Chris Russell Appointed Performance Lead as British Lacrosse Heads into Historic Olympic Return

British Lacrosse is delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Russell as the organisation’s new Performance Lead, marking the start of an ambitious three-year journey to guide both the men’s and women’s national teams towards the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Following a robust competitive process, Chris steps into the role permanently after serving an impactful six months as Interim Performance Lead. He begins his post on 1 July 2025.

Chris Russell commented: “I feel privileged and excited to have been given this opportunity as Performance Lead, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build on the high-performance culture at British Lacrosse. The past six months, in my interim role, have been some of the most rewarding of my career.

With lacrosse returning to the Olympic family in LA, it represents an incredibly exciting time for everyone involved in the game. I feel fortunate to be able to support our group of incredibly talented athletes in realising their potential, and working alongside our dedicated group of staff who have long been the lifeforce of British Lacrosse.

A former high-level sailing athlete and performance leader, Chris brings a wealth of experience across elite sport: "It is without doubt that lacrosse will present different challenges to sailing,” Chris added. “I hope to continue to bring my experiences as an athlete, coach, and performance lead to this role and meet those challenges head-on over the next few years, in shaping the high-performance future of the game, with our athletes at the heart of everything we do. My role, a first for British Lacrosse, will be to lead the team and support our coaches, staff, and athletes in the successful delivery of our programme. Whilst our eyes as a team remain firmly on qualification and readiness for the Olympic Games, it’s with a profound sense of responsibility to everyone involved in the game of lacrosse that we take on this exciting journey.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at British Lacrosse—athletes, staff, and Board—our Home Nations colleagues, and the wonderful teams at UK Sport and the BOA for all of their continued support.

Looking Ahead

British Lacrosse’s focus turns immediately to China this August, where the women’s team will compete at the World Games, a vital step in their preparation and momentum towards LA 2028.

Mark Coups, CEO, England Lacrosse & British Lacrosse Board member: The British Lacrosse Board are delighted that Chris has agreed to become our first Performance Lead. We wish him every success in the Los Angeles Olympics cycle. With the next three years being the most exciting time the sport of lacrosse has ever had, it is a great time for Chris to be at the helm. We all are looking forward to the 2028 Olympic campaign and Chris will be instrumental in ensuring that our preparations meet the incredibly high standards required for success at that level.

Ben Holliss, Sport Advisor, UK Sport said: We’re thrilled that British Lacrosse have appointed Chris to lead their Olympic Campaign, and we will continue to support Chris and the wider British Lacrosse teams as they require over the coming months and years in the lead up to LA. Best of luck to the British Lacrosse Teams during your upcoming tournaments this summer.

Paul Ford, Head of Sport, British Olympic Association, added: Delighted to continue working with Chris on our collective journey to LA. His experience in Olympic sport is a real asset to add to the already highly impressive British Lacrosse team.

British Lacrosse congratulates Ailsa Stott on her appointment as Women's Head Coach. LA28 approaches and Ailsa shares her thoughts and insights on the preparation and journey that will see the squad take the field in Los Angeles.

Ailsa Stott, British Lacrosse Women’s Head Coach said: As Head Coach of the GB Women’s Sixes squad, I’m incredibly proud of the journey we’re on and the opportunities ahead. This year marks a vital chapter in our programme, with the European Sixes Championships and the World Games providing a platform to showcase our ambition and talent on the international stage. These events are not just about medals—they’re milestones in our long-term vision to build a squad capable of achieving greatness at the LA28 Olympic Games.

We’re focused on cultivating a high-performance environment rooted in resilience, adaptability, and shared purpose. The strength of this squad lies in its depth, character, and hunger to improve every time we come together. Our goal is to develop a world-class team culture that drives both individual and collective growth.

There is genuine excitement about what lies ahead—not just this season, but over the next three years. The athletes know they’re part of something bigger, and every training session, match, and moment of adversity brings us closer to where we want to be. We’re building something special, and I can’t wait to see this team continue to rise on the road to LA28.

The British Lacrosse 2025 Performance Program Selection is complete. Congratulations to the athletes who have been selected.

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Heritage & Overseas Players

The following players have been identified as being eligible for selection for events in 2025 under the BL Events Selection Policy, and eligible for future consideration for the BLPP once meeting the terms of the selection criteria:

The British Lacrosse Board welcomes today’s funding announcement from UK Sport, which marks an exciting chapter for our sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympics.

As our Chair Leslie Rance shared as part of the UK Sport announcement

Today’s funding announcement from UK Sport marks a significant moment for British Lacrosse as we prepare for the historic return of our sport to the Olympics, this time in a new format, sixes, come LA28. We welcome UK Sport’s investment, which recognises lacrosse as a dynamic, exciting and fast-evolving sport with the potential to make a significant impact at the Games.

This funding will empower our teams to continue to deliver world-class performances and fulfil their potential, and we are committed to maximising the impact of this investment through prudent stewardship, innovation and collaboration.

We thank UK Sport for recognising our vision and are proud to be a part of this ecosystem of high-performing sports striving for excellence on the world stage. We look forward to collaborating with UK Sport and other sports to share insights, foster learning, and collectively drive British success at the next Olympics

As the Board, we echo this gratitude to UK Sport for their confidence in our vision, and also thank our British Lacrosse athletes, coaches, volunteers, and the entire lacrosse community for their dedication and passion, which fuel our ambitions every step of the way.

