BOSTON, Mass. -- Megan Coffey (Wilmot Flat, N.H.), a 2013 graduate of Simmons College, will be traveling to Buckinghamshire, England this fall to work as a School Coaching Officer for the English Lacrosse Association at the Pipers Corner School.  

The ELA is the national governing body for the sport of lacrosse in England, and is based in Manchester. Lacrosse is currently the fastest growing sport at the university level in England and the ELA recently received five million dollars by the English government to expand the sport over a four-year period. 

Each year, the ELA sponsors 100 American coaches to travel to England to teach and grow the sport of lacrosse. Most coaches are recent college graduates and must meet the eligibility requirements of the program. Coaches are either associated with a local club as a Local Development Officer or with a private school, as a School Coaching Officer.

At the Piper Corner School, a boarding school for girls ages 3-18 (11-18 boarding) located one hour northwest of London, Coffey will support and assist the physical education department as well as deliver lacrosse lessons, design practices, umpire school teams and provide classroom assistance as needed. A School Coaching Officer may also have the opportunity to become a coach for a local university or play on a club team depending on the location of each school. 

At Simmons, Coffey was a two-sport athlete in cross country and lacrosse and majored in history and political science. She captained the lacrosse team as a senior and received Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Academic Honors all three years.  She was also a member of the Simmons Chapter of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.