Derived from the Native American sport, Baggataway, Lacrosse was commercialised by the early French settlers in Canada, who upon seeing the shape of the now famous implement, named it after the French for a bishop’s crozier (la Crosse).
Today of course it’s changed greatly since those early days to be an incredibly fast, fun, competitive team sport, known the world over.
When James Lloyd told us of his ambition to represent Wales in the Lacrosse home internationals, we wanted to find out how our funds might help achieve those dreams.
How did you get into lacrosse?
I started playing lacrosse in 2013 at university when I felt I needed a new sport after playing football since childhood. I started as a goalkeeper as I struggled to catch and throw the ball, but I could stop it.
How did you first find you had a passion/skill for lacrosse?
I found my passion for lacrosse after the first year of playing. The culture behind the sport is so positive and everyone is learning from each other. I felt I had a future in the sport and practiced every day whilst trying to improve my game and pushing myself to be as good as I can be.
What is it you enjoy the most?
I love the competitive side of playing, ever since I have played in team sports. I mainly enjoy the camaraderie it brings amongst players from all backgrounds who all share the same passion of lacrosse as myself whether it is for a social or competitive environment.
What’s it like competing internationally representing your country?
It’s an honour to represent Wales and being selected to be in the team again is a moment I will never forget. Not only I am putting a national team jersey on, but I’m doing it whilst playing the sport I love, which makes it much more special.
What drives you to succeed and to keep training so hard?
It’s taking pride in being a team member and how I can help the team succeed. I work hard to not only be the best individual sportsperson I can be, but how I can be the best athlete my team can rely on.
How do you relax and unwind when you’re not competing or training?
When I’m not playing lacrosse I like to go fishing. I also like to get my telescope out in the evening as astronomy is also one of my favourite hobbies.
Does lacrosse help in your everyday life?
Lacrosse has given me confidence in a team environment, in a social and professional setting. The sport has given me the skills to push myself and be as good as I can be whilst representing a team with passion. Mentally lacrosse has helped me socially and for wellbeing. Lacrosse is also known as the medicine game.
What special training, equipment, nutrition do you need to take part?
At the age of 36, I have to be conscious on what I eat to keep working hard and performing well in lacrosse. I go to the gym three days a week on top of weekly club training. I also do yoga to keep myself as flexible as possible to keep playing.
Where has lacrosse taken you?
As a club we have won the Cotswolds local league. We performed well in division one and have had notable wins against big clubs. In 2023, I was selected to represent team swift in the fly which is an elite lacrosse six a side league gearing up for the Olympic Games in 2028. I was selected to represent Wales at the home internationals again in 2024 where we came second to England. I was also in the Wales development team who won the development cup at the Nick Kehoe international tournament.
I’ve kept on playing high level lacrosse since 2018 and overcame many setbacks through personal issues and injuries. As both have been challenging aspects of my life in recent times, lacrosse has helped me deal with these issues and overcome the difficulties they bring.
I am now in a position to keep pushing for more chances at higher level and I am looking forward to trialling for the Wales national team in preparation for the Lacrosse European championships in 2025.
How has the CSSC funding benefitted you?
As the cost of living has hit us all significantly, the £200 of CSSC funding helped me with the journey to and from each match day, purchasing new equipment for the tournament and taking the financial stresses away so I can be prepared to compete at the highest level I can achieve.
What’s your favourite CSSC benefit?
I’ve used my memberships for English Heritage days out. My favourite is Stonehenge as I am such a history fan.
Whether you play the traditional game of Baggataway, Lacrosse or any other type of sport, why not take a long at CSSC’s funding options to see if we can help with training costs, purchasing equipment, or organising workplace matches or teams.
