RATHBONES NATIONAL SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP REGISTRATION PACK Enclosed you will find all the information you need to enter the Rathbones National Schools Lacrosse Championships 2014. Please read the information carefully and make sure you complete and return the team entry form before the closing date Friday 29th November 2013. English Lacrosse is delighted to announce that Rathbones have extended their partnership as title sponsor for the 2014 National School Lacrosse Championships. Through this partnership, English Lacrosse and Rathbones aim to raise the profile of junior girls lacrosse and encourage participation throughout the sport. We are also excited to inform you that we are moving the 2014 event to a new home at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford. In addition, we will be running an U13 tournament for the first time this season. Entries can be completed by either: 1. An online entry form using the online system as detailed in this registration pack. Or 2. A paper entry form returned by post to the English Lacrosse Head Office. If you experience any problems or require any general information relating to the event please contact Abigail Merrill at the English Lacrosse Association (contact information below) CONTACT INFORMATION Abigail Merrill Event Co-ordinator English Lacrosse Association National Cycling Centre Stuart Street Manchester M11 4DQ a.merrill@englishlacrosse.co.uk 0843 6585006

HOW TO REGISTER CLOSING DATE Friday 29 th November 2013 Schools should be aware that places for this year s Championships are limited and Registration Forms received will be on a first come, first served basis. Schools are advised to register teams as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. ENTRY FEES 1 Team 100.00 2 Teams 190.00 3 Teams 270.00 4 Teams 340.00 5 Teams 400.00 6 Teams 450.00 GUIDE TO ENTERING Entries can be completed two ways, online () or by post. Entry forms can be found at the back of this registration pack. Please make sure that you check all information is correct before submitting your entry form. Postal entries should be sent to The English Lacrosse Association, National Cycling Centre, Stuart Street, Manchester, M11 4DQ and marked for the attention of Abigail Merrill. Please be aware that an application will only be considered complete once payment has been received by the English Lacrosse Head Office. PAYMENTS Payments can be made by using one of the following options: 1. Through the easy and secure Worldpay online payment system. When you have paid, you will be sent a receipt with your transaction code. Please keep this for your records. 2. Cheque Made payable to English Lacrosse Association 3. BACS Transfer (Natwest sort code 01-08-81 Account 15548171) Entry fees are non- refundable. Confirmation of entry will be acknowledged by email from the English Lacrosse Head Office. Schools must be affiliated with English Lacrosse to participate in the tournament. (Please note affiliation invoices will be issued at the start of November.)

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION THE VENUE Surrey Sports Park University of Surrey Richard Meyjes Road Guildford Surrey GU2 7AD DATES Friday 28 th February Under 19A & Under 19B Saturday 1 st March 2013 Under 19A & Under 19B Monday 3 rd March 2013 Under U14 & U13 Tuesday 4 th March 2013 Under 15A & U15B PLAYER PROCEDURES To qualify to play at the NSLC, all team members must meet the stipulated age the tournament and be registered for the 2013-14 academic year at the school they are representing in the tournament. Schools may not enter the U19B or U15B tournament unless they have also entered a team into the U19A or U15A tournament. No player can play for more than on team throughout the duration of the Championships. TOURNAMENT MERCHANDISE Tournament Merchandise for the event will be available to all players, staff and supporters. Schools are encouraged to Pre- Order all team clothing before the Championships, as this will help to eliminate any logistical issues on the first day of the event. Further information will be communicated to you about the garments available via the National Schools Newsletter in the next couple of weeks. This will provide you with the relevant information on how to place orders. *This year we are offering coaches the opportunity to receive a FREE branded Rathbones National Schools Championship Coaches Polo Shirt if you place a pre- order for more than 10 garments. DON T MISS OUT ON THIS GREAT OFFER!!

