal Palace; Garrard (Kent); Merton; and Sutton.

We have also funded a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) session for the staff from these seven schools, scheduled for October 2022, to help them continue to support the pupils to learn the basics of the game. We are hopeful that in due course, inter-school matches within the Harris group will be introduced to help raise the profile of the game

Bangor University is located in North Wales (near to the Menai Bridge crossing to the island of Anglesey), and has had a Lacrosse Club since 2010, typically running one Men’s and one Women’s team. 

Faced with a losing a large number of graduating leavers from June 2021, the club applied to The Lacrosse Foundation to fund some equipment which would help support their recruitment of new freshers to the club, and enable these new members to start playing the game

A TLF grant of £1500 (in August 2021) provided essential protective equipment - five sets of men’s kit [helmet, gloves, & arm-pads], ten pairs of eye goggles, a helmet repair kit, plus five sticks. 

As a result, the club could offer novice players full equipment to be able to experience and learn the game of lacrosse safely, and without having to initially buy their own kit just to be able try it out. For the 2021-22 season the University club were successful in attracting 28 new players – in addition to the 32 returning players from the previous year – enabling the club to continue to grow despite the impacts of the pandemic.

Emily Shoults (Women's Captain):
“The generous grant from The Lacrosse Foundation has been crucial to the continued development of the club – helping to promote safety in all of our matches and training, allowing us to increase participation at practice sessions, and removed the stress about ensuring we have enough men's equipment. From every member of Bangor Lacrosse we thank you so much !”

 Glenn Swain (Men's Captain):
“The new equipment helped the Men's team develop massively this past year. The additions have allowed both teams the opportunity to utilise all equipment in all training sessions throughout the year and the helmets and pads provided meant that new members of the team who didn't own their own kit were still able to compete safely without having to worry about the quality of their equipment meaning they could focus fully on their performance”.

Hills Road Sixth Form College based in Cambridge has a reputation for high-achievement in both A-level academic courses, as well as in a broad range of sports – with many of its students representing the East of England region at the Association of Colleges (AoC) Sport national championships.  https://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/sixthform/student-life/sport

In 2020, the College requested a grant from TLF to enable them to set up a Girls Lacrosse team, and to add the sport to those offered to all students.  We were pleased to provide a grant of £1700 for an initial stock of 24 sticks & balls.  Whilst the introduction of lacrosse was delayed slightly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the response was good with 15 students signing up, and the regular sessions being run by one of its own students who had previous experience of lacrosse.

For the 2021/22 academic year, more students (25) wanted to join these lacrosse sessions – but this in turn prompted the need to get some of those involved to complete lacrosse coaching courses.  

• The student who had led the sessions in the first season (Christina Hitchin) had moved on to University in Cambridge, and although keen to continue to help, the College requires her to have a Level 2 qualification to coach at the College;

• The Hills Road staff had been in contact with two people with lacrosse-playing experience who were looking to develop the sport in Cambridge, and who were keen to become qualified; and

• The Sports department wanted to establish a rolling programme, to encourage students to get basic qualifications which would help establish Lacrosse at Hills Road, and also continue after they leave the College and move on to university.

As the number of those registering interest in a course (21 plus 2 staff) reached more than twice the initial expected number, we approved a further grant of £1000 towards the cost of coaching courses which were delivered at the College by EL’s Nik Roberts in March 2022. 

Linda Swain (Sports Activator/Netball coach) who is leading the development of Lacrosse at Hills Road, is also developing a partnership link with Cambridge Mixed Lacrosse club to extend the Lacrosse experience outside the College environment.

We are delighted to support the introduction of lacrosse into Hills Road College, and hope that it continues to prosper within the College, in the wider Cambridge area, and across the FE sector as a whole.

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