Lacrosse in England
Lacrosse in England is an amateur sport played mainly by community based clubs and university teams. Field lacrosse was introduced to England in 1876 by William George Beers and other Canadians who toured the country playing exhibition matches. A second tour was arranged in 1883; by then England had 60 clubs playing regular fixtures in Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Middlesex and Yorkshire. The first national governing body for the men's game, the English Lacrosse Union, was formed in 1892. A Ladies' Lacrosse Association followed in 1912. The separate men's and women's organisations merged in 1996 to form the English Lacrosse Association, which was renamed England Lacrosse in 2019. England Lacrosse oversees both the men's and women's national teams. Men's lacrosse Men's club lacrosse in England is divided into parallel northern and southern leagues generally running from late September to early April. Each league also organises its own knockout competition known as 'Flags', which culminate in their respective 'Flags Finals' at the close of each season. In addition to the regular season, English clubs host a number of internationally popular tournaments, including Bath 8s, Bluesfest, and the Nick Kehoe International. Northern clubs are governed by the North of England Men's Lacrosse Association