Mayo link to new England women’s lacrosse box team head coach

ENGLAND Lacrosse has appointed experienced coach Conor Dockery as England women’s box team head coach.

The former Irish international from Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon, has over a decade of coaching experience across multiple levels of the game, including working with some of the brightest young talent in the country on the England Lacrosse Aspire Programme and helping to lead the England Women’s Under 20 team to European Championship glory in 2022 as assistant coach.

Conor’s mother, Ita Dockery, is daughter of the late Vincent and Rose Sweeney, D’Alton Street, Claremorris. His father James Dockery hails from Tulsk in Co. Roscommon.

Conor Dockery’s experience nourishing some of the best young lacrosse talent in the country has been further enhanced over the past few years as a teacher and Lacrosse coach at both Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Queen Anne’s School.

As well as an extensive coaching CV, Conor was also a valuable team player in his own right having played for Brighton University, East Grinstead, and Cheltenham Lacrosse Club in the field discipline.

He’s no stranger to box lacrosse, though, having played for Dublin Riggers, Emerald Islanders and London Knights at club level and represented Ireland at two World and two European Championships, notching up 23 appearances during the four tournaments and helping his team to 6th (2015 Worlds), 11th (2019 Worlds), 6th (2017 Euros), and 7th (2022 Euros) placed finishes.

His knowledge of the box lacrosse game has also come in handy in recent years when leading Forge to two league titles at The Fly that showcases the six-a-side Olympic format of the sport.

His initial remit is to prepare an England team to compete at next year’s first ever Women’s European Box Championship as well as to grow and improve the current pool of England women’s box players.

* Lacrosse is a fast-paced, contact team sport where players use sticks with webbed baskets to carry and shoot a ball into the opposing team's net. It's the oldest organised sport in North America.