ENGLISH LACROSSE ASSOCIATIONenglacrosse.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2012/08/agm-report-2011.pdf · Men’s Playing Committee – Alan Holdsworth Chairman’s Report – Alan Holdsworth

ENGLISH LACROSSE ASSOCIATION Ltd.

2011 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Reports

Finance – verbal report presented to the meeting Executive

Men‟s Playing Committee Women‟s Playing Committee Technical Marketing Chief Executive Officer

Presented to and accepted at the AGM held on 10th July 2011

Executive Report – Ron Balls President, Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman, Over the past reporting period the Executive has convened either in face-to-face meeting or audio on: 2010 8th April 20

th May 13

th June 25

th August

28th October 25

th November 16

th December 20

th December

2011 24th February 25

th March

and in the 2011/12 period on 13th April 20

th June

Much of the business will be covered within the Committee Reports or that of the Chief Executive Officer and I will refer here to a number of the main more general matters considered through the year. a) Whole Sport Plan 2009-2013 Reports have been received on a regular basis from the Technical Committee (TC) confirming that we are on track with the major targets and attention being given to specific areas as needed. b) People matters These have been dealt with through the year with Dave Abini, Hayley Finnegan, Abigail Merrill (part time) and Karen Gamble joining and we welcome them to the ELA. Tom Senerviratne left at the start of the year and after completion of work related to the very successful World Championships and Festival Sarah Oglesby and Tim Holdsworth and we wish them well in their future careers. Following the selection process that commenced in 2010/11 Alan Holdsworth has been appointed as the North Development Officer. From April 2011 all salary payments for SCOs and LDOs are managed by the ELA Head Office to comply with requirements placed upon us by the relevant regulatory bodies. c) Executive (Board) people issues

Over the year the Board has both had referred to it and also dealt with a number of issues including Committee Chair resignation and subsequent withdrawal of resignation, player disciplinary, volunteer disciplinary, CEO actions, Performance Director appointment processes, Academy finance. One issue related to working arrangements is currently being managed. d) Self Assurance Last year we were awarded an Amber rating as part of the Sport England Self Assurance process and were concerned that there was no opportunity within the process to undertake the necessary corrections to remedy this. I am pleased to advise that this year we have been restored to a Green rating. To achieve this we updated the Policy and Procedures manuals and extended the range of documentation to include: Board Skills Matrix update Risk Management Strategy

Operational Plan 2010 /11 Operational Plan 2011/12 Risk Strategy matrix updated Finance Contingency Plan (to cover any shortfall of WSP Funding) e) World Championship 2010 / World Cup 2013 The ELA organized, on behalf of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) a very successful Championship in July 2010 with 29 teams, the non-arrival of the 30

th team (Iroquois Nationals) has been well documented elsewhere

and a Festival with near to 50 teams. Many plaudits were received and all volunteers and staff involved merit a very well deserved thank you for all their efforts. Following this success the Board considered bidding to host the 2013 Women‟s World Cup using the same facility as for 2010 however the financials and uncertainty regarding the Manchester City Council ability to support the event to the level needed meant that we could not proceed. The World Cup 2013 will be hosted in Oshawa, Canada.

f) Ten Year Strategy

Considerable time has been spent on this and we are currently at the stage of now reviewing the feedback from members on the second round of consultation, the initial round having taken place over the November – January period. Associated with this is the Membership review, considering the structure needed going forward together with the benefits of membership, the Women‟s Competitive Review and changes in the Constitution / Articles of Association to meet the needs of the 10 year strategy, Companies Act 2006 and embracing continuously improving principles of good governance. It is anticipated that major changes will be presented to the 2012 AGM following membership consultation. g) International

European Lacrosse Federation Main points from the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) meeting held on 21st July 2010 European Club Championships (Men) – Wilmslow proposal to host the Ken Galluccio Cup agreed and that Wilmslow would compete as a third English team. European Club Championships (Women) – arrangements in hand 22nd-24th October in Prague. Development – Equipment sent to Russia but held in customs. In contact with Estonia, Ukraine, Portugal and Serbia. Concern that most countries have weak club structures / leagues and need to consolidate. Most mainland European countries have between 4 to 10 clubs. Hungary playing, 15 men, 7 women Portugal accepted as a member. Friends of Lacrosse – nearing 100 donors Revised Constitution - agreed Championship Rules – further work required, will be taken as a postal vote. Officials Clinics – held in Latvia and Sweden Election of Officers :

President : Peter Mundy VP (Men): Kristian Gotsch VP (Women): Quirine ten Bosch Hon. Sec: Gordon Shumack Hon Treas: John Debnam Referees: Matthias Lockeman Umpires : Dorothy Hirsch EC2012 – 20th June – 1st July 2012 Amsterdam, 3 venues being considered. Youth tournament to be held at the same time. Italy considered that the structure of EC2008 was not conducive to development, advised that changes made at 2009 AGM so that members would have input to the format. Federation of International Lacrosse The General Assembly met in Manchester in July alongside the 2010 World Championships. Main points considered at that time were: Revisions to Constitution, Bye Laws, Policies and Roles and Responsibilities documents Anti-Doping documentation agreed and principle of Registered Testing Pools Recommendation to seek membership of Sport Accord (Olympic recognition pre-requisite) agreed. Board Members: Jack Emmer (Men‟s Sector) and Ron Balls (Finance) elected Rule Changes: agreed except for those relating to Team Time Out and “Set” call at Face. Officials Travel Costs – Australian proposal for cost sharing rejected Women‟s Eligibility Rules (based on the men‟s rules) agreed Membership Over the course of the year membership has been extended to: Guatemala Serbia Thailand Turkey

Hungary Uganda Israel With China and Russia expected later this year. h) Finance The Finance sub committee has met on two occasions to consider the overall financial position, the three year rolling budget, financial control arrangements, staff salaries and the Reserves Policy with the finance throughput now covering SCO and LDO salaries. The Hon. Treasurers report will detail the end of year position The figures for 2010/11 show a turnover of approaching £2.4m with £0.94 of this being concerned with the World Championships and a further £0.9m being grant aid from a number of sources. Attention now has to be given to the next round of Whole Sport Plan discussions to secure funding beyond 2013. I will close by congratulating our Men‟s Indoor team for their creditable performance in the World Indoor Championships in Prague in May of this year and wishing our Women‟s Under 19 team the best of luck and good fortune in the World Championship taking place next month in Hanover.

Men’s Playing Committee – Alan Holdsworth Chairman’s Report – Alan Holdsworth

At this time last year we were preparing for the 2010 FIL World Championships and whilst it will be commented on as part of AGM reports it has to be said that the event was extremely successful and feedback from all areas of the game confirmed this. Thanks have to be expressed to the Steering Committee superbly headed by David Marsden, ELA Staff and a massive spread of volunteers contributing to the overall achievement of succeeding in the objectives of delivering a top class event with at worst a break even financial outcome. In addition English Lacrosse also carried on managing normal business despite the strain on resources and the appointment of Sarah Oglesby supported by Caroline Royle was instrumental in achieving a standard that future Championships will aspire to match. It is essential that the game does not lose sight of Legacy issues or the „feel good „factor created. Following the summer, global financial issues caused major impacts on the economy with the Government CSR causing massive changes in Public spending causing uncertainty in all areas including Sport. Since December 2010 the ELA has had to quickly respond to the challenges requiring a review of strategy to address the issues facing NGB‟s and Clubs in terms of funding and income streams to maintain development and growth. English Lacrosse has grown from a small NGB to a „small to medium‟ NGB in a short period of time and currently is bucking the trend in terms of participation and growth within the criteria set by Sport England. Considerations have had to be made for an urgent review of strategy for the period to 2013 within the current Whole Sport Plan period requiring specific changes to how the ‟ Grow and Excel „ sectors are affected to ensure compliance with the changes imposed within a short time scale. The game at grass roots level understandably may not recognise the need for a review however it is clear that to address the current and future issues and to ensure continuance of funding for the 2013 to 2017 period the ELA executive have taken on board the need to have a major review reflected in the Membership Survey and 10 year strategy review. At the time of writing the Conference in Solihull 15th May is a major opportunity not only to take on board individual / club views but to feedback support levels currently and intended via ELA. It is anticipated that SE funding will increase provided current momentum is maintained compared to larger Sports where clearly funding is being reduced due to failure to meet targets. Future suggested organisational changes reflect that we are a joint governing body and the MPC is currently responsible for setting the policy and direction of the Men‟s game rather than focussing on parochial issues. The future suggests merger of Men‟s / Women‟s Committees with focus separately on Elite and National events etc which has to be the way forward. Localisation is also heavily on the agenda and points towards regionalisation with agreed geographical areas supported by local direction and control feeding into a central body. All this relies on full and open communication – „buy in‟ from the membership and most importantly committed people to lead the initiatives. Thanks must be expressed to MPC committee members for dealing with a wide range of issues, not least Ron Balls who is invaluable to both the MPC and ELA for his objective input particularly in terms of finance issues. Finally I have to advise that following my position on a contract basis since August 2010 and after a lengthy, robust and I feel open recruitment process I have been offered and accepted the position as North Officer on an employed basis and after consultation it is clear that I cannot be nominated as MPC Chair at the forthcoming ELA AGM. The process has only been recently finalised and therefore not possible to seek alternative nominations in a sensible time scale. The position does require careful consideration in view of importance of the next 18 months/ 2yrs leading up to 2013 SE funding review which will in practice determine impact to 2017 and my suggestion is for urgent consideration in advance of ELA AGM. My intention subject to approval is to continue to participate in MPC meetings „ex-officio‟ subject to approval and continue as ELA Executive member as a Director of ELA Ltd.

