In the last 3 years the Spanish Lacrosse Association (AEL) has worked hard to make the most of the passion, hard work, and determination of every person involved in the growth of lacrosse. To make this possible, the organization has been endowed not only with various programs for sport development, but also with a structure that is becoming more solid every day.
While there are many people who work every day to make lacrosse known in Spain and grow the sport, today we invite you to get to know the structure of AEL and discover first hand the involvement of each member and their mission.
The Association’s Board of Directors is made up of volunteers who lead and promote the AEL’s plan of action for the development and growth of lacrosse.
Their role is to serve as a consulting board and aid with decision making. The experience of Svante Borjesson (President), Pablo Burguera (Vice President), Jaime Albiol (Treasurer) and Luis Navas-Migueloa (Vocal) in different areas of business, associative, financial, etc. sectors; along with experience and knowledge from 3 local players, make the Board a very complete and competent body when it comes to setting the direction of the Association.
The board is very grateful for the work and support of the previous Men’s Lacrosse Representative, Nacho Farjas, who recently resigned after serving for three years. A new representative will soon join the board to represent the interests of men’s lacrosse. Meanwhile, Beatriz de la Fuente (Women’s Lacrosse member and player since 2003) and Cristina Grijalba (Secretary and player since 2007) bring the knowledge of years of experience, trials and errors of the past to move forward based on the learning and history of Lacrosse in Spain.
Cristina Grijalba serves as the liaison between the Board of Directors and the AEL employees and also works as General Manager. For her it was key to combine talent and motivation within the AEL, find effective professionals and count on many helping hands. Today she can say that this vision is a reality and it’s the time to promote and take care of the structure even more, focusing our effort on establishing protocols and procedures that are similar to recognized sports federations in Spain, as she says: "Everything counts. Everyone counts."
Alongside her, Santiago de la Morena holds the position of Deputy Director and Head of Institutional Relations. For him, being part of the AEL team means taking on new challenges in his professional career. His main mission is to coordinate the internal structure and provide resources to the organization to promote its development and positioning in the national and international sports ecosystem. A key aspect that stands out is the promotion of lacrosse among schoolchildren, so publicizing our program 'Lacrosse for all' to different institutions will be another focus of his work. He also considers organizing events and high level competitions a major priority that will improve the performance of our national teams. Finally, he points out that "we must confront the digitalization of our sport, something that will have a very positive impact on all structures, not only from the organizational level."
Miguel Ángel Lago, as National Team Coordinator, emphasizes that there are several basic pillars to promote our sport in Spain:
He considers it essential to improve the training and qualifications of national coaches already in active service, and to promote such training for Lacrosse players who are interested in continuing to stay involved once they finish their career as players.
Another vital aspect is to promote national competitions through the creation of new clubs; so that the national teams have a wider range of places to find talent.
Finally, he points out: "It is also important to increase the sponsorship of all the national teams to minimize or, if necessary, eliminate the expenses sustained by the players, as in some cases this can limit the configuration of the teams".
As Head of Communications, Iria Castro-Acuña stresses the importance of continuing to publicize lacrosse and all the actions carried out from the Spanish Lacrosse Association, using all the means at our disposal. "There are a lot of people that can be reached, from making sure that lacrosse is a sport offered in schools to supporting and promoting national leagues and tournaments in which our national teams participate" -she emphasizes.
"LACROSSE IS A SPORT THAT HAS COME TO SPAIN TO STAY".
Jessica Alcorn, Development Coordinator, is firmly committed to the constant training of teachers, coaches from other sports, and referees in our country to bring this dynamic sport to new audiences.
Under her supervision we want to highlight the work done by the regional delegates, working every day to make lacrosse known in their respective areas.
For Lucas Sanz, as Competitions Coordinator and Regional Delegate of the Valencian Community, the path to develop lacrosse is the one that is already being followed: continuous workshops in schools for boys and girls between 9 and 16 years old, teacher training to teach the lacrosse/Intercrosse didactic unit in P.E. classes and the development of national competitions.
In addition, he indicates that "our competitions are a fundamental pillar in the development of lacrosse. The more competitions and events we have, the easier it is for anyone who tries our sport to want to play again."
Jax McAlister is the Development Assistant and Regional Delegate for the Community of Madrid. He believes that in order to grow lacrosse in Spain, we need to maximize the number of people who can be exposed to the sport and says: "Many students show interest in lacrosse but don't know what it is. The challenge is there, in increasing that knowledge of the sport and that they don't perceive it as something totally unknown so that it motivates them to try it."
Lucía Romero, as Regional Delegate of Aragón, feels that the most important thing is to introduce, develop and promote lacrosse in educational centers, training Physical Education teachers, sports educators, TSEAS students, leisure and free time monitors, etc. Her main objective is to help educators gain confidence teaching a new sport and establish lacrosse as a valuable sport option for school-age children.
In the northern zone, Borja Herrera, Regional Delegate of the Basque Country, agrees that the most important thing for helping Lacrosse grow is to cultivate a strong base of youth players to ensure the future of lacrosse in Spain. He explains, "To do this, we have to make Lacrosse known in schools, so that girls and boys grow up knowing that there is a different and fun sport, where sportsmanship and fellowship are its hallmark. It is a sport that has come to Spain to stay."
As mentioned at the beginning, the purpose of our structure is to ensure that the efforts that the Spanish lacrosse community makes every day on the field are not wasted. Thanks to them and the whole AEL team, great milestones have been achieved in the last 3 years, which are highlighted in the Association’s Annual Report.
Let's keep growing lacrosse in our country!