Nine years ago, they won participation in the world championship in lacrosse, but they could not financially afford a trip to Canada at that time. The Czechs continue to struggle with difficult conditions at home, and the sensational result from the recent championship in Maryland is even more surprising. There, they completely surprised the lacrosse world and became the seventh best team of the tournament.
“It still brings tears to my eyes,” says Barbara Bažantová, coach and manager of the national team, in a moved voice. Seventh place from the World Cup in America means a historical maximum for Czech lacrosse.
The Czechs dominated the group with Mexico, Italy, Sweden and Colombia, then managed a crucial round of 16 against Germany and made it into the top eight of the tournament. In the quarterfinals, the defeat came 7:15 with the favored Canadian women, later silver medalists.
In the matches for fifth to eighth place, the Czechs were not enough against Israel at first (10:11), but they closed the WC with a victory over the Iroquois (12:11), an Indian team that is a traditional part of the tournament.
“It’s a huge success that no one expected. We’ve been trying for something in the Czech environment for twenty years, and now it’s finally worked out. We’ve made it to the top ten, girls who play almost professionally. We’re proud and happy,” continues the enthusiastic Bažantová.
In 2013, the Czechs did not have enough money to travel to Canada, so they had to give up the tournament for which they had qualified. Four years later, Petr Čech extended an unexpected helping hand before the WC in England.
“I caught the lacrosse team’s challenge on social media and immediately started looking for a way to help the girls,” explained the soccer goalkeeper. Thanks to his initiative, the Czech Republic really went to the World Cup and finished tenth.
Three years ago, at the European Championship, they were again pushed to Israel by contributions from fans in an internet collection. In return, the lacrosse players offered the possibility of individual training with the team, a massage from the players or a special photo in a bikini. And they brought fourth place from Israel.
“This year was the first tournament where the girls didn’t have to pay anything,” smiles Bažantová. “We were supported by the National Sports Agency (NSA), and the lacrosse association put a lot into us. But we are still a small sport with four clubs in the Czech Republic and only hundreds of active players,” he adds.
The mentioned four consists of Jižní Město, Smíchov, Radotín and the only club outside the capital, Brno Ravens. Lacrosse often takes a backseat to football on the field, and it is understandably also struggling with a narrow base of coaches.
“The girls study, they work. They play lacrosse in the evenings, at night. We don’t have the conditions for the success we did at the World Cup. That’s why it’s so incredible, a huge satisfaction for everyone. The girls deserve it for all that hard work.” claims Bažantová.
They also impressed the traditional lacrosse powers in Maryland. “The American women proposed our goalkeeper Anna Ničová to the All Stars team. She also congratulated us and the other teams, everyone was pleased that a European team other than a country from Great Britain was reaching the top,” the coach mentions.
The Czechs also heard recognition from the Iroquois, representatives of the Indians, who invented the game with netted sticks. “The duel for seventh place was quite tough on their part. We lost the lead 8:1, but in the end we won after all. We beat them technically and the Iroquois accepted it sportsmanship,” says Bažantová.
Before that, in the round of 16 against Germany (14:9), she saw, according to her words, the best ever performance of the national team in history, the game was close to perfection. With 109 goals scored, the Czech Republic was the third most productive team at the World Cup.
“Isabelle Martire had the lion’s share of the attack with 40 hits,” highlights the coach. American-born Martireová has a grandmother born in Kladno, and she joined the national team through an overseas coach who worked in the Czech Republic. The second reinforcement from the USA was Tierney Larson.
“Tierney lived in Prague, she played and trained in the Czech league, and she also helped with national team selections. Together with Isabelle, they fit in quickly, understood the chemistry of our game and helped us tremendously,” admits Bažantová.
Both Martire and Larson play an overseas competition where Anna Lottmann has also worked in the past. Tereza Kreuzová, the only Czech born, currently plays at the club level in America.
After the tournament, however, Bažantová was pleased with the Americans’ interest in other Czechs. “We had six girls under the age of 18 in the team, we have already received an offer for two of them. Hopefully we can make it happen and the girls will try out the competition here, because the conditions and facilities for lacrosse in America are incredible,” she points out.
“Maryland, where the WC was held, is the Mecca of lacrosse. It is played here at every school and university. The championship was hugely watched, 29 countries participated, which is the most in history. And for the first time, the host country won the tournament, ” adds the Czech coach.
The top ten WC in women’s lacrosse:
1. USA, 2. Canada, 3. England4. Australia, 5. Japan, 6. Israel, 7. Czechia8. Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), 9. Wales, 10. Scotland.
Immediately after the World Cup, the Czechs moved from Towson, Maryland to Birmingham, Alabama, more than 1,200 kilometers away, the site of the World Games of non-Olympic sports.
While at the World Cup lacrosse was played on a larger field and with teams of ten players, at the World Games the teams had to deal with a smaller playing surface and the “sixes” variant, i.e. with six players on each side.
Only the eight best teams in the world participate in the tournament here. In a challenging group, the Czechs lost to the Japanese 10:23 on Tuesday and to the Australians 8:16 on Wednesday. On Thursday evening, they will meet the new world champions, the Americans, and then they will have to fight for the position.
“We want to fight for every place here as well,” reports Bažantová, who also believes that thanks to the presentation at the World Games, lacrosse could be included in the program of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I don’t think the international federation is doing anything other than trying to lobby for it. We believe that lacrosse has a chance, it’s a very popular sport in America, but there are more of them,” concludes the coach.