Executive – Ron Balls Since the last AGM the MPC has met formally on five occasions these being: 18th May 2010 21st September 2010 23rd November 2009 25th January 2011 and 22nd March 2011 As well as the ongoing business of the normal running of the game through the Committees and Territorial Associations, which the relevant Chairman or delegate will report on, the MPC has considered many issues. The Chairman in his report, above, has covered some of these and the committee also dealt with the following: MPC Composition In addition to the posts elected at either ELA or MPC AGM, or nominated by territories, the following appointments were ratified: Juniors & Schools Helen Hewitt / John Adshead National Squads Greg Caplin Referees & Rules Rodney Burns Special Events Ken Haves Peter McGinnety, Rick Summers and Ravi Sitlani were thanked for their services with the respective committees and Helen Hewitt and John Adshead welcomed as Joint Chairs of J&S (N). Rodney Burns was welcomed back as Chair of Referees and Rules. It was agreed that the position of Overall National Squads Manager was redundant with duties being covered by the Chair of National Squads. The position of Overall National Squads Coach was no longer need with the appointment of the salaried ELA Men‟s Performance Director. Territorial Funding Allocations were made on the same basis as last year with £400 to South and £200 to each of the three Counties. This is being in addition to basic administration costs and support in respect of accommodation costs for the South teams in the British National Championship. agreed. Policy Manual This covering the following: National Club Competitions (including Squad sizes) Player Transfers Disciplinary Procedures Referee Assessment Senior Lacrosse – Under Age Players Juniors and Schools (N) dispensation Gender Considerations MPC Composition Player Eligibility – representative level Subscriptions (Extract from ELA policies) has been completed, sent to all clubs and is available on the ELA web site. World Championship 2010 Regular reports were provided on the progress of the event by the WC2010 Steering Committee representatives and they were congratulated on the organization of a very successful event.

Greg Caplin and Dave Elwood provided regular updates on the England team preparations and they were congratulated on their performance. World Indoor Championships 2011 It was agreed that a team would be entered in the FIL 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, this is being managed by Jamie Tasko, with Head Coach Chris Hall, and we wish them the best of luck in the event which commences on May 21st. Revise Playing Rules The revision to the FIL Playing Rules, modified to suit ELA requirements, were agreed by clubs and introduced from January 1st 2011 with the ruling regarding minimum stick width deferred until September 1st 2011 and dispensations related to the construction of goals. Major Fixtures A club request to amend the dates of the Iroquois Cup and Wilkinson Sword fixtures was not agreed. Ex-Officio David Shuttleworth, Dave Elwood and Dave Coldwell have attended / called in by audio MPC meetings on a regular basis and kept the Committee advised on wider matters including:

Whole Sport Plan Child Protection Policy Development & Coaching matters Registration issues Accreditation Volunteer Awards Government Future Jobs Fund Active Universities application

We have benefited considerably from this and express our thanks to David, Dave and Dave and all the ELA staff. Finance – Ron Balls The accounts for the ELA for the period ending 31st March 2010 have not as yet been finalised but based on the first cut figures the overall position of the MPC is as follows: Revenue £

Carry Forward monies from previous year 13,208 ELA Allocation 32,000 Income 30,090 Total 75,298

Expenditure Overall expenses 57,698 Net position £17,600 The major dominating factor in the MPC finances is that of National Squads and the Academy these accounting for income of £33,336 and expenditure of £41,683 with some credit card transactions still to be included. The MPC allocation of funds to National Squads in 2010/11 was £17,565. Other major items of spend are:

MPC Administration £755 J&S Medals and Trophies £620 NEMLA and SEMLA £1592

BNC subsistence (South) £750 Under 19 Competition £2200 Territories £1000 Allocation to Cheadle & Marple Coll. £1500

NEMLA / League North - John Partt The 2010/2011 season was fortunately very much easier to administer than was the case the previous season, and therefore my report is straightforward this time. The Management Committee met on 10 occasions for its monthly meetings, plus the usual minor meeting immediately following last year‟s AGM. The principal activity of the Committee was, as always, the administration of the Senior League programme together with the Flags and Cup knockout competitions, along with organising the Under 19‟s League and knockout competitions. There was a highly unusual amount of player transfer activity this season, a total of 79 transfers taking place (compared to a normal number of around 40) although this included 2 players who each transferred twice. The Committee also dealt with 5 claims for points submitted by various clubs, this being a typical number. Once again a total of 26 clubs entered the Senior League competition, but within a new structure consisting of 3 divisions of club 1st teams, and 3 divisions of the remaining teams, giving a total of 52. The new structure seems to have operated effectively with few intrinsic problems, but once again the weather interfered with the schedule as Britain suffered the coldest December in 50 years. The resulting snow and ice played havoc with the programme throughout December and January, but we eventually caught up, despite one or two matches having to be re-scheduled for Sundays towards the end of the season. The Under 19‟s League competition initially comprised 11 teams in 2 conferences, with matches played prior to Christmas, but Mellor withdrew after playing only 2 matches, and their record was expunged. Despite giving an assurance that they would be able to field a team in the knockout programme after Christmas, they were unable to do so, and consequently only 10 teams played. The Disciplinary sub-committee dealt with 8 expulsion fouls this season compared with 10 in the previous season. Most of the expulsions were for fighting rather than for foul and abusive language, so this seems to have been an improvement. The sub-committee met only once, for a hearing against a player who had been recommended by a referee for an increase over the automatic 3 match suspension resulting from an expulsion foul; the suspension was increased to 5 matches. The usual 3 Open Forum meetings were held, in October, December and February, all at Heaton Mersey‟s clubhouse. Once again the more distant clubs were granted dispensation from the mandatory attendance requirement, but their absence does of course preclude them from active participation in the discussions at the meetings. I am pleased to report that only one club was fined for non-attendance, which produced a measly £15 for the Treasurer – I‟m sure he would be much happier to see his coffers swollen by ever-increasing fines! However, the Committee did impose other fines on clubs totalling £350, so hopefully this proved satisfactory to him! In April the Festival Weekend took place again at Rochdale, in perfect weather. The 6 Senior Finals and 6 Junior Finals were a pleasure to watch in warm sunshine, and the winners of the senior games were presented with their respective trophies immediately after each game. We are grateful to the Rochdale club for hosting the event, and also to all the referees and other match officials who were in charge of the games.

The AGM was held recently, only 14 of the 26 clubs being represented at the meeting, and it was very disappointing that of the 5 local clubs who failed to attend, the host club, Heaton Mersey, was amongst them. The winners of the divisional and other trophies were presented with their trophies at the meeting, but again it was disappointing that the winners of 2 of the divisional trophies were not there to collect them. Finally, I would like to thank Roger Ambler for his constant support during the past 12 months, and wish him a rapid and complete recovery from his recent health problems. SEMLA / League South - Peter Compton Regular tele-conference monthly meetings have continued and these have been well attended by the clubs. Financially the Association remains sound, with a modest working capital and reserve funds on deposit. The Payment of £300 is still awaited from Euro Worldwide Events Ltd for the Harvard women team‟s participation in the 2009/10 London Tournament – but this may not be recovered – the cost of any recovery being likely to exceed any recovered sums. Three teams (Hillcroft A, Royal Holloway College & Epsom) were added and one (UEA Norwich) lost to the rosta in the „East‟ with two teams (UWIN & Cheltenham Cougars) withdrawing from the „West‟. Below the Premiereship the „East‟ now has three Divisions and the West remains with „two‟. The winners of the various leagues are:

Premier Division Walcountian Blues East One Cambridge University East Two Welwyn 2 East Three Hillcroft A West One Bristol City Bombers West Two University of Birmingham

As a result of the Play-Off procedure, Bristol City Bombers are promoted to the Premiership. The Flags winners are:

Senior Flags Walcountian Blues Intermediate Flags Bristol City Bombers Minor Flags Exeter University

The Plate Competition winners are: Intermediate Reading 2 Minor Welwyn 2

As a test of its viability, a Southern Counties tournament was once again held in mid-May, after a gap of many years. Ten county teams participated - a testament to the sustained growth of the SEMLA programme. Referee and CBO courses were held during the season. This season, all clubs complied with or demonstrated progress towards complying with SEMLA Bye-Laws on referee provision with the result that no clubs were penalised for breach. The disciplinary panel has met on a number of occasions, with the fast track procedure continuing to provide an efficient means of responding quickly to the occasional referrals. Trials for the South Team have been held and two teams, a first team and Development squad - a total of 30 players - were entered into the BNC's. Both teams finished in higher positions than in the previous couple of years. The Junior Lacrosse programme continues to face the problems of a limited number of active clubs spread across the considerable distances of the SEMLA region. Nonetheless, regular games and tournaments have taken place through

the year. To partially compensate for limited opposition team, South Clubs are developing an adventurous spirit with several clubs actively travelling abroad in search of competition. In the spring Brussels Tournament, SEMLA junior teams were placed first, second and third. In an interesting and exciting recent development, Reading have established field lacrosse as a curriculum activity in two local schools with the potential for further expansion locally. Regular tele-conference monthly meetings have continued and these have been well attended by the clubs. Financially the Association remains sound, with a modest working capital and reserve funds on deposit. The Payment of £300 is still awaited from Euro Worldwide Events Ltd for the Harvard women team‟s participation in the 2009/10 London Tournament – but this may not be recovered – the cost of any recovery being likely to exceed any recovered sums. Three teams (Hillcroft A, Royal Holloway College & Epsom) were added and one (UEA Norwich) lost to the rosta in the „East‟ with two teams (UWIN & Cheltenham Cougars) withdrawing from the „West‟. Below the Premiereship the „East‟ now has three Divisions and the West remains with „two‟. The winners of the various leagues are:

