Lacrosse

Lacrosse by Emily Hook Wales U19

You may think lacrosse is only played on the sports fields of Malory Towers from the books by Enid Blyton but that is not the case. Lacrosse is so much more!

It is a team sport with origins in the USA and was first played in 1867 when it was known as “stickball”. It is now an international sport played worldwide in schools, clubs, colleges and universities with both male and female teams. There are more and more lacrosse clubs springing up all over the country as the game becomes increasingly popular. The International Olympic Committee Executive Board granted lacrosse full recognition as an Olympic sport for both men’s and women’s lacrosse. Fingers crossed lacrosse will be on our screens in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028!

I have always been very active and played a lot of sport, representing my Prep School – St Hilary’s in Godalming - in hockey, netball, rounders, tennis and athletics. Sport continued to be a major part in my life as I moved to my Senior School – Guildford High School. I started playing lacrosse in Year 7 at the age of 11 and despite it being a new sport for me I instantly fell in love with it. I have since played in various school age groups and was part of the winning Surrey Schools team and National Schools team in 2020. I am now 15 and in Year 11 where I will start the senior lacrosse set up which means I will be playing with people two years older than me!

The aim of lacrosse is simple - get the ball and score a goal and the team with the most goals at the end wins. Each player uses a lacrosse stick – which looks like a basket at the end of a pole – to catch, pass and shoot with it. There are two types of lacrosse - the original 10 a-side game and the new Olympic Sixes game. In the 10 a-side game there are three defenders, a goalie, three midfielders and three attackers on a large pitch. However, the new Sixes format has a smaller pitch with five outfield players and a goalie so lots more running. Players can go anywhere in Sixes and have to be good at both attacking and defending.

I currently play for Wales U19 A team and began training with them in the 2019. I was selected to play in the last two Home Internationals – a competition which takes place annually between Scotland, Wales and England - however, these were both cancelled due to COVID-19. I have just played in the Sixes Home Nations which included a few U19 players and senior lacrosse players. It was an amazing experience to play with, and against, some of my lacrosse heroes!

COVID-19 has a had a huge impact over the last 18 months but didn’t stop me from continuing my lacrosse journey! I have been following a training program devised to maintain fitness levels and keep up stickwork skills. I am lucky enough to have a big green in front of my house so hours have been spent passing on a rebounder and shooting at a goal (all new equipment bought during lockdown). Zoom played a huge part in lockdown life as school and strength and conditioning sessions moved online.

Sport is very important to me and has been proven to have wider benefits beyond health and fitness in terms of mental wellbeing as well as improving academic performance! I have got to know so many people from across the UK playing lacrosse and made so many friends. It is such a fun sport and I love playing and training as part of a team. I have missed competitive matches and the camaraderie of my team-mates and hope that this season life returns to normal on the pitch again.

Lacrosse is a game for boys and girls and there are also mixed teams. Depending on where you live in the U.K. you can visit the websites below for more information.

Wales

https://www.welshlacrosse.co.uk

England
www.englandlacrosse.co.uk Has lots of information for playing lacrosse if you live in England and visit www.englandlacrosse.co.uk/take-action to find a club near you. There's information on Lacrosse 6s which is a great small sided format for schools as well as boys and girls clubs and, if you already love lacrosse, there's information on the England Talent Pathway https://www.englandlacrosse.co.uk/talent-pathway

Scotland

https://www.lacrossescotland.com

Thank you to Emily, Wales Lacrosse and England Lacrosse for the content and videos.