The Fly | What is it?

If you’re new to The Fly, we’ve put together this handy little guide to get you up to speed and ready to dive into The Fly 2024!

Established in 2021, The Fly is the UK’s only six-a-side national lacrosse league, bringing together the best lacrosse players and coaches from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and further afield to compete against each other to claim The Fly title.

The Fly is a pioneering elite-level competition featuring the new Commonwealth and Olympic-proposed version of the sport, that reduces the number of players on each team from the traditional 10 to six.

Emphasising the speed of our sport, The Fly puts its unique qualities at the heart of the identity and in particular, epitomises the non-stop, high-tempo nature of the Sixes game.

To aid this high-speed element, the pitch is smaller than a traditional lacrosse pitch and there are fewer markings; the length of a match has been shortened too with four lightning-fast eight-minute quarters.

A shot-clock has also been introduced, similar to basketball, which gives the attacking team just 30 seconds to take a shot on the opposition goal before play switches over.

Not only does the The Fly represent the fast-paced feel of lacrosse, the name and bold symbol represents its aspirational nature in looking forward to the future, looking ahead to Commonwealth and Olympic aspirations for the sport, and looking at what can be possible when the sport is able to let fly.

The striking orange colour of The Fly takes inspiration from the colour of our lacrosse goals; symbolising the feeling of our players and coaches all focused towards one common goal in achieving success.

The Fly has the needs and ambitions of its players at its core, allowing our elite athletes to pursue the sport at the highest level while also offering a vision for our youngest players to fulfil their dreams.

British Lacrosse took to the field for the first time in a World Sixes Championship at the 2022 World Games and The Fly provided the platform and profile for our top talent to express themselves playing the proposed Commonwealth and Olympic format.

The Fly features side-by-side men’s and women’s competitions, giving our athletes absolute equality in profile and performance, bringing together the best players and coaches from across the sport.

Check out the action from the past three year’s of competition at The Fly over on our YouTube channel!

In 2024, The Fly is taking place across three weekends: 11 or 12 May, 18 or 19 May, 1 & 2 June, with a venue still to be confirmed.