Premier Division Walcountian Blues East One Cambridge University East Two Welwyn 2 East Three Hillcroft A West One Bristol City Bombers West Two University of Birmingham

As a result of the Play-Off procedure, Bristol City Bombers are promoted to the Premiership. The Flags winners are:

Senior Flags Walcountian Blues Intermediate Flags Bristol City Bombers Minor Flags Exeter University

The Plate Competition winners are: Intermediate Reading 2 Minor Welwyn 2

As a test of its viability, a Southern Counties tournament was once again held in mid-May, after a gap of many years. Ten county teams participated - a testament to the sustained growth of the SEMLA programme. Referee and CBO courses were held during the season. This season, all clubs complied with or demonstrated progress towards complying with SEMLA Bye-Laws on referee provision with the result that no clubs were penalised for breach. The disciplinary panel has met on a number of occasions, with the fast track procedure continuing to provide an efficient means of responding quickly to the occasional referrals. Trials for the South Team have been held and two teams, a first team and Development squad - a total of 30 players - were entered into the BNC's. Both teams finished in higher positions than in the previous couple of years. The Junior Lacrosse programme continues to face the problems of a limited number of active clubs spread across the considerable distances of the SEMLA region. Nonetheless, regular games and tournaments have taken place through the year. To partially compensate for limited opposition team, South Clubs are developing an adventurous spirit with several clubs actively travelling abroad in search of competition. In the spring Brussels Tournament, SEMLA junior teams were placed first, second and third.

In an interesting and exciting recent development, Reading have established field lacrosse as a curriculum activity in two local schools with the potential for further expansion locally. National Squads – Greg Caplin The National Squads Committee met on 10 occasions in season 2010/11. National Squads Committee submitted reports to every MPC meeting held in season 2010/11. Following Manchester 2010 a change took place in the membership of the NS committee, which since September 2010 has comprised: G.Caplin (Chair) D.Elwood A. Holdsworth C.Perrin D.Shuttleworth Squads - Seniors The only senior team activity during the season has been the preparation of the senior England team and its participation in the in the Manchester 2010 World Championships. England finished 5th in the Championship, the details have been well documented. I commend all of the players and staff for their dedication, discipline and dignity in representing England in extremely trying circumstances. Those who have not experienced the cauldron of competing in a World Championship, especially on home soil, cannot possibly understand the pressure and expectation loaded on to the shoulders of team as well as the physical demands of playing almost every day for the duration of the tournament. These individuals deserve the congratulations, praise and gratitude of every member of the Association Squads – U19 Preparation for the U19 World Championships is underway. Trials were held at the University of Hertfordshire, Welwyn on 20th March 2011 and the University of Manchester on 27th March 2011. A total of 92 eligible players attended trial from which an initial training squad of 50 have been selected. Staff Following Manchester 2010 all staff listed in NS report to MPC AGM 2010 have retired in accordance with the terms of their appointments. The positions of General Manager and Coaching Director held by G.Caplin and D. Elwood respectively are redundant. National Squads invited applications for the posts of Head Coach and Manager to prepare and lead England teams in the 2012 U19 World and the 2012 Senior European Championships. After due process the following appointments have been made: U19 Manager - Alison Cara Senior Manager - Matthew Nugent U19 Head Coach - Richard Gartside The process to appoint a Head Coach for the 2012 European Championship team is ongoing at the time of writing. ELA Men‟s Director of Elite Performance, Dave Elwood, continues to work closely with all aspects of NS activities. Tours There were no incoming tours during the season. England senior squad travelled to the USA for a 4 day 3 match tour May 6th to 10th 2010. The matches were against professional teams Denver Outlaws, Headstrong Foundation, and Chesapeake Bayhawks the results being won 1 lost 2. England suffered a harsh one goal defeat in the final game with the Chesapeake Bayhawks who went on to become the winners of the US professional National Lacrosse League in 2010. The tour was valuable experience for the preparation of the team, its coaches and staff. It helped to establish strong links with the organisers of the US teams, which would facilitate a repeat of the tour in future years. This is highly recommended as a development tool for our national teams, finance allowing.

Academy Over the 12-month period the Academy programme has coached 291 boys at age levels. U17, U15, and U13 introduced for the first time this year. These sessions primarily took place at 2 centres, Manchester Univ. In the North and Hertfordshire Univ. In the South. Dave Elwood coached all the sessions with England coaching staff and Senior England Team players. Each player was exposed to a high level of coaching and received personalised feedback on his individual ability. 4 Academy teams entered the Festival Tournament at the World Championship, which resulted in 100 boys gaining valuable experience against International opposition. Participant numbers 2010/2011 were: U17 North Academy 20/09/10 Wilmslow LC 35 players U18 / U15 South Academy 10/10/10 Herts. University 40 Players U15 North Academy 17/10/10 Manchester University 51 Players U13 North Academy 07/11/10 Manchester University 53 Players U17 North Academy 13/02/11 Manchester University 37 Players U15 North Academy 27/02/11 Manchester University 35 Players U18 / U15 South Academy 20/03/11 Herts. University 40 Players It will be noted that the South sessions are with a combined age group. This was due to smaller numbers but as the Academy develops we hope to attract enough players in the South to run separate sessions for each age. An Academy administration group has been established comprising Alison Cara, Karen Robinson, Dave Elwood and Greg Caplin. As well as organising sessions the group has improved lines of communication with players, parents, clubs and JSN, which has overcome a lot of misunderstanding and reticence concerning the aims and objectives of the Academy. Improved communication with the relevant people in the South is a work in progress but with the help of ELA development officers Steve McDermott and Nick Roberts we are making headway. It must be said that the South players are keen enough, as a group of them also attend sessions in the North. Links have been established with the key personnel involved with the women‟s lacrosse Centex set up. We are learning from them and exchanging views concerning a number of issues on which we hope to achieve a joint policy. Universities There have been three University coaching clinics by England staff and players: one at Northampton and two at Chester. There is still difficulty in scheduling, which we hope will be overcome now that the Active Universities Programme funding is in place. There is no doubt that the universities will form a rich vein of talent for future England teams. Student lacrosse players will be an important feature of the talent pathway being developed by ELA staff and National Squads. Coach Development National Squads are committed to the development of English coaches and are continuing the policy of encouraging all players to gain the ELA prescribed coaching qualifications. Numbers taking courses have reduced in the hiatus following Manchester 2010 and only Matt Bagley has completed a coaching course during season 2010/11. However, England players and staff have coached at junior camps and training sessions wherever possible. England senior players gain valuable experience coaching at Academy sessions under the guidance of Dave Elwood and former England coaching staff. AASE There has been a change in the anticipated location of the pilot AASE scheme for lacrosse. It is now running based on Trafford College. At time of writing it is not clear what National Squads involvement will be, if any. In conclusion I would thank everyone involved in a different but exciting year for National Squads, including ever- present support from ELA staff and MPC. NSC continues its endeavour to provide a lasting structure for England squads within which staff and players can benefit from the experience of their predecessors whist being encouraged to bring in new ideas. It is our firm opinion that the England brand is important to the development of lacrosse in England from grass roots upwards. We are proud of our national teams and are resolved to engage with the work of the NGB in the promotion of our sport.

Referees & Rules – Rodney Burns

Committee members

Rodney Burns (Chair), Peter Davidson (Secretary). Don Blacklock (National training co-ordinator and Training officer - North), Paul Chatterton, Jon Harrop (Training officer - South), Steve Jarvis, Graham Lester (Rules), Phil Pearson, Dan Wright. Co-opted members: Dave Doolan, Peter McGinnety and Chris Parker. „Travelling‟ referees

The recent NEMLA AGM‟s acceptance of the proposal that Clubs will provide „travelling‟ referees offers a great opportunity to address the problem of lack of officials in the North. This ruling means that all Premiership 1, 2 & 3 games will remain as is currently the case with a referee being provided by the home Club, but all North 1, 2 & 3 teams will now be required to provide both a home and a travelling referee. If our game is to benefit from this ruling, then I implore Clubs to identify a small group of members to undertake this new role on a regular basis. Should Clubs simply have all their players „taking their turn‟, then our refereeing numbers will never improve. At the present time, these referees are not required to be qualified or even competent! R&Rs preference would be that, at some time, all home and travelling referees would be at least Level 1 (Basic award), but we are content to get this new initiative up and running. Hopefully, this new initiative will be successful and taken up by SEMLA. Currently, there only 8 regular Panel referees in the South, and 13 in the North.

Level 1/2 Courses

R&Rs will run Level 1/2 Courses at Waconians Lacrosse Club, Didsbury, on Sunday 11 September and Sunday 30 October 2011. Please arrange attendance through the ELA office. International Appointments

We have been asked to provide 8 Referees and 3 Assessors for the 2012 European Championships, and 3 Referees and 1 Assessor for the World U19 Championships. University Officiating

Following Dave Coldwel‟s briefing note on University Lacrosse Officiating, R&Rs have appointed a member to be responsible for supporting university officials, offering training, assessment and mentoring.

Events Promotion – Ken Haves Accounts for season 2010-2011 Income Expenditure Gate (semis and festival) 4213 Referees (semis and festival) 1050 Donations 445 Ticket 123 Clubs 2400 Medals & Trophy repairs 873 Programmes 470 Medical 150 Rochdale & PA 360 Total 7546 Total 2557 Surplus 4990 Funds used by NEMLA 2241

Juniors & Schools (N) – John Adshead / Helen Hewitt League Fixtures We had yet another season disrupted by bad weather, this year before Christmas and this meant that fewer fixtures were played during the season and the cup matches were delayed. This has kept our fixtures secretary Alison Cara very busy and we thank her for her tireless and meticulous work.

