From July 2nd to July 9th, the Israeli Women’s U21 National Lacrosse Team will compete in the European Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, showcasing their talent on an international stage. As one of the top teams in Europe, these young women will take on formidable opponents from around the continent. Originally slated as a U19 event, the age category was revised to U21 due to COVID-19.
Anchored by a group of young players who started playing together in Israel, the team has been instrumental in growing the sport in the region, serving as coaches for youth teams across the country. In 2019, Israel finished in 17th place in the U19 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship.
The team will begin their training camp on June 25th at the National Training Center in Ashkelon, where players from different parts of the world will come together to train, compete, and build team camaraderie before traveling to Prague.
| Lacrosse Club | First Name | Last Name |
| LSH | Leeann | Dahan |
| ASHKELON | Sonya | Dobrikin |
| BEER TUVIA | Lian | Peretz |
| BEER TUVIA | Liel | Hodara |
| ASHKELON | Yagel | Geva |
| ASHKELON | Elian | Golubev |
| LSH | Talya | Shnit |
| LSH | Gal | Zur |
| BEER TUVIA | Shirin | Atedgi |
| KIRYAT GAT | Annabelle | Gersch |
| TEL AVIV, ISRAEL | Lily | Sidman |
| BEER TUVIA | Amelia | Byerly |
| HERZLIYA | Elinor | Gini |
| ASHKELON | Alisa | Zapisochniy |
| BEER TUVIA | Eden | Chajmovic |
| NETANYA | Victoria | Bates |
The team will be coached by Claire Rosenberg and Amit Burstein, both making their international coaching debuts, are the head coach and assistant coach, respectively. Rosenberg, who currently serves as the Head of Women’s Coaching, has been coaching these young women for the past four months in preparation for this event. “It is always rewarding as a coach to watch your players develop individually and as a team. But especially with this team, the results of all the work they’re putting in will be especially exciting to watch”, says Head Coach, Rosenberg.
Burstein has previously represented Israel six times on the international stage as a player. His success and experience will help guide him as a coach to these young players. Burstein has embraced every avenue of lacrosse in Israel. From youth development to international competitions, he has led on and off the field.
He now will now be a leader as a coach on the international stage. “I am incredibly excited to coach our U21 team for the upcoming European championships. Our athletes have been dreaming and working towards the goal of representing Israel on the international stage for years now, when unfortunately, COVID hit and took away many opportunities that they were looking forward to. I could not be prouder of their perseverance and dedication through the many challenges of the past couple of years.”
Although the team will be on the younger end there will not be a storage of talent. Talya Shnit, at just 17 years old, will be competing in her second international competition. She was a member of the Women’s World Championship team in 2023 that placed 6th in the world. Her experience and guidance will make her a crucial player on this roster and be an invaluable addition to the team.
With only three months left until competition, Rosenberg is impressed with how much this team continues to put in on their own time as well as when they are together as a team. “This team has a lot of people to prove right – the coaching staff, their families, themselves. Everyone who knows they’re capable of competing at this level. Can’t wait to see how it all comes together”, says Rosenberg.