FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2020
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, USA — World Lacrosse announced today the appointment of three highly-respected members of the lacrosse community to leadership roles within the international federation’s rules structure. Sachiyo Yamada (Japan) will serve as Subcommittee Chair for Women’s Rules, Ian Ashworth (England) will serve as Subcommittee Chair for Men’s Rules and Brent McCauley (Canada) will serve as Subcommittee Chair of Men’s Indoor Rules.
The appointments were confirmed by World Lacrosse Technical Director Don Blacklock and Rules Chair Brent J. Nowicki.
The Subcommittee Chairs are responsible for working with Blacklock and Nowicki in the review and development of the rules, and importantly, ensuring that player safety, integrity and comprehension are maintained.
“The vast experience and diversity of these individuals in the sport of lacrosse gives us a great sense to view the future of the sport,” said Nowicki. “World Lacrosse is fortunate to have individuals who are willing to make a significant commitment to the betterment of our sport. I look forward to working alongside this talented group to ensure the review and delivery of rules that will not only maintain the integrity of the game, but will help shape and refine the why we play this game.”
“Rules review and development is critical to the success of World Lacrosse and its members,” added Blacklock. “The individual and collective quality of this team is outstanding, and I am confident they will have a positive impact on the rules program. They will each bring fresh ideas and a unique perspective to their role.”
The following is a brief introduction of the new Subcommittee Chairs:
Subcommittee Chair of Women’s Rules – Sachiyo Yamada (Japan)
Sachiyo resides in Japan and has been involved in nearly every aspect of the game in the Asia and Oceania Region. She competed for the Japan National Team from 2001-2005 and 2015, and later joined the Australia National Team in 2017, finishing in 4th place at the 2017 World Championship. She is also a multi-time National League Champion, All Star and Most Valuable Player honoree in Japan and Australia. In 2013, Sachi expanded her involvement in the sport by coaching the Australia U23 National Team, a role she would repeat in 2015. She went on to coach the Taiwan U19 National Team in 2019 and currently coaches the Waseda University Team in Japan. Sachi is also a member of the World Lacrosse Athletes Commission. She has committed a great deal of time to lacrosse not only for herself, but for the communities around the world.
Subcommittee Chair of Men’s Rules – Ian Ashworth (England)
Ian been involved in lacrosse officiating for nearly 20 years, including acting as an Official and Assessor in three World Lacrosse World Championships. When not officiating lacrosse matches, Ian practices law in Manchester, England and for the past 24 years, lectured various legal studies to law students.
Subcommittee Chair of Men’s Indoor Rules – Brent McCauley (Canada)
Brent served as assessor for the 2011 Federation of International Lacrosse (now World Lacrosse) Men’s Indoor World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic and the 2015 World Lacrosse Men’s Indoor World Championship hosted by the Onondaga Nation in Syracuse, New York, USA. He has officiated junior through major box lacrosse in Canada for more than 25 years including, three Founder’s Cups (Canadian Jr. B Championship), three Minto Cups (Canadian Jr. A Championship), two Presidents Cups (Canadian Sr. B Championship), one Mann Cup (Canadian Sr. A Championship) and the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. McCauley served as the Referee in Chief for three Founder’s Cups, three Minto Cups and two President’s Cups. He also was chair of officiating for the Canadian Lacrosse Association for six years through 2016 and recently served as Referee in Chief for 2019 World Lacrosse Men’s Indoor World Championship.
Media Contact: Darryl Seibel
Email: dseibel@worldlacrosse.sport
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About World Lacrosse
World Lacrosse is the international federation for men’s and women’s lacrosse, responsible for providing effective leadership and governance of the sport internationally while supporting the continued growth of lacrosse worldwide. In November 2018, World Lacrosse was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The President of World Lacrosse is Sue Redfern of England.
