With under 2 months to go until one of the biggest events on the UK Lacrosse calendar things are really starting to ramp up with the NKI25 tournament. We have a flood of team entries and multiple sponsors and event partnerships that will make for the biggest ever Nick Kehoe International.
The Nick Kehoe Championship is without doubt one of the best European lacrosse tournaments to be a part of, no matter whether you are a player, coach, official or a spectator, the event has become much loved by all in the UK lacrosse community and beyond. The NKI25 will be held over the 3rd and 4th of May, as always we will be crossing our fingers for good weather.
For close to 3 decades the event has been successfully hosted by Wilmslow Lacrosse Club at their Styal grounds. Better known as a men's lacrosse tournament, the NKI25 will once again see a women's tournament for the third year running and this year will be the biggest yet with ever increasing interest in ladies teams wanting to compete.
As the profile of this amazing event has grown in recent years more eyes from around the world have taken notice. We are proud to announce that the NKI25 is been supported by some of the biggest brands in the lacrosse world. Our first major sponsor is no other than ECD Lacrosse, this company has shown much support to the development of the sports. More details of the partnership between ECD, NKI and Wilmslow Lacrosse can be found within the Wilmslow Club blog.
Ever wondered about the history of the Nick Kehoe International?
Nick Kehoe was Yorkshire Lacrosse President, ELA President Elect and had been the England Lacrosse team Doctor for many years. A keen volunteer for his club, county, country and a truly committed servant to the game he was so passionate about.
Amongst many of his successes, Nick negotiated the successful merger between the men's and women's games and was instrumental in developing the old County Championship into what became the British National Championship and is now the Tournament that bears his name.
Very few of todays players will remember but the England County Championship took place over 3 Sundays prior to Christmas between Cheshire, Lancashire, South & Yorkshire. The games had 25 minute quarters & seemed to last forever!
In 1991 the event moved to Hyde United over a single weekend on their all weather surface. This proved so popular that the format was adopted by the ELA and the counties thereafter.
In 1998 Nick Kehoe asked Wilmslow Lacrosse Club to host the May Day Bank Holiday weekend tournament as Wilmslow has such a large area of land on which a major tournament can be played. It was now called the "British National Championships" as it included Scotland & Wales to aid their development. Scotland actually won that year.
The event was so successful that Nick asked if Wilmslow Lacrosse could host the event again before he left for a hill walking holiday in Scotland. That was the last time anybody in Lacrosse saw Nick as he tragically died in an accident climbing the Munroes. The terrible news of his untimely death being announced during the Annual Dinner taking place at Rochdale Lacrosse the Friday after the BNC. He was a much loved and respected member of UK lacrosse and it seemed a fitting tribute to a true servant to the game to name the tournament after him.
The tournament has been hosted by Wilmslow Lacrosse ever since & annually takes place on May Day Bank Holiday weekend. Over the years the event has grown, with the successful expansion of European lacrosse, entries were received from Eire, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, the tournament changed title to honor Nick's name & make it truly International. We feel the Nick would approve of the way the event has changed of the years and we will continue to honor him but growing men's and women's tournaments year on year.
We are pleased to confirm that the NKI25 will be live streamed over the weekend by Lacrosse Live,
Lacrosse Live have has done an outstanding job in recent years covering lacrosse events across the country, not only has the community been able to watch so great lax but the streams and YouTube recorded games have helped introduce the sport to a wider audience and also given companies excellent exposure. Owner of Northern Soul Sportswear, Jason Perrin said "Glen at Lacrosse Live has been incredible to work with, the ability to put our company adverts in front on lacrosse fans is vital to our business but also shows that we support the wider efforts of those who are doing their upmost to grow the sport".
Did someone say merchandise? Everyone loves lax swag and this year we bring you some sweet tournament tees and hoodies so that you have a the opportunity to snag a memento of the event. Head over the the Wilmslow store but be quick as they are already selling rapidly.
In the coming weeks you will start seeing the NKI digital programme that will updated regularly with event info such as team rosters, tournament rules, playing schedule, sponsor info, featured player bios and lots more.
It's been a busy couple of months for the NKI25 organizing committee, the wheels are well and truly in motion for this years event and we have been lucky enough to secure some incredible support from three well known lacrosse brands along with a number of other amazing businesses who have agreed to partner with the tournament to make it the best ever.
A huge thank you has to go to the guys at ECD Lacrosse for being one of our first headline sponsors that will be supporting the NKI and hosts Wilmslow Lacrosse Club over the next 3 years. From humble beginnings waxing mesh in their parents basement, the Kenneally brothers from built one of the most recognizable brands in the sport.