Together, we are ready to take British Lacrosse to new heights and to contribute to the broader success of Team GB at the LA28 Olympics and beyond.

Congratulations to the following who have been selected to take part in the October tours. We wish them the best of luck for a successful and enjoyable experience.

British Lacrosse is committed to developing a world leading sixes programme which is evident in the fact that we are able to send two equal strength teams to compete in two tournaments over the same weekend. We see the October super sixes tournaments as a key step in our preparations for the 2025 European Sixes Championships in March and the World Games in August.
Phil Collier, Head Women’s Coach

Expression of interest open until 26th July 2024

We welcome expressions of interest from all eligible players for the Women’s  British Lacrosse Team for the next training and competition cycle.

The proposed training dates for the Women's British Lacrosse Team are as follows:

Please note that these dates are provisional and are subject to change and that additional dates may be added.

*Travel days TBC for all tours depending on flights and acclimatisation needs.

The official selection will follow the British Lacrosse Selection Policy (including eligibility criteria) and invitations to the Training Squad will be announced on this website on 1st August 2024.

Please complete the Expression of Interest form here.

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the British Lacrosse coaching staff before applying, please contact Phil Collier, Women's Head Coach at

Expression of interest open until 26th July 2024

We welcome expressions of interest from all eligible players for the Men's British Lacrosse Team for the next training and competition cycle.

The proposed training dates for the Men's British Lacrosse Team are as follows:

*These dates are provisional and are subject to change. Additional dates may be added.

Please note:

• Previous squad members will not automatically be added to the training squad so please can ALL players confirm their availability / interest in being involved via the Expression of Interest Form below.
• All players will be expected to attend the residential training camp at the University of Nottingham from 30^th August to 1^st September as well as all further dates.
• Touring and tournament squads will be selected from the training squad and all players are expected to make themselves available for these.
• All players will need to commit to covering the tournament and training costs. This includes an initial £250, payable on announcement of the squad, to cover the costs of the residential weekend. Full details of the financial commitment are available from Head Coach, Tom Wenham.

The coming cycle will include the first European Championships for Sixes lacrosse as well competition against the best teams in the world. These are exciting times for lacrosse as the game continues to grow globally and we look forward to hearing from those players who are keen to be involved with one of the leading Sixes programmes in the world.

Expressions of interest will be accepted until 26th July 2024 and the training squad will be announced on this website on 1st August 2024. It is anticipated that approximately 28 players will be selected.

Following the announcement further information will be sent to the selected players including the on-boarding process and full details on the costs associated with being part of the squad.

We want selection to be an open process, and so any eligible players (see British Lacrosse Selection Policy) are invited to register their interest using this link or the QR code below.

If you have any questions, please contact Head Coach, Tom Wenham at

British Lacrosse has today announced a major step forward in the sport’s Olympic journey.

Under a dynamic new framework crafted to bring our Olympic vision to realisation, developed collaboratively by British Lacrosse and the lacrosse home countries of England, Scotland, and Wales, England Lacrosse has been selected as the designated country for governance and performance. In Great Britain, England Lacrosse is the only Tier-3 governed home country, which is the highest level of governance on the UK Sport Code of Sports Governance. This code is put in place to ensure high governance standards because of the significant public investment made into sports. For performance, England Lacrosse is currently the highest seeded home country for men and women in the Field and Box formats.

Leveraging their strong position on both governance and performance, England Lacrosse, working together with the British Lacrosse Board, and British Lacrosse appointed coaches is tasked with delivering British Lacrosse Sixes teams to the highly anticipated LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Through home country collaboration, determination, and strategic planning, we aim to position British Lacrosse as a formidable contender for inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games, further elevating the sport's profile and inspiring future generations of players across Great Britain.

Outlined within the framework is a clear roadmap detailing how the home countries’ collective efforts will be harnessed to achieve our shared Olympic vision: securing podium success for GB Lacrosse Sixes teams at the LA 2028 Olympic Games. With two key objectives at its core, the framework is designed to provide British Lacrosse Sixes’ athletes with optimal support, gearing them towards Olympic success in 2028, while empowering our home countries to leverage the success of our teams as a springboard for lacrosse growth across Great Britain.

Les Rance, Chair of British Lacrosse, emphasised the athlete-centric nature of the framework, stating,

“Our focus is squarely on creating a culture and support infrastructure that enables our athletes to achieve peak performance levels – winning and winning well.”

In a historic collaboration, Mark Coups, CEO of England Lacrosse, will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer for British Lacrosse. Reflecting on this significant partnership, Coups remarked,

“As we continue to nurture collaboration, expansion, and advancement within the sport, the Olympic framework stands as a significant milestone in showcasing the exceptional talent and unwavering dedication of our athletes on the global stage. Together, we are fully committed to providing our athletes with every opportunity for success, paving the way for future generations of players to follow in their footsteps.”

After 3 days of intense, end-to-end lacrosse competition, featuring top teams from across Europe and beyond, our men's and the women's teams both finished top of the leaderboard at the Eurolax Sixes Cup in Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal.

More details can be found on the event page:

Women’s schedule & results

Men’s schedule & results

Team list

The British Lacrosse Board congratulates both teams and staff on another successful tournament.