The Turkey Lacrosse Association (TLA) has seen explosive growth since its international spotlight in Israel in July, and that growth includes the hiring of personnel such as former Ohio Machine Defenseman Anthony “Audi” Glass, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Wooster College of Ohio. Audi, who will be joining the TLA as its Defensive Coordinator, brings a wealth of lacrosse experience and recruiting knowledge that will be crucial to the TLA’s success as it prepares for the 2014 World Games.
Audi Glass has been spending the summer touring the United States in search of talented players to recruit. During this time, he has also been on the lookout for players whose last names’ end in suffixes such as ‘oglu’ or ‘maz’, traditional endings for Turkish last names. (Players with ¼ Turkish heritage (one grandparent) are eligible for the Turkish National Team.) The TLA hopes to add these players to the Turkish National Team for when they compete at the World Games in Denver next July.
“European lacrosse has seen a big increase in participants in the last decade, so it only makes sense that Turkey is involved in that ,” says Audi. “Turkey’s climate is suitable for year-round lacrosse, and the Turkish people have a great history of athletics. Also, after meeting with Marty [Lattman, Managing Director of Coaching] and some of the other guys at the Turkey Lacrosse Association, I’m more than confident in their abilities to achieve their goals in Turkey, and am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Patrick Dougherty, Executive Director of the TLA, is also very excited for Audi to join the organization. “It is fantastic for Turks to see people of their own nationality who have been successful in lacrosse, especially when it is at the college level. By recruiting players of Turkish descent from the United States, we can help inspire Turks to play lacrosse, and help turn lacrosse into a major sport in Turkey.”
The TLA recently held tryouts for the Turkish National Team, followed by a trip to Israel for an international joint-training session with Israel Lacrosse and the Jewish-American All-Star team. The trip was a catalyst for interest in lacrosse in Turkey, and the TLA has high expectations for this year as it prepares for the World Games.
For more information, please visit www.turkeylacrosse.com, or view their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/turkiyelakros. You can also email Executive Director, Patrick Dougherty, at [email protected], or Deputy Executive Director, Dean Pohlman, at [email protected].