We haven‟t quite managed to get the results on the web and Alison is continuing to negotiate for next season. The under 12s league is very healthy with 20 teams competing 17 separate clubs and one club with 2 teams and another with 3 (a record). Both u14s and u16s had 14 teams from 13 clubs – although different combinations of clubs in each,

2011 Junior & Schools U16s U14s U12s

Clubs competing 13 13 17

Clubs with more than 1 team Sheffield (2) Brooklands (2) Timperley (3) Poynton (2)

Total teams 14 14 20

Some teams have found it difficult to get a full team each week and we have been pleased that clubs have invariably worked together playing 8 aside or loaning players to ensure that the players get a match after all. Thanks to Emma Mooney for organising a small number of u11s fixtures as usual and to her in her role as membership officer. We now have nearly all junior players registered and this makes it easier to check ages and registration for competitions. Registration is really important – not least for insurance purposes - and we thank Emma for her perseverance in chasing up Clubs but hope that in future clubs will ensure that all players are registered. Debate on age ranges for Boy‟s Junior Teams Following the 2010 AGM it was agreed that there should be full debate on the proposal from Stockport and Cheshire to change the age range to u11s, u13s, u15s and u17s. It was established early on that any decision about the structure of the sport even at Junior level was the prerogative of MPC but the views of Clubs are critical After a brief debate before Christmas, clubs were consulted about the proposals for, u11s, u13s and u16s teams – the u17 option having been deemed unworkable. It was established early on that any decision about the structure of the sport even at Junior level was the prerogative of MPC but the views of Clubs are critical. We therefore invited the Chair of MPC and also the Chief Executive of the ELA to attend the March J & S meeting and to hear the views of clubs and understand their concerns. Clubs were asked for a written response prior to the meeting and although only 3 were received, the meeting itself was well attended and was clear that the issues had been seriously considered at club level. In the end, the overwhelming view was that the current age ranges should remain but that we should actively seek to develop a series of games / tournaments for u10s. A small group led by John Adshead was nominated to consider what form this might take and then report back to the next meeting. Tournaments 6 aside Competitions We have successfully held U1 2 and U1 6 six side tournaments. These were won by Timperley and Mellor respectively. Unfortunately the weather plus the fixture congestion has made it difficult to find a slot for the u14s six aside tournament but we have finally been able to secure location as Cheadle Hulme Lacrosse Club have volunteered to run the tournament on Sunday 22th May. Thanks to Timperley Mellor and now Cheadle Hulme for staging these events and to Sue Somerville and Robin Howie and Ian Ashworth for organising them. Due to ongoing problems encountered with the U14 6-a-side being held after the season end. It will be suggested at the J&S AGM that the timing of the event is rescheduled to happen within the season.

Finding sufficient referees to run these highly competitive tournaments has been difficult for several years and in 2010/11 for the first time we agreed that a new requirement that each team entering must have its own referee and that coaches could not referee and coach at the same time. This was implemented relatively smoothly for the u16s but the u12s tournament was more controversial with one club arriving – knowingly without a referee and another coming with two teams and coach/ referees for both. As the March J and S meeting, it was agreed that the rule should be reiterated to clubs, coaches and managers and will be strictly enforced at the 14s tournament and that Clubs that do not provide a referee will not be allowed to play and the manager will be responsible for explain the players and parents why this was so. Cup and Plate Competitions Congratulations to all the successful teams at the Flags Weekend.

2011 Junior & Schools

U16s U14s U12s

Cup Sheffield (Timperley)

Brooklands (Poynton)

Timperley (Stockport)

Plate Poynton (Cheadle)

Wilmslow (SMG)

Brooklands (Cheadle Hulme)

It was very pleasing to see Stockport, Stockport Mersey Guild and Cheadle Hulme at Flags. Even though these clubs did not win, it is a tribute to the work of their clubs, coaches, mangers and parents in building these teams up and maintaining them. Some clubs this year have struggled while others are maintaining their membership but the efforts of these clubs show that with hard work and dedication, junior teams can be built up and will sustain their senior teams in years to come. Our apologies were made to the finalists over the Flags Weekend for medals not being available on the day, all clubs have since received their medals. To stop this kind of administration error happening again it will be recommended at the J&S AGM that hand-over check lists will be provided to incoming officers in the future listing key tasks and requirements for each role within the committee. National u12s and u16s This tournament was again played at St James School in Malvern; the number of competing clubs was lower this year because of uncertainty over whether the competition could be held since at one point it appeared that pitches would not be available. On the day the tournament there were further unexpected problems with pitches but we would again like to thank Emma Mooney for her efforts on the day in reorganizing the U16‟s on an alternative pitch within the school to allow the event to go ahead. Timperley were the winners of the u12s competition in which 14 teams competed and Sheffield Steelers won the u16s in which 7 teams competed. The Manchester Clubs were in the majority and would welcome more competition from other areas especially from Clubs in the South, South Wales or in the North East.

Dispensations and Disciplinaries Dispensations The new dispensation system with a sub group of Emma Mooney Richard Gartside and John Adshead. However it has been frustrating in that clubs have not been proactive in sending dispensation requests and renewing them at Christmas. It should not be necessary to chase up, managers who want to field dispensated players. Equally we still find that some clubs are not notifying their opponents in advance of their dispensated players. This must improve.

This year we carried forward the ruling that there should be no dipensated players in u16s teams. This has been tough for some clubs but we believe it is important for the safety of players. Disciplinary Panel Mike Ford has continued as to be responsible for Disciplinaries. Fortunately there have been few expulsions‟ from games for Mike to consider and he will report on these himself at the J & S AGM.

Mike has expressed his wish to stand down this year and we would like to thank him for his dedication in carrying out this difficult and mostly thankless task. His sage advice and experience will be missed. We are seeking nominations for this important role before the J & S AGM this week. . Referees This has continued to be something of an issues at the six aside tournaments (see above) and we have had lively – but ultimately unresolved debates about whether referees need to be qualified to officiate at junior fixtures or whether s/he needs only to be competent. We have seen some qualified but not very competent referees and some very good but unqualified ones too. We will now need to consider the impact of League North‟s decision that each senior club must provide a referee for both home and away games; We fear the impact of this on Junior games since clubs referees are unable to officiate at junior matches as they need to go to senior away games with their clubs. This will not affect all teams but may be felt most by those clubs who are struggling most for players and officials.

It seems likely to exacerbate the problems the junior game already faces in terms of the number of referees and clubs have indicated they would be unable to follow the senior model and provide a qualified referee for each game.

Junior managers agree there is a need for more referee courses but the ELA has had few requests. We know that some parents find the course daunting. We appreciate the advice and commitment to Junior Lacrosse from Ian Ashworth who continues to represent the Referees and Rules Committee at Junior and Schools meeting and thank him for putting our case to his colleagues. We hope that with Ian‟s lead it will be possible to review the course for adults and to finally develop a course specifically for the younger players who want to officiate. The 16 and 17 year olds are now qualified have been very helpful often working alongside a more experienced referees. England Academies This Academy programme this season has seemed to run more smoothly and we are very grateful to Karen Robinson and Alison Cara for continuing the roles they took on managing the Academy teams into 2011. Communication has been much improved and players now received more detailed and personal feedback although -on occasion - timing is still something of an issue. The Academy has extended its age range to u13s and now u11s and this has been well received too although cost is still an issue and we continue to be concerned about equal access although we understand that the managers do have some discretion if cases of hardship are brought to their attention.

The issue of feedback from the Academy to clubs is still unresolved and it is hard to help players improve and work on issues identified at academy sessions unless club coaches know what these were. We have not been able to meet with Dave Elwood as planned and a pre season meeting for the Chair with David and the Academy managers would be helpful.

And finally…… We would like to thank again all officers for their efforts this year and especially Sue Sommerville for her tremendous contribution as secretary. We are sure it has been much more difficult liaising with two rather than one Chair this year and Sue has continued to make things happen even though she has had some very serious family issues that have rightly had first call on her time. Sue‟s knowledge, organizational skills and help have been invaluable as we realized we had a lot to learn and being Chair was a far more demanding and time consuming than Rick or Sue ever made it seem!

Cheshire - John Sharples Matters remain difficult for the Association. Despite two email circulars being issued to clubs in order to agree a date for the AGM only two clubs have responded. I have issued a request via the NEMLA management committee asking that clubs confirm their current contact details and only three clubs have responded. Despite this, two open meetings have been held regarding the future of Cheshire and the roles it might usefully undertake. The majority of those expressing an opinion were parents of young players, or senior players.

