Family ties land Will Butler on Australian national lacrosse team

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Will Butler palys goalie for Belmont Hill School varsity lacrosse. 
COURTESY PHOTO DAVE ARNOLD

Will Butler, grandson of Leslie and Robyn Kenney of Peterborough, has been selected for the Australian national U20 men’s lacrosse team.

“My mom just had this idea that there might be an opportunity to play for Australia, and we started looking into it. We connected with the coach, Robert Lawson, and I went over to selection camp in January, and I just got the news that I was selected,” Butler said. “It’s pretty crazy.” 

Butler’s dad, Anthony Butler, is Australian, and Will and his sister are Australian citizens. Butler, 17, has played lacrosse since he was in third grade, and started playing goalie in foruth grade. He  is currently a junior at Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Mass., where he plays goalie for the varsity team.

Butler was selected to play for the U20 team along with 23 other Australians and four other Australian-Americans. He said the Australian national lacrosse team is unusual because the majority of the team is Australian. 

“On most of the national lacrosse teams, most of the players on the team have heritage from that country but they are all actually American, because a lot of countries don’t have lacrosse programs. Australia is really different because there are only five Americans; it really is an Australian team,” Butler said. 

Butler said the team made it clear that being American was a factor in his selection, with priority given to Australians living in Australia.  Butler said while lacrosse is growing in popularity in Australia, the most popular sports are rugby, cricket, soccer, and Aussie Rules football. 

Butler said because Australia does not have college sports, most of his teammates are working full-time. 

“It is very impressive what these guys are doing; they are doing it for the love of the game, and because they want to represent Australia. That is huge for them, representing Australia, ” Butler said. “It’s really different from my situation still being in school. They’re working full-time and doing this in their free time.”

Butler said being on the team has created a new bond between him and his father. 

“It will be awesome having this connection with my dad. It will help me understand him and where he comes from, and how it’s different,” Butler said. “It was pretty cool hanging out with real Australians; they were making fun of my accent and stuff! As soon as I got there and started hanging out with the team and heard  them talk to each other, it was like, ‘OK, this all makes sense now.’” 

Butler has spent most summers of his life in the Monadnock region, spending time with his Kenney grandparents and as a member of the Dublin Lake Club.

After his club season wraps up in July, Butler will head back to Sydney, his father’s hometown, to train with the team, which will then head to Japan and then Jeju Island, Korea, for world championships from Aug. 15 to 24.

“I have never been to Asia before. I was talking to my grandmother, who knows a lot about Asian art and culture, and I am super excited. I  have read a lot  about Japan. They have a beautiful and unique culture I am so excited to get to see it first hand,” Butler said. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”