Lacrosse Storms Tudor Grange Academy in Solihull

Tudor Grange Academy is a co-ed school and technology college in Solihull and part of the Tudor Grange Academies Trust which consists of thirteen schools (seven primary, five secondary, and one all-through academy).

The school applied to The Lacrosse Foundation (TLF) in January 2023 for a grant to fund the purchase of some start-up equipment and we approved a grant of £2,145 which provided:

• 45 x Newitts unisex England Lacrosse sticks
• 48 x Newitts EL foam lacrosse balls
• 2 x 4ft x 4ft lacrosse goals with nets

Lacrosse was introduced at the start of the 2023 school year and according to one of the school’s PE teachers has really taken off!
They told us: “The children have taken a big liking to the sport. They all enjoyed the initial challenge of developing their skills especially cradling and checking, and the extracurricular club is doing really well, with around 30 dedicated students each week.”

Due to the interest with which the sport has been received in the school, Tudor Grange Academy has already started to spread lacrosse within the Trust. To give the sport a promotional boost, the school hosted Nik Roberts from England Lacrosse, who led a session with all of the secondary school PE departments on an inset day to help them understand the basics of lacrosse.

Three of the five secondary schools in the Trust have been granted funding, and are all now teaching lacrosse within some capacity, either within the curriculum or as an extra-curricular club. Looking ahead, the plan is to organise games and Trust match days for the students to come together and play.

Does the Trust have any other future plans for lacrosse?

It most definitely has! The Trust plans to continue to offer it as sport within curriculum time so that all 1800 students at Tudor Grange Academy Solihull will experience the sport before they leave the school. The Trust also plans to continue to push and develop the sport within the local communities to build up the knowledge and opportunities available for students.

As PE teacher Tilly Francis said: “Within the Trust we want to continue to develop it within all the schools, with the aim of coming together once or twice a year to play lacrosse together.”