Parents in particular see the County teams as being an important part of the Development pathway, especially as those players undertaking GCSEs in sport can use evidence of County selection as part of their accreditation. There were suggestions that County matches at U14 were desirable. Players generally agreed that County games were important at Youth level for a number of reasons, including breaking down of unhealthy interclub rivalry. They wished to keep the fixture v Lancashire and did not see that the BNCs were yet an acceptable alternative to the traditional fixture. All of them confirmed there seemed to be little enthusiasm for County activity or involvement at club level. Some suggested that I was attempting to flagellate a deceased equine beast in pursuing the continuation of Cheshire, but also said they were grateful I was doing so. Noting the Chairman‟s comments last year, there has been little improvement in the situation West of the Pennines, but Yorkshire are being innovative and using their County structure to good effect and are perhaps showing that there is a continuing role of a county or territorial structure. It seems to me there needs to be some serious discussion amongst the MPC members who share interests in the County structure as where we would like to see them fit into the overall organisation of Lacrosse, and that these discussions are now long overdue. In the meantime, if Cheshire clubs are not prepared to support an AGM to fully discuss matters, I would like the MPC to consider allowing a postal ballot on proposals for a new structure and constitution. In the meantime Karen Robinson is prepared to continue as Treasurer, Anton Bryant as President and Chair, and myself as Secretary if this is acceptable to the MPC. I hope that John Adshead is willing to continue as Youth Development Coach, and I will also ask for volunteers from players and LDOs, while I will continue to act as manager or the teams until more worthy candidates step forward. From a playing perspective so far things have again been disappointing. The U17s match in advance of the Referees Trophy was cancelled without consultation with Cheshire. The U16, U19, and Senior fixture were all cancelled first because of the appalling weather, then because of the fixture backlog. It was agreed last year that the Counties would promote the BNCs as the premier Territorial Competition, and Lancashire and Cheshire contested the final with Cheshire emerging the winners. The Cheshire squad was selected by a players Committee and coached by Joe Macchi, Stockport LDO, as no other volunteers were forthcoming for the senior coaching roles. Cheshire does not intend to do anything to undermine the previous decision that the BNCs should be regarded as the Premier competition and after recent discussions with a Lancashire Officer we have agreed not to arrange another Senior game, and for the future to regard the BNCs as fulfilling this fixture (to be endorsed by Lancashire). We intend to organise the U16 and U19 fixtures to be played in the evening during the summer, at dates and venues to be agreed. I have suggested that in future the U16 match is played prior to the Referees trophy instead of the U17s game which will be discontinued. Also that the U19s match is considered as part of the U19 competition fixtures preferably following the competition finals, or is developed into a three way fixture including Yorkshire which can now field a very strong U19 squad. These remain proposals at the moment but offer some certainty to the fixtures. There has also been a suggestion that an U21 or U23 fixture be initiated as part of continuing development of young players . If this is adopted the match would be played in summer, and I would seek discussions with the ELA and Lancashire about using the potential Summer League rules, with shot clock etc. for this fixture. Lancashire - Alan Boyle This season has been another quiet time with regards meetings. We have only met on 3 occasions with the November meeting cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. All the meetings have been held as usual at the Brooklands Hulmeians Lacrosse Club headquarters with usually only 4 or 5 clubs present. The Under 19 Ted Donnett and Geoff Gartside Trophies were held at Brooklands in late October and provided a very competitive tournament with all participants giving their all, although the late date seemed to cut down the number of

teams entering. Heaton Mersey won the Ted Donnett Trophy, whilst Cheadle were the victors in the Geoff Gartside Cup. The County matches have not been contested this season because of the weather. The Under 19 fixture in December was a victim of the snow whilst the Senior game has not been played so far because of clashing fixtures with postponed League games. The county will be taking part and defending the British National Championship over the Bank Holiday weekend. Thanks to Richard Gartside for his organisational work managing the team, and Gary Wilson who will hopefully be coaching the team. The County had a number of victories over the Festival Weekend with Boardman winning the Stockport Cup convincingly, and Timperley in the Juniors & Schools U16 final and also the Nigel Wayne Trophy. Liverpool are also to be congratulated on their double of the David Beesley and winning promotion to Premier 2. Boardman also won promotion to Premier 1. At the AGM held in early April the meeting approved a change of President to Richard Gartside and he certainly has full agenda for the next 12 months, in which he hopes to get a few more of the County fixtures up and running again. With this in mind we have purchased a new set of kit!! Yorkshire - Simon Gill Our Committee met four times during the season either at Sheffield or by telephone conference. Contact is maintained with our more distant clubs by telephone or email, if travelling proves a problem. Co-operation between clubs continued and we found enough volunteers to help organise various activities. Our thanks go to them. Clubs generally had a good season. Sheffield Steelers gained promotion to Prem 1, and had success with their junior teams, winning the U19 Plate and the Under 16‟s team winning all their games including the Under 16‟s cup. Newcastle gained promotion to Prem 2, and at the time of reporting sit top of Prem 3. Leeds just lost out on winning the Lancashire Cup with a narrow loss to Liverpool in the final and secured 3rd place in Prem 3. Hull finished 5th in Prem 3. Nottingham had a disappointing season but managed to secure their place in Prem 2. Sheffield University secured their place for another year in Prem 1, meaning that there will be 2 Yorkshire clubs representing at the top level next season. Sheffield University gained promotion to the BUCS Northern Premiership, and Sheffield Hallam were runners up in the BUCS Championship pushing Durham hard in the final. Leeds Met won the BUCS Trophy competition and Leeds Uni were runners up in their conference final. Next season‟s BUCS competition will see 4 teams from the Yorkshire region competing in the BUCS Premiership and we wish them all every success. Mike Aspinall has run junior schemes in the East Midlands during the season and Gareth Cornelius has been starting up an East Yorkshire junior mini-league. There were several courses run in the region for referees, and for Level 1 coaching. Our thanks go to those who helped organise the sessions. This year saw a professional approach to the organisation of the Yorkshire squad which was to participate at the British National Championships. With Gareth Cornelius managing the team, and the appointment of Tom Wenham as head coach, a trial was staged at Leeds in early March and was well attended. A President‟s squad was selected to take part in the upcoming Yorkshire Cup competition and was pitted against Sheffield University and Sheffield Steelers. Sheffield University won the competition, with the President‟s team coming 2nd. The competition was also used as a chance for players from the Sheffield teams to trial for the Yorkshire squad. In total, 53 players trialled and 23 players were selected for the final squad to take part at the BNCs. The final squad was represented by at least 1 player from every team or university in the YCLA region. Regular training sessions were held and hopes were very

high for a top 4 finish at the championships. The team managed to achieve their top 4 goal, beating Scotland 8-2 to secure 3rd place, and narrowly missing out on a place in the final losing by 1 goal to Lancashire. Our thanks go to Gareth Cornelius for his excellent management and organisation of the squad, and to Tom Wenham for coaching and the professional approach that he has brought to Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Shield competition took place in Leeds on Saturday 14th May. It was aimed at teams of Prem 3 standard or BUCS (non-premiership). 7 teams took place and the tournament winners were Leeds Met with Newcastle runners up. 2 dates were staged for the BUCS North-East Freshers series at York and Durham. Leeds Met were the overall winners. The dates meant that the Yorkshire Fresherfest did not take place this season, but a weekend has been set aside for next season to ensure it takes place. Our thanks go to Gareth Cornelius and Mike Armstrong for organising the series. The Yorkshire Player of the Year trophy has been awarded Mike Armstrong of Sheffield University and the Yorkshire Volunteer of the Year has been awarded to Robin Webb of Newcastle and Northumbria University. At the AGM, Simon Gill (Leeds) was reappointed President and Neil Crosby was reappointed Treasurer. Mike Aspinall remains as Secretary. Next season we plan to continue to use telephone conferencing for the meetings in December and February, and limit personal meetings to October and April. Our supporters and volunteers have again been generous with their donations and time and our thanks go to all of them. Universities - Dave Coldwell The following is a brief report on the progress for university development prepared for the MPC AGM. The report has been broken down to a few headlines. BUCS BUCS now has men‟s lacrosse leagues embedded into its competitive programme. This is the third year of men‟ s lacrosse leagues and BUCS have implemented two premier divisions for the first time this year. There were 37 university league entries across England, Scotland and Wales divided by the BUCS regional structure in the initial 2008-09 season. This has now increased to 58 teams across 53 universities for the recently completed 2010-11 season (women had 66 teams across 50 universities). Table 1- 2010-11 League Structure (Division winners in bold)

Premier North Premier South

Durham Oxford

Manchester Warwick

St Andrew‟s Brighton

Sheffield Hallam

Bristol

Nottingham Exeter

Scottish North 1/A Midlands 1/A Southwest 1/A Southeast 1/A

Stirling Sheffield Loughborough Bath Imperial

Edinburgh Man Met Cambridge Swansea Portsmouth

Glasgow Leeds Met Northampton Cardiff Hertfordshire

Aberdeen Northumbria Birmingham Southampton Canterbury

Lancaster Nottingham 2 Gloucestershire Royal Holloway

Keele Plymouth

College of St Mark &

St John

UWIC

North 2A Midlands 2A Southeast 2A

York Staffordshire Kent

Liverpool Lincoln Essex

Newcastle Leicester Brunel

Leeds Nottingham Trent Chichester

Hull Oxford Brookes Reading

Manchester 2 UEA Portsmouth 2

Durham 2

Durham 3

English Lacrosse Association Ltd. Annual General Meeting

10th July 2011

ELA AGM 2011 Report v1 Page 21 of 34

The semi-finals again took place alongside the women‟s semifinals at Timperley LC.. The final took place at Mount St Mary‟s College in Sheffield and was played alongside the women‟s finals. Durham defeated Sheffield Hallam for the Championship with Leeds Met claiming the Trophy title with a win over Imperial. BUCS have also conducted play-offs for promotion into the North and South Premier divisions. Portsmouth defeated Bath in a two-leg playoff for promotion into Premier South. Sheffield won promotion to Premier North with wins over Edinburgh and Loughborough. Fresher‟s Development Leagues English Lacrosse staff for the first time delivered regional development leagues for players new to lacrosse and who do not participate regularly in BUCS competitions. This was structured across 5 regions with each region running four tournaments. These events proved to be successful with participation from at least five universities on a regular basis in Yorkshire/NE, Midlands and Southwest regions. Weather did affect many dates, and no events were run in the Southeast and Northwest. However, English Lacrosse staff have met to address participation in these areas and make improvements for the 2011-2012 season. It is anticipated that the success of the three regions have created a greater retention rate for new players and that new universities and university 2nd teams will enter BUCS for the 2011-2012 season. The Freshers Development League also provides a competitive framework for new universities to start to play before committing to BUCS leagues. Lacrosse Sport Management Group (SMG) The Lacrosse SMG is now firmly established and has met regularly over the course of the season. The group now has a developed an action plan. This year the Lacrosse SMG has identified communication and the need for more qualified referees as key to supporting growth in the university sector. English Lacrosse has increased its communication with university lacrosse clubs and in particular university sport departments. This is vital to support the growth of university lacrosse clubs and to increase the profile within each university. However, despite using various communication networks important information appears to not get to key university club contacts. The SMG is looking at alternative ways to communicate, however assistance in this area will be greatly improved as a result of the Active University programme (see below). BUCS have also highlighted that numerous universities are struggling to fulfill their refereeing requirements for home games. This again refers to communication as students are failing to action information provided by BUCS and English Lacrosse. However the provision of refereeing courses needs to increase to support the growth of university lacrosse teams. Again as above it is anticipated that this will improve with the implementation of the Active University programme. Lastly, the SMG in conjunction with Home nation governing bodies is developing a BUCS strategy for lacrosse. The strategy will have four key elements:

Participation Performance Competitions Workforce.


