Sixes is the discipline lacrosse will contest at LA28, its return to the Olympic programme after 120 years. For Ireland, the pathway to those Games runs through the 2026 European Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Salou, Spain, from 10 to 18 November. That event is a qualifier for the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships and the first step in Olympic qualification for European nations. Before Salou, the squad will compete at the Atlas Cup, hosted by USA Lacrosse from 23 to 25 October.

The Staff

Sean Bodie, Head Coach. Bodie leads the programme. He is a former Ireland international with 28 senior caps and was head coach at University College Dublin. He served on the Ireland men's national team coaching staff in 2018 and has PREVIOUSLY coached in The Fly, the annual Sixes league in the United Kingdom. He brings direct playing and coaching experience into the Irish set-up and in the Sixes format specifically.

Jeff Dowling, Assistant Coach. Dowling has led Ireland's Senior Men's Box team since 2010. In 2026, he coached Ireland to the men's gold medal at the European Box Lacrosse Championships in Prague, a 9-6 win over Finland. He is head coach and general manager of the Brampton Express in the Arena Lacrosse League. He coached in the National Lacrosse League from 2003 to 2009 and is a two-time league champion as an assistant coach, with the Calgary Roughnecks in 2004 and the Buffalo Bandits in 2008. His record in Irish box lacrosse and his professional coaching pedigree anchor the staff.

Stephen Keogh, Assistant Coach. Keogh brings one of the deepest playing résumés in the Irish game. He played collegiately at Syracuse University, where he won two NCAA Division I national championships. His National Lacrosse League career spans the Rochester Knighthawks, Colorado Mammoth, Halifax Thunderbirds and Toronto Rock, and he played in Major League Lacrosse with the Hamilton Nationals, Florida Launch, Charlotte Hounds and Atlanta Blaze. He represented Ireland at the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship at Onondaga Nation, New York. He is currently a coaching in the Toronto Breaches organization and in Lacrosse Canada's National Development Team Program.

John Salter, Manager of Lacrosse Operations. Salter runs the operational side of the programme. His background is with the Toronto Beaches and Team Ontario. His role covers the logistics and planning that allow the coaching staff to focus on the squad.

The programme reports to Sean Gibson, Men's National Team Director, who confirmed the appointments and had this to say, "Bodie has dedicated himself over the last few years to truly understand the 6's discipline. Complimented by Jeff and Stephen who know what it takes to win at every level of the game and their experience and knowldge of the game is truly an asset. This group has been working hard now for the better part of a year on identifying the identity and talent in our athlete pool to achieve success come November. Our program is expecting big things and this group is already eager to build on the momentum created by the box team earlier this year."

What comes next

Squad selection for the Atlas Cup and the European Sixes Championships is under way. Ireland Lacrosse will confirm the Senior Men's Sixes squad ahead of the October window.