You must be over the age of 18 and a full member of the English Twenty Club to be considered for the Lions Squad. Membership cost £15 per year, or £45 for junior life membership which runs until the end of the year of your 25th birthday.
If you have any questions, please email: lions@englishtwenty.org.uk
The squad for 2023/24 has been selected with the following 12 members successful:
Harry Asquith-Beard
Matt Blyth
Luke Crisp
Robert Edwards
Keisha Farley
Simon Hayton
Rupert Knight
Clare Mawson
Natasha Murrin
Sasha Radkovskii
Christopher Vonchek
Amy Xu
What are the Lions?
In 2017 the English Twenty Club launched the English Lions Talent Pathway. Made up of English shooters identified as showing potential, the squad will be provided with elite level coaching in all aspects of target rifle shooting. The ultimate goal is to progress to represent England on the international stage. Whilst there is no guarantee that they will be selected for England at the end of the squad cycle, they will be a more capable individual and team shooter.
Eligibility
Any uncapped or once capped English shooter* is eligible to apply, there is no upper age limit. You will need to be a member of the English Twenty Club and over 18 years old. You should be able to demonstrate shooting or coaching potential, especially in a team environment (ideally county level) in the last year or two and have a strong belief in your ability to become a high performing shooter.
Training
The squad will meet for three training weekends during the year, the first one being in the autumn to set goals and work on winter training plans and then two training weekends in the following year. Attendance at these weekends is a mandatory part of squad membership.
Expert Coaching
The selected squad is managed by 4 permanent staff who will be the first point of contact for training activities. To fully develop shooters in all aspects of senior level team shooting, highly accomplished (GB Palma, Commonwealth Games) elite English shooters will assist at training weekends and act as mentors to squad members. In addition to target time on the range, these elite shooters will run sessions on position, goal setting, psychology, SCATT, team drills and plotting.
Matches
Practice matches will be arranged during the training weekends against clubs and counties, The matches will provide a platform for you to demonstrate your ability, and for you to gain experience performing in a higher-pressure environment.
Separate to the practice matches, the English Twenty Club also competes in a series of matches during the year. We compete against the RAF and Home Countries in May and against UK Armed Forces during the main meeting in July. In October every other year we compete in the European Long-Range Championships. Details on these and other matches can be found under the competitions section of this site.
Personal Mentor
At the start of the cycle year, each squad member will be allocated a mentor, allowing for support and advice away from the training squad, including individual competitions.
Supported Opportunities
Alongside the three training weekends, squad members are encouraged to enter the English Twenty Club Spring Meeting at Bisley in May and the Scottish Open Meeting at Blair Atholl in June. During the Scottish open an England team competes against Scotland for Lawrence Trophy. This team is selected by the National captain. Another opportunity to perform in front of the National captain is during the RAF vs Home Nations match held at Bisley. Faculty and coaches will be available to support squad members who shoot during these matches.