UMPIRING INFORMATION Thanks to constructive feedback from schools at Rathbones National Schools Championships, in recent years we have made a number of successful developments to the umpiring arrangements. This year, we are excited to announce that for the first time, the umpiring on both Friday and Saturday for the U19A and probably also the U19B tournament will be provided entirely by dedicated neutral umpiring teams. There is a question as to the feasibility of this offering to the U19Bs until the size and format of the competition has been finalised. The organisation of umpiring will be similar to last year s U19A competition, there will be a crew of umpires assigned to work together all day on a particular pitch and a senior umpire will lead each crew. The aim is to provide a fair allocation of appropriately skilled neutral umpires on each pitch and consistency of umpiring both within each group and across the board. We hope that we shall have sufficient higher-level umpires available that it will be possible to operate the 3-umpire system on all semifinals and finals. If possible we will also operate this system on all games in the Championship divisions of the U19A competition on Saturday. Once again support and feedback will be available to the umpires and there will be a central umpiring tent where information will be posted and questions can be addressed by senior umpires throughout both days. In order to provide effective umpiring in this manner in the new setting of Surrey Sports Park, we will no longer require each school to umpire a certain number of games on a different pitch. The days of AvB umpired by C&D are no more. Instead, each participating team will pay an umpiring fee of 125, in return for which all games in the tournament will be covered by the independent umpires. We hope this will make the National Schools experience altogether more enjoyable for everybody. However, we are conscious that some of our best umpires are school teachers and we would very much like to have those individuals as part of the umpiring team. If you have a good umpire (or, indeed, several) on your staff, please do try to arrange things so that they can join the umpiring team. Whilst anyone who is umpiring will not be able to be the principal coach or responsible adult for a school team, we shall do our best to keep them free in particular game slots where they indicate that they wish to be watching a team elsewhere. All umpires will be paid game fees, so it should easily be possible for members of staff accepted onto the umpiring team to earn back the 125 fee your school will have paid. What arrangements you make as to the way in which the earned fees are then used are between you and your staff member! Sara Benbow will act as the principal point of contact for umpiring matters relating to the U19A tournament and for the U19Bs. If you have an umpire on your staff who wishes to be considered for the umpire team, please email Sara as soon as possible, indicating their current level of qualification and whether they will need to be assessed or re-assessed for a Level 2 or above prior to the tournament. Finally, please note that these changes only apply to the U19A and B tournaments this year. The U13, U14 and both U15 tournaments will continue to operate on the old AvB umpired by C&D format with schools being obliged to provide their own umpires, you will be hearing further from Abi Merrill in this regard. As matters stand at present we cannot assist directly with umpires for the Monday and Tuesday tournaments, and you should make your own arrangements to cover your obligations in each of those.

A minimum of Level 1 qualification is required to umpire at any of those junior tournaments, but in the interests of player safety and quality of games we strongly recommend that you try to provide at least a Level 2 qualified umpire for at least the U15A competition. 2014 is a very exciting year for the Rathbones National Schools Championships, and if you have any questions about the new umpiring format please, contact Sara Benbow. sara.benbow@hardwicke.co.uk copying in Abigail Merrill on any email correspondence.

TEAM ENTRY FORM This entry form must be returned to the English Lacrosse Head Office by the closing date of Friday, 29 th November 2013. Please ensure that you have read the information carefully and completed all fields. Online entry can be completed and submitted via: www.englishlacrosse.co.uk/online-team-registration-form School Information School Name Lacrosse Contact Name Lacrosse Contact Email Lacrosse Contact Phone School Address Team Entry Information U19A U19B U15A Name of Umpire Level of Umpiring Qualification Held U15B Name of Umpire Level of Umpiring Qualification Held U14 Name of Umpire Level of Umpiring Qualification Held

U13 Name of Umpire Level of Umpiring Qualification Held TEAM ENTRY PAYMENT Please indicate the number of teams you wish to enter by ticking the corresponding box below. 1 Team 100 2 Teams 190 3 Teams 270 4 Teams 340 5 Teams 6 Teams 400 450 UMPIRING PAYMENT Umpiring fee for U19A Tournament and U19B, please indicate you have paid this amount. U19A 125 U19B 125

QUICK CHECK - Complete and return this entry form by, Friday 29 th November 2013. - Applications will only be considered complete once payment has been received by the English Lacrosse at Head Office. - Email confirmation will be sent to the email address, which you have provided, to acknowledge entry to the Championship. Your three Payment Options: 1. Secure online payment system: englishlacrosse.co.uk/nslc 2. Cheque payable to English Lacrosse Association 3. BACS transfer: Account Name: English Lacrosse Association Sort Code: 01-08-81 Account Number: 15548171 Should you have any queries or questions about the tournament please do not hesitate to contact Abigail Merrill via email, a.merrill@englishlacrosse.co.uk or by telephone, 0843 6585006.