FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENEW YORK—Belgium recently received unanimous approval by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Board of Directors to become a full member. Belgium joins Argentina as the 33rd and 34th full members. FIL Development Director, Bob DeMarco, said that both organizations were more than deserving of their status upgrade.
Bob DeMarco
“We’re thrilled that Belgium is now a full member of FIL. From day one, Belgium has grown the sport the right way, building men’s and women’s lacrosse programs at the same time. With assistance from the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF), the Netherlands and Germany, they also put a lot of effort into developing their officiating program as well.”
— Bob DeMarco, FIL Development Director
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The Belgian Lacrosse Federation (BLF) joins 20 other national governing bodies as full members from Europe. See all European member nations on the FIL Members page.
Jan Van Cauwenberge, BLF Competition Manager and member of the board, saw this as a confirmation of the hard work that countless volunteers put in over many years and looks forward to putting in the effort expected of full members.
Jan Van Cauwenberge
“As Belgium Lacrosse, we feel that it is our duty to represent our players in the international community. We wish to participate in the international discussion constructively and further facilitate the development of lacrosse across the globe. Being a full FIL member will also help us to show our Olympic Committee, press, and sponsors that we are here to stay.”
—Jan Van Cauwenberge, BLF Competition Manager and Board Member
Van Cauwenberge is a member of the FIL Development Committee and also serves as secretary for the ELF.
Belgium Lacrosse became an associate member of FIL in 2010 and had grown steadily since then to earn full member status.
The BLF’s Belgian League has 12 men’s teams, nine women’s teams and four youth teams competing in Antwerp, Bonheiden, Booischot, Braine, Brussels, Buggenhout, De Pinte, Machelen and Namur.Team Belgium – Men
Team Belgium at the 2016 ELF Men’s European Lacrosse Championship in Gödöll?, Hungary
The Belgium men’s national team recently finished 15th out of 24 teams at the 2016 ELF Men’s European Lacrosse Championship in Gödöll?, Hungary.
The men’s team also competed with 38 nations at the 2014 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship in Denver, Colorado, and will be participating in the upcoming 2018 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship in Netanya, Israel. Fifty teams are expected to compete in Netanya in the largest international lacrosse championship ever held. Belgium will be looking to improve on its 27th place finish at the 2014 men’s worlds.Team Belgium – Women
Team Belgium at the 2017 FIL Rathbones Women’s Lacrosse World Cup in Guildford, England
The Belgium women’s national team participated in its first international event when it competed at the 2015 ELF Women’s European Lacrosse Championship in Nymburk, Czech Republic.
Most recently, the Belgian women competed in their first ever FIL event when they traveled to Guildford, England in July for the 2017 FIL Rathbones Women’s Lacrosse World Cup.Realizing that to grow and sustain lacrosse long-term in Belgium the BLF had to focus on youth development as well. The BLF’s youth program has been in place for just over a year and a half and already has four participating teams in Braine, Brussels, De Pinte and Machelen. Every club is expected to develop youth teams and plans are to expand into the Belgian school system.
For the fifth year in a row, the BLF will host the Ken Galluccio Cup, the official club championships of the ELF. Men’s and women’s national champions from all over Europe participate in this two-day tournament annually. The event, which began in Hamburg, Germany, in 2008, honors Ken Galluccio, an ambassador for lacrosse in Germany. A one-year hiatus occurred in 2009, following Galluccio’s unexpected death, but has continued each year from 2010 forward. The 2017 Ken Galluccio Cup will take place Sept. 16-17, Blaarmeersen, Ghent, Belgium.
Van Cauwenberge is very excited about the international events coming up for the BLF, “We’re looking forward to seeing all of our international lacrosse friends at the men’s championship next July.”
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Belgian Lacrosse Federation Contact InformationGeneral Enquiries: board@belgiumlacrosse
General Enquiries – Women: BWNTcoaches@gmail.com
Caroline Houchart, Secretary and Communication Manager: secretary@belgiumlacrosse.be
Simon De Vos, Treasurer: simondv87@gmail.com
Jan Van Cauwenberge, Competition Manager and Board Member: jan@belgiumlacrosse.beBelgian Lacrosse Association Media OutletsWebsite: belgiumlacrosse.com
Facebook: facebook.com/belgiumlacrosse
Twitter: twitter.com/BelgiumLacrosse
Instagram: instagram.com/belgiumlax/
YouTube: YouTube/BelgiumLacrosse
Flickr: www.flickr.com/people/belgiumlacrosse/
Belgium Women’s National Team Website: belgiumwomenslacrosse.com
Belgium Women’s National Team Facebook: facebook.com/BelgiumWomensLacrosseNationalTeam/
Belgium Women’s National Team Twitter: twitter.com/LacrosseBWNT
Belgium Women’s National Team YouTube: YouTube/BWNT
Belgium Women’s National Team Instagram: www.instagram.com/belgiumwlax/
