FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2020,
World Lacrosse Awards Over $190,000 in Development Grants to National Governing Bodies
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, USA – World Lacrosse announced today a record $192,450 in grant funding for 24 of its member-National Governing Bodies (NGB) to support the continued growth of lacrosse in countries around the globe.
The World Lacrosse NGB Development Grant program is designed to provide resources and support to member-NGBs in three specific areas:
- Athlete Development – programs and services delivered by the NGB that directly support participation growth for grassroots athletes
- Education and Training – programs and services delivered by the NGB that provide an improved athlete experience via the training of coaches and/or officials
- Organizational Development – activities or projects that further strengthen the capabilities of the NGB
“These grants will help us introduce more players to the fastest game on two feet,” said Henning Schmidt, Sport Development Director of Luxembourg Lacrosse. “We will be able to educate more new coaches, teach new players and elevate the level of play in our region.”
Member-NGBs voluntarily completed an application for grant funding, in which they provided detail on the project that would be implemented in one or more of the noted areas, as well as the desired outcomes and measures of success for the project. Proposal reviews were led by Bob DeMarco, a member of the World Lacrosse Board of Directors and Development Director, and Rick Mercurio, Chair of the World Lacrosse Development Committee.
“It gives World Lacrosse enormous pride to be able to award these NGB Development Grants and further enhance the growth of our great game”saidDeMarco. “We appreciate the great work being done by our NGBs to expand opportunities for participation in lacrosse and are pleased to be able to support those efforts.”
The response from World Lacrosse membership regarding this opportunity has been extremely positive.
“New Zealand Lacrosse is thrilled and very grateful to receive a World Lacrosse NGB grant,” said Marina Samountry, a Director of New Zealand Lacrosse. “New Zealand is a country steeped in proud sporting tradition, but New Zealand Lacrosse is fairly young. New Zealand Lacrosse will benefit greatly from the grant. We will be able to use the grant to assist our regional members in purchasing development equipment to reach out to youth and adults in areas where lacrosse is new or growing. We will also be able to financially support our organization as it undertakes an important merger which will unite our men’s and women’s organizations and increase our capacity to govern our sport to a higher standard.”
“As the newest member of World Lacrosse, the Panama Lacrosse Association is extremely grateful for the grant programs World Lacrosse offers,” said Ryland Huyghue, Chief Executive Officer of the Panama Lacrosse Association. “With out their support there would be no way Panama could introduce the sport to the country. The grants we received will allow Panama lacrosse to expedite the growth of lacrosse here.”
“I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished thus far with introducing the sport of lacrosse within Lithuania,”added Ryan Dutkus, President of Lithuania Lacrosse. “The grant we received illustrates that World Lacrosse recognizes our previous efforts and supports the direction of our future goals.”
World Lacrosse will be offering a second cycle of the NGB Development Grant funding beginning in August of 2020.
World Lacrosse National Governing Body Development Grant Recipients
AFL (France Lacrosse)
Argentina Lacrosse
Barbados Lacrosse Association
Belgium Lacrosse Federation
Costa Rica Lacrosse Sporting Federation Croatia Lacrosse Association
Czech Lacrosse Union
DLaxV – German Lacrosse Association
Federazione Italiana Giuoco Lacrosse
Finnish Lacrosse Association
Haiti Lacrosse
Ireland Lacrosse
Israel Lacrosse
Korea Lacrosse Association
Lietuva Lakrosas (Lithuania Lacrosse)
Luxembourg Lacrosse
Nederlandse Lacrosse Bond
New Zealand Amateur Lacrosse Union (New Zealand Lacrosse) Panama Lacrosse Association
Peru Lacrosse Association
Polish Lacrosse Federation Russia Lacrosse
Sweden Lacrosse
Uganda Lacrosse Association
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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.