10th July 2011


Active University Grant English Lacrosse has recently learned that it has been successful in its Active University application to Sport England. This funding will be used to deploy professional coaches to support growth in lacrosse participation in 30 targeted universities. Specifically the coaches will:

Provide regular coaching to attract and retain new participants Provide regular coaching to retain existing participants Implement intramural playing progammes at partner universities Identify students to complete coaching and officiating qualifications to be deployed in

the university playing programme. English Lacrosse has received £300,000 over a three period to introduce lacrosse to 6000 new participants. Service level agreements have been signed with the following universities:

York Leeds Newcastle Lancaster Liverpool Warwick Nottingham Nottingham Trent Leicester Imperial Royal Holloway Brighton Canterbury Essex Surrey Plymouth College of St Mark & St John Bournemouth Gloucestershire UWE- Bristol


10th July 2011


Women’s Playing Committee – Sallie Barker General The main focus of the 2010/2011 season has been the competitive review. Following an extensive consultation and review process, proposed changes were made to areas of the game and stake holders were invited to comment on the proposals (information was published in LaxTalk, on the website, via an email campaign and presented at ELA events with members of WPC/ELA staff available to discuss). WPC met on 8th May 2011 and discussed all the feedback and comments that had been received and agreed the following: 1) Regions From the beginning of the 2012/2013 season, the country will be split into 3 regions (as opposed to 5 territories) based around a geographical and demographic distribution of players, schools, clubs and universities. These will be South-East, South-West and North. This will expand to a 4th region (creating a North East and North West) when the North East becomes more developed. 2) Regional Tiered School and Club Competition A regional junior competition will be established which will provide more junior tournament play and facilitate the development of junior clubs and new schools. The timeline for this is the 2013/2014 season. 3) South East Junior League This is currently being set up and will be ready to go in the 2011 season. 4) Junior and Senior Territorial‟s will not be organised by WPC after December 2011 and Spring 2012, respectively, but the following events will take their place. 5) End of Season Finals weekend From April 2013, there will be a big celebration at the end of the season. Top teams from each league will play on the Saturday to produce a national club champion. The Sunday will see an all clubs festival tournament. The weekend will also contain junior development events and competition. The national club champion will represent England at the European Club Championships. 6) Regional Tournament and Festival An A and B team tournament for both seniors and juniors will be established and will run in September. Teams will be selected from the regions. This will run for the first time as a test event in September 2012. WPC is currently working on the detailed implementation plan for each of these areas and will undertake further consultation as appropriate.

Season 2010/2011 committee members:

Alex Carnegie-Brown – Club Representative

Alex Harle - Chair of Elite Sub-committee

Alex Nicholls - Secretary

Alison Dunn - North Representative

Anne Smith - Co-opted (Centex Performance Director)

Bella Kiddle – Treasurer

Clare Stoot - Technical Committee and Co-President ELA

Emily Chong - East Representative

Jenny Haynes - Co-opted

Jenny Sanderson - Schools Representative

Justine Hunt - Midlands Representative

Katy Bennett – Player Representative

Lizzy McCosh - West Representative

Mark Coups ELA - Director of Development and Coaching

Sallie Barker - Chair

Sara Benbow - Chair of Rules and Umpiring

Sarah Gospel - Chair of Events and Fixtures Sub-committee


10th July 2011


Sue Livock - Deputy Chair

Vic Alexander - South Representative. A number of changes were made to the membership of WPC at the end of the 2010/11 season and these are highlighted below under the relevant Committees. In addition, Alex Nicholls has resigned as Secretary, Sue Livock as Deputy Chair and Vic Alexander as South Representative. All have made a significant contribution to the work of the WPC over the years, and in the case of Sue – her involvement with the ELA Executive Committee. We would like to thank them for all their hard work and support for the women‟s game and to wish them well in the future. National Events This season was unfortunately hit heavily by the snow, with the cancellation of the Territorial Reserves tournament and the rearrangement of the Junior Territorial‟s. Unfortunately, only three teams were able to enter the JTT‟s at short notice, North, West and South, with North taking the title. In the Senior Territorial tournament, the weekends were hard fought, initially at Malvern and then at Lady Eleanor Hollis school, in the South. The Midlands won a close fought final against the South, with North beating the West in the 3rd / 4th playoff. England hosted the Under 19 Internationals at St Swithun‟s school in April. With Centex entering 4 teams, the depth of talent at U19 level was clear, with England taking the title. We wish the team well at the World Championships this summer. National Schools continued to be a success this season with Godolphin School winning the U19s for the second time in consecutive years, and we are now looking at how the format of the tournament may look in the future. Although many schools appear happy with the way the tournament runs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to organise and run effectively. A full review will be held between June and October 2011 and all involved will be consulted. A final decision on the new format will be agreed by WPC in the Spring of 2012. Clubs and Colleges ran outside the remit of National Events this season, but a successful National Universities Clubs and Colleges(NUCCS) event was run by Maggie Hughes and Clare Smoothy and we thank them for running the event. From 2013 NUCCS will become part of the new women‟s competitive programme with a much higher profile. National Events has a new Chair with Libby Finch taking over from Sarah Gospel as Chair for next season. We thank Sarah for all her hard work on this Committee during the past few years. Rules and Umpiring In 2010, a number of rules were voted in. A summary can be found below with further details available on http://laxumps.co.uk/:

Maximum of 5 players from each team between restraining lines at the Draw

If both players draw illegally or the Draw is illegal but the umpire can‟t determine who caused it to be so, call time out and redraw

All substitutions (even after a goal) must be made through the sub area

Guidance has been given for umpires on how to call illegal substitutions

If the ball goes out of bounds and the goalkeeper inside her goal circle is the nearest player from the team who is to take possession, she restarts play with the ball inside her circle. Note that if the goalkeeper is the closest player but has come out of her circle by the time the ball goes out of bounds, she is treated as a field player and will be positioned 4m inside the boundary and at least 11m from the centre of the goal line.

Similarly, if the goalkeeper within her circle is the closest player when the ball goes out from a shot, she restarts play inside her circle.

http://laxumps.co.uk/


10th July 2011


The restraining line rules now permit no more than 7 attack and 8 defence players goal side of the line (i.e. 4 back from each side if both teams have a full complement on the pitch)

The set up for a free position after a restraining line violation is similar whether the ball is going to the attack or defence. If the ball was within the 15m fan (including inside the goal circle) it is placed at the top of the 15m fan with a player from the offending team 4m to the side. If the ball was outside the 15m fan the free position is at the spot of the ball at least 4m inside the boundary and 11m from the centre of the goal line with a player from the offending team 4m to the side. The old “fast-break” free position when the attack is offside has been abolished

Body ball – only a foul if a player deliberately impedes, accelerates or changes the direction of the ball with any part of her body

Yellow card – any player who receives a yellow card must serve a 2 minute penalty and no substitute may take her place. Her team must play short goal side of the restraining line at both ends (i.e. must still have 4 back if playing with a full complement – not more than 6 players over the line at the attack end and 7 at the defensive end).

During this season, the Rules and Umpiring Committee developed a strategy for the recruitment, training and deployment of umpires which will become the focus of their work for the coming years. Finally, Ann Hutchings and Steve Taylor were nominated as TDs and Sara Benbow, Rob Keogh and Dorothy Hirsch were nominated as umpires to FIL to take part in the U19 Championships this summer in Hannover. We are delighted that they were selected to participate in this event. Elite It has been a very busy year for the Elite Committee with the appointment of a new Senior Head Coach of England, Sarah Butt, and the selection of the U19 England Squad for the World Championships in Hannover in August amongst the highlights. In team news, the Senior squad toured to the US for a week in February and did very well despite difficult opposition. About half the squad had not been on a US tour before so it was a very valuable experience and one which will stand them in good stead as the team prepares for the 2013 World Cup. With the Territorial‟s before and the England Triangular the day the team got back it was also a real test of stamina, with 10 games in 9 days for a number of players. In Home Internationals, the A team won the tournament trophy with convincing wins over Scotland and Wales. In the B team tournament, we lost by the narrowest of margins in the final seconds. We are very pleased to welcome additions to the support team: Charlotte Ord has been appointed as strength and conditioning coach and Kat Longshore as sports psychologist. The U21 squad, under Head Coaches Alex Nicholls and Keely Watt went to Scotland, where they were victorious against Scotland and Wales. As the final season before the World Championships in August, the U19s have been working very hard, led by Head Coach Anne Smith. Anne has an incredible support team, with assistance from Rachel Keens as manager, Jo Lupton as GK coach, Lucy Lynch as fitness trainer and Georgie Hurt, Wendy Reynolds and Lois Richardson in support. With so many excellent players to choose from, thanks to the Centex talent programme, selection has been incredibly difficult with a final 17 selected and one more still to come. The U19s gained valuable experience playing in the Territorial‟s and fielded four teams at the U19 Home Internationals; again, victorious against Wales and Scotland U19s. They now have a summer of tough games against top US colleges and the Senior squad to help with their final preparations. We wish them all the very best in Hannover. One of the most exciting and high calibre additions to the calendar this season was the introduction of the Best and Brightest competition. Four days of matches with teams made up of the best players in the country, from Senior, U21 and U19 level. The brainchild of Anne


