Northern Flags Festival: The Last Dance

This weekend sees Rochdale Lacrosse Club host Northern Flags, the annual event which marks the end of the lacrosse season for most (Nick Kehoe International is next weekend, wooooo!).

From Saturday morning through to Sunday evening, men’s and women’s teams of all age groups take to the field to determine the best teams in Northern England.

Anyone who has attended can tell you the same things; a great environment, the opportunity to catch up with friends from all clubs and the odd referee, a very reasonably priced beer tent (soft drinks available for the kids and, most importantly, Graham Teal), hot food, and more lacrosse kit on display than you can possibly dream of. It’s the chance to see the next generation of international players in action, maybe even some future Olympians. Watch as some of the best current players in the nation go head-to-head. There really is no excuse not to attend.

For the men, Senior Flags marks a rematch of the 2022 final. Heaton Mersey, league winners this year, face Stockport, a team they have beaten twice in the league already. In 2022 Stockport won the league and beat Mersey twice before losing in the final. Could this year see Stockport emerge victorious?
As for the ladies, Stockport are again in the Senior final and aim to beat an excellent Mellor side.  Who will win? Nobody knows, but what is for certain is that the atmosphere promises to be electric. It always is at Northern Flags.

Rochdale LC do an amazing job of hosting this event, but they can’t do so without continued support. The funds generated help subsidise the cost of their LDO at a time when we are losing players across all disciplines. The more people who attend the Festival, the more that Rochdale can give back to the sport and the local area. I don’t want to sound like Lord Kitchener here but lacrosse needs you else we risk taking another step backwards in our attempts to grow the game.
Plus, who knows, maybe you’ll treat yourself to a new stick.