What makes the perfect player for The Fly?

The open application process is currently live to be considered to play at The Fly 2022 and soon our selection panels will be sitting down to assess the applications of the players for participation in next year’s competition.

Once applications close, the selection panel receive anonymised versions of the player submissions removing any key identifying information, allowing the applications to be judged solely on their merits rather than any pre-existing opinions.

Two members of the selection panel, Jane Powell, England Lacrosse National Performance and Talent Development Manager, and Michael Armstrong, former England international and now England Men’s U21 Assistant Coach and Head of Lacrosse at the University of Nottingham, have told us what they’re looking for when selecting players to play at The Fly.

Jane began by stating that the new format should open the game up to a wider pool of players and the best players from traditional versions of the sport aren’t necessarily the only players who can succeed at The Fly.

She said: “We’re looking for players who understand that The Fly and Sixes is unique and different and brings with it a requirement for different skills and qualities.”

Armstrong added: “Obviously we’re looking for good levels of natural skill and ability, but players should also make sure that they are responsive and coachable because this is a new set of skills, a new environment to operate within and being a player who is open to that is a really key starting point.

With The Fly, and the Sixes game being in its infancy, the selection panel see this as the perfect chance for established players to still continue to learn and develop their games.

Powell said: “Sixes is a blank piece of paper ultimately and we don’t want followers, we want people to set new standards.

“We’re looking for players that have that growth mindset, that understand I’m not yet the finished article, I’m still learning and I want to learn.

“The top players, Olympic gold medallists even, will still say that they’ve got things to work on and the day you think you know everything is the day you start going backwards because the others you are competing with are still learning.”

The Fly also wants to encourage players with wide and varied backgrounds or players who may not have had opportunities through traditional routes but believe they have something to offer at The Fly.

Armstrong said: “We’re looking at how you take your existing knowledge and tactics and morph them into something more suited to six-a-side lacrosse.

"A player who can identify what their contribution is, how they think they can impact a team and how they can contribute to The Fly, will set themselves apart.

“And it’s not just a game for midfielders, we saw some of the best players in Year 1 being traditionally straight attackers or straight defenders converted and picking up the short stick, so you can take what you think is a big strength of yours and still apply it to The Fly.”

Powell added: “You may be a late starter but it doesn’t mean you can’t come to the party. This format rewards flexibility and players who can offer something that nobody else can give.

“You need to sell yourself, you need to show why we should pick you over anyone else, why you’ve got something that this competition needs.”

In addition to looking at general playing experience, and how they will fare at The Fly, the application process also gets players to think about their personal goals in the sport and their future ambitions.

Armstrong said: “I’d like to see them being focused on what their own goals and aspirations are, to see what they want to get out of playing at The Fly.

“There’s some real opportunities coming up with the Sixes format and the chance for players that want to, to go and seize that.

Applications are open until Sunday 5 December and can be completed via the button below.