To All Scottish Lacrosse Hopefuls:
Hello! My name is Matthew Bagley and I am the Head Coach of the Scottish Senior Men’s National Field Lacrosse Team. I am delighted to inform you that Team Scotland will be participating in the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships in Los Angeles, USA. This letter is intended to provide all prospective United Kingdom, European and internationally based players information not only about the trial dates, but also the qualifications needed to represent Scotland during this tournament.
Open Trial Information:
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 ELF European Championships, and the time that has elapsed since we last trained in-person as a national squad, the decision has been made to start the entire team selection process over again. Therefore, all interested U.K. and European based players are invited to attend one of two Open Trials, which will be held at the National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde, which is located on Burnside Rd, Largs (KA30 8RW), just west of Glasgow Airport. The first Open Trial will take place on Saturday, 18th September 2021 from 12:00-17:00 and Sunday, 19th September 2021 from 10:00 to 15:00. The second will take place on Saturday, 30th October 2021 from 12:00-17:00 and Sunday, 31st October 2021 from 10:00 to 15:00. Players are only required to come to one of the two trials, but must attend BOTH the Saturday and Sunday sessions over a single weekend.
All hopefuls will need to register their interest on Lacrosse Scotland’s official website, and pay the online registration fee prior to the event. The cost per Open Trial will be £50.00. Those who want to participate in both trails are more than welcome to do so, and may sign up for £100.00. Please note that accommodation will not be provided for the either weekend, so players will need to sort out their own lodging. In addition, involvement in these Open Trials will require a Lacrosse Scotland annual membership. If you are not an active member, you cannot trial for the team. In order to sign up for – or renew – your membership with L.S. and/or register for the trial itself, please click on the following link to apply.
Expectations for UK & European Based Players:
In a change from previous national team expectations, all United Kingdom and European based players are required to attend every Training Camp from now until the 2023 World Championships. A complete schedule of our training dates is found below to help with your future planning. That being said, we understand that we need to be flexible in two areas. Firstly, a player will get an excused absence for major life events, such as weddings, births, funerals, family emergencies, etc. We realise that many of these occasions may have been postponed or pushed back due to the global pandemic. Secondly, participants are expected to follow guidelines regarding COVID symptoms and/or close exposure to someone who tests positive for COVID. In such circumstances it is expected that participants would communicate the situation with Coach Bagley and Head Manager, Hannes, as soon as possible. Additionally, while we intend to follow the training camp schedule exactly, practices may be cancelled or changed due to inclement weather, new governmental pandemic guidelines or other factors. Therefore, please ensure that all travel plans you make are refundable and/or flexible, and we will do the best we can to communicate any changes ahead of time. We all need to be understanding during these ongoing difficult times, although we are ultimately looking for players who can fully commit to the program and have a team first mentality.
Expectations for Overseas Based Players:
On the other hand, all Scottish hopefuls who are based overseas will need to make an alternative commitment to be considered for the final squad. All international players will be required to attend at least one Open Trial or Training Camp between September 2021 and March 2022, and then a second one between April 2022 and August 2022. Once that commitment is met, they will then need to attend at least one Training Camp between September 2022 and March 2023, and then a second one between April 2023 and June 2023. This means that overseas player should expect to come over a minimum of four (4) times in next two (2) years in order to compete for a spot on the roster at the 2023 World Championships in Los Angeles, USA. All interested overseas players who can meet these important attendance requirements, need to contact Coach Bagley (contact details below) by Friday, 29th October 2021 to declare their intention to trial for the team. This includes players who participated in last winter’s virtual training camps and are currently signed up on MS Teams. Like before, however, we are aware that international travel restrictions and quarantine rules might affect travel plans. We will do our best to be flexible and give the player a fair opportunity to trial for the squad, but will not sacrifice team chemistry or unity to include someone that we have had no personal face-to-face interaction with going forward.
Eligibility Criteria:
Team Scotland players, whether living locally or abroad, will need to either hold a valid United Kingdom passport and must have a parent or grandparent of Scottish descent (i.e. was born in Scotland or had one or both parents or grandparents born in Scotland) or have resided in Scotland for 1 full year prior to the next international tournament. In addition, players who hold a United Kingdom Residence Permit or Student Visa who currently live or study in Scotland, and whose immigration documentation allows them to live in the country through the date of the next international tournament are also eligible. These non-passport residents must also play in the Scottish, NEMLA, SEMLA or BUCS domestic league as a member of a registered club. If these requirements are not met, then the player is not eligible to try out for the squad. Please note that there is no limit to the amount of passport holders who can trial for the team, as long as they meet the criteria listed above, although World Lacrosse rules only allow four non-passport holders to be selected for the final squad.
If you meet the criteria listed above and can manage the time commitments, then I hope to see you at one of the open trials. Good luck to everyone, and I look forward to working with you soon!
If you have any questions please reach out to the manager of the Men's Team Hannes Weisbecker: h.weisbecker@lacrossescotland.com
