Help me play in the U20 world championship for Ireland!

Please help me represent Ireland on the Irish National U20 lacrosse team this summer at European Championship in Poland this Summer!

Hi, my name is Finn Ivory and I’m currently a Sophomore in high school. I play lacrosse year-round and it’s a huge part of my life. Last summer I saw a player on the Hopkins men’s lacrosse team play for his heritage, representing Puerto Rico in the World Games and I was inspired to explore if I might be able to do the same. Nearly my whole family is Irish and since I knew my dad was an Irish citizen, I have long been a follower of Ireland Lacrosse. I started researching its teams and eligibility and found that they were soon holding U20 tryouts in NJ. To convince my parents to let me do it (and drive me!) I created a PowerPoint presentation and made my pitch. Fortunately, it worked, and my mom and I drove up to NJ, stayed at my cousin’s house, and went to the tryouts. The competition was tough, but I was so excited when I learned I had been selected for the training camp to be held in Dublin, Ireland. The three-day training was also the final stage of selection for the European Lacrosse U20 Championships to be held this summer in Wroclaw, Poland.

Training in Dublin was an incredible experience. I had been to Ireland before, but this time was extra special. We had three practices in two days at University College Dublin and just being around the coaches and other players really helped me develop my sense of pride in playing for Ireland even more. Though I’m one of the youngest players, I felt immediately at home with the team, and knew it was where I wanted to be. Outside of practice and training, I also just loved seeing a little of the countryside outside of Dublin (including kissing the Blarney stone!), chatting with everyone I met (especially in the pubs) and just feeling even more what it means to represent the country in lacrosse. Learning that I had made the national U20 team is still one of the greatest feelings I have ever had.

Playing for Ireland is an amazing way to connect with my heritage, and playing at the international level is an unbelievable opportunity. Being connected to Ireland, having the chance to play with kids from all over the world, seeing how lacrosse is different in different places and experiencing something totally different is something I hadn’t even imagined possible.

My parents are super supportive, but as Ireland Lacrosse is still a young and all-volunteer organization, participating this summer in Poland is going to be expensive.

For the our team to participate in the European Championships in Poland, players need to cover their own airfare, and fees for the two week championships include player accommodation and food, uniform, and field and tournament fees. I will be returning to my summer job lifeguarding, which will definitely help, but any support you might be able to give would be extremely appreciated!

Thank you so much!!