A sport sidelined for decades is enjoying a groundswell of interest but is still battling a shortfall of adequate facilities.
Tom James on the issues facing lacrosse
L
acrosse first came to England in 1867 when a group of visiting Canadian players staged a series of exhibition
matches.
In 1892, the first national lacrosse body - the English Lacrosse Union - was formed but it was only in 1996 that government of the men’s and women’s game came under one umbrella body when the ELU and the All England Women’s Lacrosse Association became a single entity.
In the UK there has long existed a close-knit, dedicated following for the men’s version of this minority sport. Lacrosse formed a staple diet for many girls attending private schools where a non-contact version of the sport sprang up.
But, in recent years, lacrosse’s popularity has flourished on a wider footing and appears to be entering a new phase in its redevelopment as participation across a spread of age groups grows and hybrid forms emerge in a drive to attract younger players. That re-emergence is set for a major boost in 2010 when the men’s Lacrosse World Championships come to Britain, with Manchester playing host to the game’s elite. Lacrosse is an exhilarating participation sport with teams of ten players (nine outfield and one goalkeeper) armed with lacrosse sticks battling it out in, what are often, frenetically paced, high-scoring matches. The scoreline usually outstrips that of a football or hockey match and the
game is often equally as exciting to watch. Due to the sports high-impact, fast flowing, vigorous nature, the playing surface often doesn’t fare so well, with a traditional winter's scene being one of players wading through mud to prise out the solid rubber, tennis-ball sized ball from the depths. To see lacrosse played at its best,
therefore, requires a firm surface, be it natural grass or synthetic turf, although the game is mostly played on grass in the UK.
Lacrosse is emerging strongly as an alternative sport particularly in the university sector, where undergraduates increasingly view it as something that bit different from the
usual offering, says Ashley Tarran-Jones of the ELA.
No surprise then that a thriving grass-roots movement is propelling participation beyond the colleges into mainstream sporting life. Graduates who have taken up lacrosse at university want to continue their progress in the sport. The nationwide dearth of facilities is not deterring them however, as they seize the initiative and launch new clubs, particularly in the south (for long the poor relation of the sport’s traditional northern stronghold) ‘on the margin’ with little, if any, funding, Ashley explains. Lacrosse is now poised for healthy
growth as the southern league structure builds to accommodate youth, senior and veteran players in its infrastructure. Despite the sorry demise of lacrosse within secondary schools (the sport is said to be costly to include in the curriculum) it is thriving in tertiary education. However, moves are afoot to reinvent the sport in schools, the ELA reports. In Sussex, University of Kent sports science graduate Chris White has masterminded the creation of East
Grinstead lacrosse club from a standing start. His Canterbury college was the spark that ignited a passion for the sport and he first played the game as mixed lacrosse - a non-contact form. After helping establish a men’s club there he graduated, then joined Walcountian Blues in Woodmansterne, Surrey, a member of the South of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (SEMLA). In 2004, Chris, now retrained as a PE teacher, and several friends, decided to set up a club nearer their homes in East Grinstead. “We stumbled around looking for a ground until, in 2005, we approached East Grinstead Rugby Club, which ran a floodlit, concreted area and they allowed us to train there.” That was the start of a
rapid rise to prominence locally. The 2005/6 lacrosse season saw the team finish runners-up in the SEMLA second division. The following year they were promoted into the premier division, where they were battling against the south’s big teams such as Reading. Now with more than 60 members, including juniors and women, the club has formed a second team and shows no sign of slowing its progress. “The rugby club runs three grass pitches and they have said that the second team’s is ours to use,” says Chris. “We’re looking to improve the drainage system so that we play on firmer ground as the pitch can become quite rutted.” They do have an emergency plan when weather prevents play - the nearby Astroturf surface at East Grinstead Hockey Club serving the purpose.
Chris is a big fan of synthetic surfaces.
“The 3G pitch is great for lacrosse. Games on it never get rained off and the surface allows the game to be played far more in the air, rather than on the ground trying to dig out the ball from a muddy pitch. Top teams such as Reading and Purley play on cricket outfields, which, in my
To see lacrosse played at its best requires a firm surface, be it natural grass or synthetic turf, although the game is mostly played on grass in the UK
LACROSSE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132