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.
