The quick growing Camden Capybaras lacrosse club

LACROSSE lovers want the sport to stop being seen as something only people from posh backgrounds play – and made available to those interested at every school.

The call for more access at an earlier age to a game known as the “fastest sport on two feet” comes amid concern for a lack of pitches available to players in Camden and misconceptions about who will like it.

Despite the hurdles, Camden Capybaras is one of the fastest-growing clubs in south-east England and organisers say everybody should get the chance to get involved.

Its founder, Rob Ingham Clark, said: “The stereotype is still there but the sport is getting more inclusive. What was once reserved for people who had attended private school – the sport is now far more wide-reaching.”

While there is a growing interest in lacrosse – which will be included in the Olympic Games in 2028 – the club is currently having to go to Hendon to train due to football being the main user of sports pitches in the borough.

Our subscription newsletter NewJournal+ joined a training session there earlier this month to try it out.

Players try to shoot a solid rubber ball into the opposition goal using a stick with a net on its end.

Traditionally, it has been a staple girls’ sport in private schools, while most state schools offer little or no opportunity to play it.

Mr Ingham Clark said the main barrier to wider participation was a lack of resources and coaches in state schools.

He said: “Speaking as someone who has coached sports in schools for a very long time, it’s very important that at primary school children get an opportunity to play as many different things as possible because you want well-rounded athletes – over-specialisation is a killer.

“You need to fund people who can go into the schools and do it. And it is doable, there’s someone down in Bromley who’s done a fantastic job of growing the sport in that borough.”

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He added: “And for the coaches it’s about getting the word out there that you can make a living out of lacrosse and it’s not just a fun hobby. I think people would have heard of lacrosse if they were a PE teacher but they wouldn’t know how to show people what it is.”

Founded in 2018, the Camden Capybaras are based across Camden and Islington and have grown rapidly, now boasting more than 100 members on the books.

Meredith Ingham Clark, another founding member of the Capybaras, said improving access for younger players would be key to the sports future.

She said: “Getting school-age kids before school, after school in their schools to play lacrosse and to learn all the great benefits of team sports through playing is key.

“We want to expand our junior programmes and that will make the sport more inclusive as those who can’t access it at school will have a means to the sport.

“In the past we’ve been told we are very good at teaching lacrosse to lacrosse players but we need to really think about how we can open up the sport radically to people who have never considered it or seen it before.”

Emily Cummings, one of the captains of the women’s Capybaras team, added: “I’d love there to be more funding for lacrosse to be played in state schools.

“It is mostly played in private schools. I’d love my kids to play lacrosse but I’m not sure if I’m in the position to send them to private school.”