Women’s U20 Lacrosse world champs the perfect platform

PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA) Calbert Hutchinson said the upcoming World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in Hong Kong, China, provides a platform for local players to attract university scholarships.

Jamaica is gearing up to make its second appearance at the competition next month following a 21st-place finish at the 2019 tournament.

Hutchinson said the tournament would attract the eyes of universities looking to scout the next generation of emerging talent from Jamaica.

“Every time we compete at a world championship, we have a number of our local players taking up full or partial scholarships at various universities overseas.”

Hutchinson also said that the tournament could provide a major boost to the growth of lacrosse in Jamaica.

He is hopeful that a strong performance from the team could attract more attention to the development of the sport and sponsorships from corporate entities.

“Competing in these world events also helps with bringing awareness around the growth of the sport in Jamaica and can help with creating even more opportunities for sponsorships,” he said.

Jamaica is ranked 21st in the world in their age group ahead of the tournament and will face Hong Kong, England, Japan, and Ireland in the group stages.

Of the four opponents, England and Japan are ranked in the world’s top five, with Hong Kong and Ireland ranked 12th and 19th, respectively.

Hutchinson explained that the team would be fielding a mostly local contingent as the JLA made the decision to move the more experienced overseas-based players into the senior teams.

“More than 90 per cent of the team is local-based players. They will be able to benefit from this international experience while on their journey to the senior programme,” he explained.

“This is a deliberate action on our part to have experienced players moving into the senior programme.”

For now, the next phase of preparation for the JLA is to ensure that the funds are available to send the team to the championship.

He said a balance of US$31,000 ($4,846,347.80) will be needed to ensure that the team is able to compete at their best against the world.

“Right now, our main goal is to raise the balance of US$31,000 to make sure we are able to get to the championship and compete. The girls and the coaching staff are excited and equally working hard to get ready for this.”

Jamaica’s first game will be on August 15 against Hong Kong, with their final group stage match set against Ireland on August 19.