10th July 2011


Smith, it has proved an excellent way to give the elite players what they need most – top level and high pressure competition (without the cost of going abroad). Best and Brightest is now a set fixture within the calendar and will, we are sure, go from strength to strength. The Seniors also held their first Open Trials, which went very well, with some exciting new players being added to the squad. On the GB front, we have been working with Scotland and Wales on the eligibility criteria and are very close to agreeing new procedures in place for inter-country transfer particularly as they relate to Centex players. As regards the Competitive Review, despite wide acknowledgement that a festival of international lacrosse at the end of the season with the U19 and Senior teams participating is a good idea, in reality it has been accepted that this will not be possible yet – but is a real aspiration for the future. However, closer to home, the committee has been working very hard on the internal structure, between U19s, U21s and Seniors and will be announcing some exciting changes shortly. Finally, at the very end of April, Alex Harle stepped down from her position as Chair of Elite and was replaced by Brigit Parry. WPC and the Elite Committee would like to thank Alex very much for all her commitment and hard work over the course of her tenure as Chair. Finance The officers approved the following spend at the WPC meeting in September 2010:

Territorial grants £2,000

Umpiring/coaching courses £5,000

WPC committee expenses £1,000

Competitive review £5,000

Senior England Coach £5,000

Hardship fund £2,000

Volunteer fund £2,000

Press & publicity £3,000

European club tournament – Timperley LC

£1,000

Bonus for TCS for national schools/clubs and colleges organisation 2010

£1,000

Total £27,000

We are currently working to establish the final spend against each part of the budget. In general, funds were spent as allocated, however, there was an under spend against the hardship, press and publicity and volunteer funds. This will be largely offset by umpiring costs for national events being significantly higher than anticipated. We are working to ensure this doesn‟t happen in the future. For 2011-12, the majority of the WPC allocation will be allocated to the U19 team. The committee are yet to finalise how the rest of the money will be spent. We are planning to tighten the financial management around WPC related funds for the coming season. ELA and Head Office We would like to thank all ELA staff for their continued support for the work of WPC and its sub-committees in particular Mark Coups and his development Team and Rachel Campbell, the Women‟s Development Officer.


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Technical – Clare Stoot / Mark Coups The committee has held three full meetings since the 2010 ELA AGM, all have been well attended including representatives from MPC, WPC, Education, the commercial sector and central staff. English Lacrosse wishes to thank Clare Stoot, the Chair, for all her hard work, as she has taken on the Chair, combining this with her duties as Co- President of the Association. She is thanked by all on the committee for her hard work. English Lacrosse also wishes to thank all the committee members, especially the volunteers who have given their time and expertise ensuring a vibrant and active agenda.

Whole Sport Plan Implementation The committee has developed a more strategic role within the committee structure of the organisation during the last year. The committee was tasked by the Executive to oversee the delivery of key areas of the 2009 to 2013 Whole Sport Plan and especially the interventions funded by Sport England of the National Development Programme, National Club Expansion Programme and National Education Programme. In order to assist with this role and to ensure that the committee developed its strategic thinking, a number of presentations by staff, committee members and from supporting landscape partners were given on a wide range of topics, including Armed Services Lacrosse, Market Segmentation, £10 sticks and encouraging growth.

Committee minutes are available on the website and if any member wishes to have more details they should contact Head Office. National Development Programme The National Development Programme‟s key strategic priority is to increase participation in three distinct age groups 7 to 15, 16 to 21 and 22+. The three age groups represent work in:

schools and community junior lacrosse clubs (7 to 15)

universities, colleges, sixth forms, community clubs (16 to 21)

community clubs (22+). English Lacrosse has achieved the following increases

4959 under 16 registered club playing members

11,190 over 16 registered club playing members

Outputs

2009 (Target)

2009 Actual (Year End)

2010 (Target)


2011 (Target)


Increase in English Lacrosse membership

17,500 16,913 19,000 19,360 21,000 22,578

Increase the number of Community

100 101 110 113 125 125


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Development Officers

Increase in the number of clubs accessing the National Development Programme

110 141 120 151 130 156

Increase the number of female registered members

10,500 9735 11,700 11,718 12,900 14,313

Increase the number of Over 16 registered playing members

11,190 10,000 14,347

Summary Points

125 development staff deployed by English Lacrosse and its partner clubs, universities and schools with an estimated value of £3,250,000 this financial year with £2,730,000 of this money being generated from local schools, colleges and universities and from the community lacrosse club network.

Key Stage 4 Lacrosse launched in September 2010, targeting 120 schools in 6 areas with courses, resources and competition. March 2011 has seen 64 schools in 16 CSP‟s receive teacher inset and pupil leadership training, purchase equipment and deliver the sport.

Partnership agreement with Bishops Sport signed to promote and develop Pop Lacrosse for Key Stage 2 and Lacrosse for Key Stage 3/4.

12 New programmes for young people created in 2009/10 all sustained into 2010/11 (Birmingham, Bromley, Chester, Cobham, Coventry, Hull, Lincoln, Leeds, Kent, North Manchester, Merseyside, Wiltshire)

6 New programmes for Young people developed and delivered in Cumbria, Essex, Central London, Harpenden, Buckinghamshire and Worcestershire.

New community recreation programmes developed and delivered for 7 to 15 year olds in Blackheath, Canterbury, Caterham, Great Missenden, Harpenden, Kirby Lonsdale, Solihull, Warwick, Worcester, Yate

Successful Active Universities bid to attract 6000 new participants in 30 universities by 2014.

Successful approach to the Royal Navy to introduce a development programme for the sport into naval bases. A joint EL and Naval development plan has been approved.

New community recreation programmes developed and delivered for 22+ year olds in Caterham, Canterbury, Epsom, Great Missenden, Harpenden, Newbury, Solihull, Warwick and Worcester.

National Club Expansion programme The National Club Expansion Programme (NCEP) is targeted with increasing the number of and geographic spread of lacrosse clubs. This includes not only starting new lacrosse clubs in new areas but expanding the number of teams and creating new club sections in existing clubs. Specifically English Lacrosse will: Grow

target growth in community clubs in specific identified geographic areas and communities

Sustain

improve club structures through the implementation of the club development pathway Excel


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implement a system of 10 performance clubs Outputs

2009

2009 Actual

2010 2010

Actual 2011

2011 Actual

Increase in clubs and club sections

260 265 270 275 280 287

Increase in Clubmark clubs

30 28 42 30 45 35

Increase number of Performance clubs

0 0 2 0 5 3

Summary Points: Completed CSP Mapping to identify areas for new community clubs and expansion of

existing clubs. Regional staff targeted 30 areas to initiate and support the development of new clubs

as part of the 2 year grow strategy. New women‟s clubs in Newbury, Caterham with new junior girls clubs in Blackheath,

Hatch End, Harpenden. New community recreation programmes developed and delivered for 22+ year olds in

Caterham, Canterbury, Epsom, Great Missenden, Harpenden, Newbury, Solihull, Warwick and Worcester.

Completed University Mapping to identify new universities to start to play lacrosse. University lacrosse clubs have increased by 16 new teams comprising of existing

clubs and 3 new clubs for 2010-11 season. System of regular club engagement fully implemented through annual club Health

Checks for all lacrosse clubs. Community based development staff has been supported by new clubs formed in

Cirencester, Cobham, Colchester, Hull, Lincolnshire Reigate, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Wiltshire to provide players and club coaching.

Women‟s Southern Development League increased from seven to ten clubs. Three new men‟s clubs entered in English Lacrosse Leagues (Colchester, Epsom and

Chester). Kent Development Lacrosse League continuing for the 2

nd year with Beckenham

added to the league. Three clubs identified to test the criteria for the performance club model including

Brooklands, Walcountian Blues, and Timperley National Education Programme The National Education Programme will develop the respective pathways that support the increases in the participation pathway to enable the right person to be at the right place at the right time with the right skills. The National Education Programme delivers against the Sport England outcomes of Grow, Sustain and Excel. The Outcomes:

More and better trained volunteer coaches in clubs

Increasing Community Based Development staff to provide more coaching to clubs,

universities, community groups and schools

An Increase in paid central staff to provide managerial support and develop new

programmes

Develop more and better trained officials

Develop more and better trained volunteer administrators (Club Volunteer Managers) to provide organisation with coaching in clubs and schools.