More sponsor news! Up and coming brand Armor Mesh will be joining the ever growing number of businesses lining up to show support for the Nick Kehoe International. Armor Mesh has been slowly appearing in men's lacrosse sticks the past 3 years but where it has been taken off is within the women's game with their Valkyrie pocket.
The continued support of lacrosse retail giants, Northern Soul Sportswear has not gone unnoticed over the past 16 years of hosting this tournament. Once again they will feature as one of our heading sponsors as they continue their efforts to support lacrosse across the UK and beyond. Without the support of Northern Soul and M60 Digital you might not be reading this blog and certainly not viewing it on this fantastic new website.
With a little over 1 month until the tournament we've had some great news, another incredible business has stepped up to partner with WLC and NKI over the next 3 years. Located at Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port, Smarter Strength is a private premium personal training company offering group sessions tailored to your fitness goals, with groups of 1 - 4 people. The trainers at no strangers to lacrosse, one of the guys plays at Wilmslow and there are a number of players that are members of the gym.
The latest sponsor to get on board is Wilkinson Cowan Partnership Ltd, experts in providing bespoke professional building consultancy services offering traditional quantity surveying together with project management, building surveying, health and safety, employers agent, clerk of works and project monitoring to name just a few.
We have yet more sponsor news. Garden & Plant Machinery have given a generous offer of help to provide some field repairs in the run up to the event as well as loaning key equipment and experience to assist with the logistics of running the weekend.
The eagle eyed among you might have noticed a couple of Wilmslow players wearing Q Collars this season. Top research institutions have conducted extensive research on the Q-Collar, proving that wearing the Q-Collar can safely help protect the brain from injury during head impacts. This innovative solution may address a growing concern over the prevalence of brain injuries among athletes and soldiers. We are pleased to announce that Q30 will be partnering with WLC and NKI and that their products will be available to purchase over the weekend from Northern Soul Sportswear.
Perhaps the biggest name in lacrosse just joined the growing number of WLC and NKI supporters. Officially founded in 1970 with the receipt of a US Patent for a plastic head, STX has been the innovative leader in lacrosse equipment for over five decades. Since then, STX has expanded their product offerings to women's lacrosse, field hockey and ice hockey, fostering the opportunity to create and develop quality gear for athletes across the world. Northern Soul provides players across the UK and mainland Europe with an extensive range of lacrosse equipment which will be available to purchase over the event.
It really has been an incredible week for this event in terms of sponsor and partnership news. The Centurion Lacrosse Club has been a supporter of the NKI International for a number years and has committed to continue to support the efforts to grow the event in 2025. Centurions have supported the introduction of Lacrosse at a vast number Universities, clubs and junior programmes over recent years. While the Centurion website undergoes some updates you might want to keep up to date with their ongoing development projects by following their Facebook page.
We are also grateful for the support from Suzanne Ballantine Travel Agent who is one of many of the companies that will be advertising within the events digital programme where you will soon be available to view more in-depth details of the tournament.
Team entries are being confirmed thick and fast with the following men's teams signed up so far:
2 x Scotland teams, North West, Wales Dragons Development, Welsh Universities, Midlands, 2 x South, Yorkshire, Nederland, English Universities and Eire.
The men's event is now full at 12 teams but we expect the men's side of the tournament to grow again next year with the goal to field a total of 18 men's side in 2026. Keep your eyes peeled shortly after this years event as we expect to see teams sign up way earlier than ever before.
Hope you like the brand new logo for the ladies side of the event. This will be the third year that women's lacrosse has featured at the Nick Kehoe International. 2025 has so far seen interest from a number of teams, so much so that we are having to limit the ladies tournament to 8 teams this year, so don't delay and confirm your place asap to avoid disappointment.
The ladies event on the Sunday is ramping up with Scotland Development, Yorkshire, Cheshire and Eire signed up to play and now Wales Development looking like they will participate too. We are also pleased to be able to welcome the Home Nation Lions Mixed team to the tournament. With Heaton Mersey entering their U20 touring team there is now only 1 place left teams will need to act quickly to secure a their spot.
Next week we will have a further event update that small side event running on the Saturday. We can't say much more until it's all signed off but let's just say this years tournament will be huge!
Keep a close eye on this page in the coming days and weeks as we have some extremally exciting news to share regarding team entries and event sponsors. You will also be able to purchase NKI apparel soon right here on this website. This year's NKI will be the biggest yet and we hope that you be a part of it.
It's nearly time to lace up your cleats, grab your stick, and show the world what you're made of. The Nick Kehoe International Lacrosse Tournament is where champions are made, where the fearless rise to the occasion, and where the competition is fierce. Are you ready to step onto the field and battle it out with the best of the best?
