Games Must Go On: Germany Takes Iroquois Spot
by Clare Lochary | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
MANCHESTER, England -- The parade of 30 nations
at the 2010 FIL World Championships opening ceremonies was the
largest that the international lacrosse community had ever seen.
But many minds were with those who were not there -- the players of
the Iroquois Nationals who remain mired in a passport dispute that
prevented their entry into the U.K for the event in Manchester,
England.
England, the home team, got the biggest cheer from the crowd, but
a reduced Iroquois delegation, consisting of five members of the
coaching and support staff but no players, received long, sustained
applause from the other teams and a partial standing ovation from
the crowd.
"It's an honor to represent our team, but being our game, it's
quite tough to be here without our guys," said Iroquois assistant
coach Mark Burnham, who was a member of the delegation. "Until the
games are over, we're going to try to get here. But there's only so
much we can do, and so much the FIL can do."
The ceremony included remarks from Mark Hackett, the Lord Mayor of
Manchester, and several FIL officials, including David Mardsen,
head of the FIL World Championships Steering Committee, who noted
the absence of the Iroquois.
"We very much regret the Iroquois players who could not be with us
tonight, but we still hope they'll be with us soon," said
Marsden.
The opening ceremonies also included a surprise announcement that
Team Germany would move up into the Blue Division and play the
Iroquois team's scheduled games. Germany offered to step in to play
an exhibition game versus England immediately after the opening
ceremonies when it became clear the Iroquois would not make it to
Manchester in time for the scheduled match. With the decision that
Germany will move into the Blue Division, the game is no longer an
exhibition but instead counts toward the championship.
"Our aim was always to get into the Blue Division, and the
opportunity presented itself earlier than expected," said Team
Germany head coach Jack Kaley, who recently retired from his post
as head coach at NYIT. "This is what the world tournament is always
about -- the chance to move up, and to try and exceed
expectations."
Should the Iroquois team arrive in Manchester before the
conclusion of the tournament, they will participate in the Plum
Division.
Germany finished eighth at the 2006 ILF World Championships in
London, Ontario. The U-19 team finished sixth, ahead of Blue
Division member Japan, at the 2008 U-19 World Championships in
Coquitlam, British Columbia. In 2008 the Germans finished third,
behind England and the Netherlands, at the European Lacrosse
Federation (ELF) Championships in Lahti, Finland.
The Germany-England game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Besides the recent FIL gymnastics, the meeting between these two
teams has another international thread. Germany ousted England in
the recent FIFA World Cup, heightening the rivalry between the two
European nations. Germany was mildly booed by the mostly English
crowd when they entered into the arena during the FIL opening
ceremonies, and German midfielder Marek Beck answered cheekily when
asked if Germany was ready to take on the English team.
"Sure," said Beck. "We did it a few weeks ago."