10th July 2011


Outputs

2009

2009 Actual

2010

2010 Actual

2011

2011 Actual

Number of Active Qualified, Registered Coaches

1100 992 1300 1101 1500 1919

Ratio of Active Coaches to Registered Members

1:16 1:17 1:15 1:17 1:14 1:12

Number of Active Qualified, Registered Officials

450 436 500 467 575 732

Ratio of Active Officials to Registered Members

1:35 1:38 1:34 1:40 1:36 1:31

Number of registered volunteer roles

3690 3777 4460 4334 4960 5467

Ratio of Volunteer Roles to members

1:5.5 1:4.5 1:4 1:4.3 1:4 1:4.1

Number of Paid Staff

14 20 18 20 18 17

Summary Points

Increased the number of active registered coaches to 1919

Increased the number of active registered officials to 732

Increase the number of active volunteers to 5467

First English Lacrosse Volunteer Conference delivered May 2010 attended by 44 delegates from 35 clubs, second National Conference May 15

th 2011

Implemented and AASE programme for lacrosse

Club Development and club school links The committee issued £45,000 of minor grants to member clubs, member associations and partnerships wishing to start new affiliated Lacrosse Clubs. The grants supported 13 programmes from May 2010 through to April 2011. Child Protection The committee has liaised with the Child protection in Sport Unit at the NSPCC to commit Lacrosse to a robust policy and implementation plan. Advanced level of the standards in Safeguarding Children in Sport was submitted in January 2011 but did not attain the required standard , a resubmission is targeted for June 2011.

Equity The committee has developed English Lacrosse‟s Equity Work, including specific funding for equality work in Floor Lacrosse and with Women.


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Marketing Report – Caroline Royle / David Shuttleworth

Marketing has:

- Delivered the most successful International Lacrosse event to date, which generated

£5.5 million economic benefit to the area

o Negotiated and signed commercial deals that delivered revenue in excess of

£15,000 to the event

o Designed event branding

o Commissioned event branding experts to deliver 2010 brand experience

o Created quality relationships with commercial partners that continue to benefit

the sport

- Initiated the „Headmaster Reception‟ at National Schools event

- Negotiated commercial partnerships that will deliver low cost lacrosse equipment to

the membership

- Provided market research support to augment the „Active Universities‟ bid which will

inject £300,000 into University lacrosse over the next 3 years

- Developed INTO LACROSSE brand to be delivered directly to universities

- Redesigned corporate branding

- Printed 3 quality Lacrosse talk magazines

- Introduced an email campaign tool to bolster membership communications

- Sent 4 Shooting Strings emails

- Commissioned an online market research campaign which attained a 6% response

rate

- Provided support for English Lacrosse headline events

o FLAGS Finals

o National Pop Lacrosse

o National Schools

o National Universities Clubs & Colleges (NUCCS)

- Delivered support for Special events committee

- Delivered the English Lacrosse National Conference

- Delivered membership research and analysis to support the women‟s competitive

review

- Designed and circulated the women‟s competitive review document

Headline Projects Upcoming 12 months - Website redesign

- Database system transferred to a CRM system

- Membership Services restructure

- Commercial partnership deals to deliver value to the sport

- INTO LACROSSE campaign delivery (Sept 11 – The Scoop Challenge)


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Chief Executive Officer Report – David Shuttleworth

Annual Report 2010-11

Introduction This has arguably been the most exciting and most successful year in the history of English Lacrosse. We have run probably the largest international event ever whilst at the same time meeting all our major targets and achieving virtually all our KPIs. We have also produced a sound financial performance. FIL Men’s World Championships

Manchester University‟s Armitage Centre provided the perfect venue for the FIL Men‟s World Championship with two ATP fields and eleven grass pitches staging the World Championships and the supporting International and Community Festivals. The venue also provided on site accommodation for all Championship and Festival teams alongside a hotel and conference centre for the FIL Conference and FIL officials and delegates which were all walking distance from the playing and practice areas. The Event Village which provided food and drink and retail opportunities was also in the same area along with the VIP area and the press centre. This set up obviated the need for transport and meant that players, Coaches, Officials, Festival participants and spectators could all intermingle in the venue. There were 30 teams entered in the World Championships involving over 1,500 players, coaches and officials. The failure of the Iroquois Nationals to gain entry into the UK attracted a large amount of publicity but caused real organisational headaches with the last minute rescheduling of the Blue Division. The German team deserve our thanks for choosing glorious defeat rather than easy wins amongst the lower division teams. There were nearly 50 teams entered in the International Festival involving almost 2,000 players, coaches and officials. The success of the Festival was a major factor in the success of the event contributing to the tremendous atmosphere of lacrosse excitement and activity. Prior to the opening of the Championship English Lacrosse ran a very successful Community Festival which featured several thousand young people from local clubs and schools. The World Championship required four years of effort from ELA staff and a team of dedicated volunteers led by David Marsden. Mention must be made of Ian Ashcroft, Ron Balls, David Gordon, Alan Holdsworth, Neil Rowe and Clive Perrin and in particular ELA staff members Sarah Oglesby and Caroline Royle. However, it was at the event itself that the Lacrosse Community really stepped up to the mark with some 300 volunteers making sure that things ran smoothly. There are many measures of success, not least the fact that over £20,000 of lager was drunk on “Super Saturday”. More significant are perhaps the fact that there were some 25,000 spectators at the Championship; that the event contributed to a successful financial year for the organisation; that English Lacrosse was able to make one of the largest contributions ever, of over £60,000, to the International Federation and that it was one of the most successful events of the year in the region with an economic impact of £5,500,000. It should also be noted that the event took place in economic conditions which were considerably more challenging than could have been envisaged when the bid was made in 2006. Sponsorship was extremely difficult to obtain and in fact deals which we thought were in place when we submitted our bid failed to mature as Lacrosse companies ,particularly in north America, looked to consolidate rather than expand . Additionally as a non Olympic sport we


10th July 2011


were not eligible for event funding from UK Sport although Sport England gave invaluable help with funding for the Legacy strategy. Grants to support the event were received from Manchester City Council, the North West Development agency and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. Support and help from Monkhouse and the staff of Manchester University was vital to the success of the event. The Lacrosse was exciting and spectacular with the USA regaining their World crown with a final win over Canada. England played some of the best Lacrosse seen from our men‟s national team and was extremely unfortunate not to make it to the semi-finals. We certainly set the bar high for the US Lacrosse who will be hosting the next FIL World Championship in Denver in 2014. Buoyed by our success we decided to submit a bid to host the Women‟s World Cup in Manchester in 2013 with the support of Manchester City Council. However, the CSR resulted in severe cuts to the City Council budgets and they were forced to withdraw their offer of support with the inevitable result that we were forced to withdraw our bid. The World Cup will now take place in Oshawa, Canada. Whole Sport Plan Delivery

It is a huge tribute to the efforts and abilities of English Lacrosse staff that the requirements of the World Championships did not deflect from the main business of the organisation and in particular the delivery of the 2009 -13 Whole Sport Plan for which we receive significant funding from Sport England . In other reports our successes in this area have been highlighted .Suffice it to say Lacrosse has risen significantly in stature in the eyes of some of our major partners particularly Sport England and BUCS. Lacrosse is one of only 6 or 7 sports out of the 47 which receive funding which is achieving its SE agreed targets. That Lacrosse is growing is a matter of fact with ELA membership now standing at over 22,000 and the organised Leagues for both men and women expanding to cater for the growing number of teams. Of particular note is the continued expansion of University Lacrosse with the potential for further growth recognised by Sport England who have awarded English Lacrosse a grant of £300,000 as part of the Active Universities Programme (the only NGB to receive an award.)

The growth of the organisation

The growth of the game and the consequent increases in funding have led to the expansion of the ELA staff. The organisation now employs 26 full time members of staff whilst there are around 80 people responsible to the ELA working as SCOs and LDOs in the Development Programme. This is a resource valued by Sport England at over £2,000,000 and another reason why Lacrosse is looked upon favourably as it is seen to represent an impressive return on investment. The growing work force does create pressures within the organisation and the need to improve management and HR systems. This will become increasingly significant going forward. The progress that English Lacrosse has made has been further recognised by the selection of Mark Coups to go on a senior management training course run for Sport England by Cranfield Business School. Mark is the only person from what may be perceived to be a minor sport to be selected for the programme which is evidence of the esteem in which he is now held in the sporting area.


10th July 2011


Governance

With increasing levels of funding flowing into sport particularly from the public purse the need for high standards of governance has become increasingly pressing. The ELA successfully completed the Sport England Self –Assurance process and has received a “green rating”. The organisation has been selected to be subject to an onsite audit in the coming year. This process is carried out on governing bodies in rotation. Forward Planning

With the World Championship now assigned to history we are needing to look forward. Initial meetings are being held with Sport England regarding the requirements of the Whole Sport Plan for the period 2013-17. The ELA Executive Board has taken the opportunity to start to develop a 10 Year strategy for English Lacrosse. The danger of the WSP system is that you end up writing a plan to extract funding which may not be the same thing as what is required by the sport as a whole. We are also looking at the structure of the organisation so that we are better equipped to deal with the challenges heading in our direction in the future. Certainly we are looking to bring the areas of men‟s and women‟s lacrosse closer together and to create a truly unified National Governing Body. The Executive Board is also engaging in succession planning, particularly in respect to senior staff and key volunteers. Post the 2012 Olympic Games the sporting landscape is likely to change with the amalgamation of Sport England and UK Sport. This is certain to have profound ramifications for sport , particularly in the areas of talent identification and elite performance and it is important that we are prepared. One thing is certain and that is that levels of funding will not be as generous going forward in the era of austerity and spending cuts and without the benefit of the stimulus of the Olympics . As part of our strategy we will be looking to develop more varied income streams which will reduce our reliance on the public purse and hopefully allow us to continue our progress and expansion. Summary

Much has been achieved in the last year and the many volunteers and the professional staff can be justifiably proud of what has been accomplished. Our aspiration for sometime has been to see Lacrosse become one of the country‟s major team sports and the progress made has seen us come closer to this aim. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Documents

ENGLISH LACROSSE ASSOCIATIONenglacrosse.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2012/08/agm-report-2011.pdf · Men’s Playing Committee – Alan Holdsworth Chairman’s Report – Alan Holdsworth