World Lacrosse and European Lacrosse Federation Host Successful Development Clinic in Conjunction with the Ken Galluccio Cup in Belgium
Ghent – September 12, 2019
World Lacrosse and European Lacrosse Federation Host Successful Development Clinic in Conjunction with the Ken Galluccio Cup in Belgium
GHENT, Belgium – World Lacrosse and the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) recently partnered to host a three-day coaching and athlete development clinic coinciding with the Ken Galluccio Cup, the Official European Club Championship held in Ghent, Belgium. The development clinic featured 30 coaches representing seven European nations and over 40 young athletes.
During the first day of the clinic, coaches participated in instructional sessions that provided them with the tools and information necessary to help their athletes reach their full potential. The session also covered the basic skills of lacrosse and different teaching progressions within the sport. The coaching sessions were led by World Lacrosse’s Rick Mercurio, Development Committee Chair, and TJ Buchanan, Director of Sport Development along with mentors Jane Pirie and Natalie Wills.
“It meant a lot that World Lacrosse is helping us develop our coaches and creating a sustainable model for coaching development. Running a coaching clinic alongside the youth clinic was a very symbiotic experience and really valuable for everyone as they were able to learn the theory and techniques and then put them immediately into practice with the kids during the weekend,” said ELF President, Steph Migchelsen.
The second day began with the coaches in classroom sessions learning about the art of being an exceptional lacrosse coach, drill design, how to develop plans for coaching athletes and applying the techniques they have learned. Following the morning’s classroom sessions, the coaches along with the World Lacrosse mentors conducted a clinic for local Belgian youth lacrosse players. Each of the coaches had the opportunity to lead stations designed to provide maximum participation for the athletes, while applying the new coaching techniques they learned earlier in the day.
On the final day, the coaches were instructed to prepare a coaching plan with at least two stations for the young athletes to participate in with drills focused on being “game-like”. During this time, World Lacrosse mentors evaluated each coach’s ability to incorporate fun, skill development and participation within their designated stations and the coaches did not disappoint.
“The clinic was a great first step to developing youth coaches in Europe and becoming more sufficient within Europe,” said Migchelsen. “This brings the knowledge to Europe and we can now make sure it’s shared throughout the European community. It gives our coaches the knowledge and confidence, as well as the skills to grow youth lacrosse, which is essential for continued development and growth of the sport.”
Throughout the three days, all the participating coaches performed fantastically with the curriculum they learned while adding unique progressions and variations to ensure their stations met the athlete’s developmental needs.
The athlete’s progression of the skills developed during the stations from day one to day three were easily noticeable. The young athletes were catching passes regularly; making excellent team-oriented decisions and most importantly, they were excited to play the sport of lacrosse.
“The success of this clinic was in how the coaches are now empowered to go home and make a difference for the children they coach and hopefully their fellow coaches,” said Buchanan. “This clinic is just the start of World Lacrosse and the ELF collaborating to raise the level of youth coaching in Europe, which ultimately increases participation and retention of young athletes.”
The World Lacrosse Coaching and Athlete Development Clinic was made possible by the Balls, Cockerton and Hayes Grant, along with the support from the European Lacrosse Federation.