2023 coaching teams announced

The coaching teams for The Fly 2023 have been announced with 10 returning coaches and six brand new coaches ready to take on the challenge of trying to win the third The Fly title!

The Fly 2022 men’s title winners Rise have appointed British Lacrosse coach Erica Erb as their Head Coach with former Forge player and European Champion Eliot Pugh as their Assistant Coach.

Rise’s women’s team welcome the experienced England and former NCAA coach Michael Molster as their Head Coach with Steve McDermott, who coaches lacrosse at St Albans School for Girls, joining as Assistant Coach.

Reigning The Fly women’s champions Forge welcome Alex Carnegie-Brown, who led Hustle men to a second place finish in 2022, as their Head Coach and she brings England Lacrosse Talent Pathway coach Aimee Ratapana as her assistant.

Conor Dockery who has taken charge of Forge women’s team for the past two years and led them to victory at The Fly 2022, switches codes and takes charge of Forge men’s team as Head Coach in 2023. He’ll team up with England box lacrosse Assistant Coach Andy Downing who helped mastermind England’s European Championship win in the summer as Assistant Coach.

Carina Bates returns as Swift women Head Coach looking to win the title she first won at the inaugural The Fly in 2021. Joining her as Assistant Coach is Gavin Donaldson who has previous The Fly experience as Forge Assistant Coach in 2022.

The Swift men’s team have appointed two-time The Fly Assistant Coach Ravi K. Sitlani as their Head Coach; his work on the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway and throughout the club game will be vital as he takes up the Head Coach role. Chloe Watterston joins Ravi as Assistant Coach and returns to The Fly in 2023 after a stint as Assistant Coach with Rise women at this year’s competition.

Also returning to The Fly after a one year break is England men’s team Assistant Coach and Head of Lacrosse at Nottingham Trent University Sam Patterson who takes up the Hustle men’s team Head Coach role once again. In 2021, Sam led his Hustle side to the final where they eventually narrowly lost out to Rise.

Kieran Pegrum-Milner who helped Swift women as Assistant Coach at The Fly 2022 joins Sam as Hustle men’s Assistant Coach in 2023.

Another returning coach is Hustle women’s Head Coach Evie Stephens who had a really good first stint as Hustle Head Coach in 2022, leading her side to the final where they lost out to Forge. Her Assistant Coach is England U23 Assistant Coach and former Spain women’s coach Georgie Hurt.

For more information about each of the 2023 coaches, click HERE.