May 6, 2020
While our attention and priority, both individually and collectively, is on doing our part to help combat the global pandemic brought about by the COVID-19 virus, and in supporting our loved ones and neighbors in ensuring their wellbeing and safety, sport does provide a welcome respite from the unprecedented challenges of today. Equally, the life lessons offered by sport — lessons such as perseverance, determination, optimism and teamwork — have never been more important and valuable.
It is with this in mind that we write today to offer a special thank-you to our member-National Governing Bodies, Continental Federations and lacrosse players, coaches, officials and volunteers around the world for what has been an extraordinary year for World Lacrosse. It was one year ago today — May 6, 2019 — that our international federation ushered in a new era for lacrosse with the introduction of our new name and brand identity system. The introduction of our World Lacrosse name and brand, which enjoyed an exceptionally positive reception from our members, our partners in international sport, the International Olympic Committee and, most importantly, athletes, has helped generate even greater awareness, momentum and growth for our sport around the world.
To help commemorate this important milestone, we write today to take a look back at a year of unprecedented achievement for our international federation; to thank each of you for the important role you continue to play in expanding opportunities for the growth of lacrosse around the world; and, to wish you and yours the very best for good health during this challenging time.
The day will come when sport returns, and when it does, we cannot wait to see you all on the fields of play and in the arenas, celebrating the very best values and traditions of our wonderful game.
Until then, we extend our very best wishes to you and your family for safety and good health, and our appreciation for a remarkable year of progress for World Lacrosse.
May 2019 — SportAccord 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia
• Launch of the new World Lacrosse brand and identity system
• Greater presence than ever before for World Lacrosse at SportAccord, including a widely acclaimed booth in the exposition that offered a virtual reality introduction to lacrosse
• Participation by youth lacrosse teams in the Gold Coast Sports Festival
May 2019 — World Lacrosse announces the appointment of TJ Buchanan as Director of Sport Development. Buchanan will work closely with the Development Committee in designing and implementing strategies, tools and resources to further the growth of lacrosse worldwide.
June and July 2019 — For the first time ever, teams are able to qualify for the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship through their participation and placement in the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union (APLU) and European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) Championship structure.
July 2019 — World Lacrosse publishes its first-ever Annual Report.
August 2019 — The largest-ever World Lacrosse Women’s U19 World Championship is held in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
• 22 nations
• 9 nations competing in the Women’s U19 World Championship for the first time
• Kenya became the first team from the continent of Africa to compete in the event
• Most extensive broadcast distribution ever (digital and linear)
• USA gold, Canada silver, Australia bronze
September 2019 — The largest-ever World Lacrosse Men’s Indoor World Championship is held in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
• 20 nations
• 4 competing in the Men’s Indoor World Championship for the first time
• Most extensive broadcast distribution ever (digital and linear)
• Canada gold, Iroquois Nationals silver, USA bronze
November 2019 — The Pan-American Lacrosse Association hosts its first-ever Regional Qualifying Tournament in Auburndale, Florida, USA, with six teams competing for placement in the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship.
November 2019 — Presence for World Lacrosse at the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Convention and President’s Cup.
• 6 v 6 Trial featuring Women’s Professional Lacrosse League All-Stars vs. Team USA
December 2019 — Participation by World Lacrosse in SportAccord Pan America in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA — the first-ever regional edition of SportAccord.
December 2019 — To support our National Governing Bodies and Continental Federations in the continued development of the sport globally, World Lacrosse introduces its first-ever “Membership Toolkit” to provide members with the latest in resources and reference materials. The World Lacrosse Membership Toolkit is accessible through a password-protected portal on the World Lacrosse web site, at www.worldlacrosse.sport.
December 2019 — World Lacrosse announces the appointment of Lindsay Impett as Director of Events. She will work closely with Competition Director Fiona Clark and the Event Organizers for World Lacrosse Championships to deliver events that showcase international lacrosse while elevating the overall experience for athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators.
January 2020 — First World Lacrosse Coach Developer Academy held in conjunction with LaxCon 2020.
January 2020 — Introduction of World Lacrosse Governance Working Group to continue modernizing and strengthening our governance structures.
January 2020 — Rob McCutchan is appointed as General Counsel for World Lacrosse.
February 2020 — World Lacrosse announces the appointment of Eric Parthen as Chief Operating Officer. Parthen will be responsible for leading operational areas such as finance, strategic planning, contract administration, information technology and antidumping administration and expanding engagement with World Lacrosse stakeholders.
March 2020 — World Lacrosse surpasses 10,000 followers on Twitter — an increase of more than 8,000 followers in just two years.
March 2020 — World Lacrosse and the Limerick Organizing Committee jointly announce that the Men’s U19 World Championship, originally scheduled for July 9-18, 2020 in Limerick, Ireland, will not be held in 2020. The potential health risks and uncertainty posed by the global pandemic brought about by the COVID-19 virus are simply too great to proceed with the event as originally scheduled.
April 2020 — World Lacrosse and the Limerick Organizing Committee jointly confirm that the World Lacrosse Men’s U19 World Championship is being rescheduled and will be held in 2021 in Limerick. Also, the event age eligibility will be raised to U20.
April 2020 — The World Lacrosse Board of Directors approves a revised operating budget for 2020, the key features of which include the following:
• For member-National Governing Bodies experiencing financial difficulties brought about by the global pandemic, World Lacrosse will consider requests to forgo the payment of membership dues in 2020, subject to review and approval by the Development Committee and Management;
• A voluntary reduction in staff compensation, along with reductions in travel, meetings and other business-related expenses;
• The creation of a new fund to provide grants to member-National Governing Bodies whose operations and/or sport development efforts have been significantly disrupted as a result of the global pandemic brought about by the COVID-19 virus. The process for submitting grant requests will be announced in the coming weeks, and requests will be reviewed and approved by the Development Committee and Management.
April 2020 — World Lacrosse welcomes its 66th member-National Governing Body, Panama. In the last 10 months alone, in addition to Panama, World Lacrosse has welcomed new member-National Governing Bodies from Ghana (August 2019), Barbados (December 2019) and Lithuania (December 2019), and upgraded the membership status of Hungary and Puerto Rico.
April 2020 — World Lacrosse and US Lacrosse jointly announce that a record 30 nations are confirmed to compete in the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, July 7-17, 2021 in Towson, Maryland, USA.
May 2020 — World Lacrosse and the Limerick Organizing Committee jointly announce the new date and name for the World Championship that will be held in 2021 in Limerick, Ireland. The championship will be called the 2021 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 World Championship. And, the competition dates will be June 17-26, 2021 at the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland.
