Recognition Award - Sue Lyons

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IFWLA Awards

Dr. Sue Lyons

IF Recognition Award

Presented by Fiona Clark, IFWLA President

IFWLA Conference - July 2006

Sue’s nomination was from Wales, so it is fitting that she is visiting here today, and that we can present the award here.

Sue’s contribution to the sport of Lacrosse is extraordinarily diverse and far- reaching – as a player, a teacher, a coach, a lecturer, an administrator, an elected official, and a voluntary contributor. She has touched the lives of so many people in all these varied capacities.

	As a player for the South of England, long striding down the wing with a distinctive mass of curly red hair.
	As England Coach in the first World Cup in 1982 in England
	As the Director of the Centre of Excellence (a performance unit she was a key driver in establishing).
	As a Coach at St. Mary’s College, where she and developed many young (and older!) players to achieve their full potential, and nurtured their talents as they moved through from Territorial to International Lacrosse. Sue’s great strength was to patiently develop a player, and to help that player identify her strengths and capabilities. Her creative approach to fitness and game tactics saw her involve many experts outside the sport, including coaches from Basketball and Athletics, who helped prepare all those who attended the Centre.
	As Lecturer at St Mary’s College her strong reputation, as both a coach and a lecturer, attracted many lacrosse players to the college, and alongside this encouraged those who had never played the sport before to pick up a stick and play the game. St Mary’s won two consecutive All England Club Championship titles under Sue’s guidance.

Also, whilst at St Mary’s, Sue established the GB Lacrosse Council to encourage co-operation and collaboration amongst the three Home countries of Scotland, England and Wales, in order to develop and promote the game. Her strategic thinking, and ability to develop a vision for the game, is something the game has consistently benefitted from over the years. She drove the strategic review and re-structuring of the English system (the AEWLA), which enabled the sport to benefit from the funding available from the Sports Council, and established links with the men’s game.

Wales was also to benefit significantly from her many talents, when she first took on the role of Coach, and brought into the set-up many other talented individuals who supported her efforts to raise money in wide reaching fund raising ventures, and to establish a number of committees, working structures and processes, which again enabled funding to be received from the Sports Council. She also revolutionized the approach to fitness and diet, in order that those performing at the highest level prepared themselves for competition at the top level in the most informed way. Much of what she introduced in the 1980’s has stood the test of time, and in many cases has only been taken up by other sports in more recent years. Woe betides anyone who may have underestimated what a determined Sue Lyons could achieve!

Her reputation internationally is without question; She has served on the IFWLA, including having been Vice President Development & Promotion from 1996-1998, and has brought to the International Federation her strong ability to facilitate debates on developing new strategies and identifying ways forward for the sport. Her powerfully quiet, low key style, enables everyone to have their views heard and debated, whilst ensuring that the appropriate challenges have been made, and that any resulting decisions will have the committed support of all those involved.

There are few people who have influenced the game of lacrosse more in so many diverse ways, and there are many players and officials who are extremely grateful for the dedication she has shown to the sport, and the generosity of spirit she always demonstrates.

I am delighted to ask Sue to step forward to receive her IFWLA Recognition Award.