Rules+of+Lacrosse



Boy's lacrosse and girl's lacrosse have completely different rules.

**Boy's Lacrosse Rules:**


 * Field And Players: **

Only 10 players for each team are allowed on the lacrosse field at a time, and you can substitute players in and out during the game. If the non-professional coaches discuss and one or both teams don't have enough players, they can play down to as low as 7 players. The normal sized lacrosse field is required for professional teams but for non-professional teams, the coaches can agree on a smaller field. The attack player has to be fast and precise. They are the ones who usually score the goals. They have to be good at scoring goals. Also, they usually stay in their half of the field. Midfielders have to be able to run the whole field. They have to be good at defense and offense. They also have to be able to transport the ball from the defensive side of the field to the offensive. Defensemen have to be fast to be able to catch up with their player that they are covering. They also need good vision. Goalies have to have good hand eye coordination. They also have to be tough and able to see everything coming at the goal.


 * Equipment: **

*look under the Equipment for Lacrosse section*


 * Jerseys: **

Team jerseys should be of one dominant color with numbers on the front and back side clear enough for the officials to see. In non-professional lacrosse, if both teams have similar jersey colors, the home team has to wear pinnies.


 * Game Lengths and Timeouts: **

During the game, there are 4 quarters consisting of 10-12 minutes each. Oftentimes there is a halftime in between the first and last two quarters. There are two timeouts allowed per half, but the game will always pause due to an injury. Timeout lengths cannot exceed two minutes, but the time of them is decided by coaches and officials before the game.


 * Face-off: **

The ball is put in the nets of the sticks of the two Centers, who are squatting almost onto the ground. When the referee blows the whistle, they try to cover the ball and pick it up or flick it to a teammate. The midfielders aren't able to enter the center circle before the whistle. Face-offs are typically after a goal or at the beginning of each quarter. If during a game there is a four point lead, the losing team would get the ball at mid-field, instead of doing a face-off.

Including the goalie, there have to be four players in their defensive half. They also need to have three people in their offensive half. The three midfielders can go anywhere. At the start of the game, both teams choose two captains. The referee tosses a coin and the away teams calls heads or tails in midair. The winning captains get to then decide which side they want to defending. Teams change sides each period. No one except the goalie can touch the ball with their hands. Everyone else has to have the ball in their stick. Players get the ball by picking it up from the ground, getting passed to, interception, of stick checks. Body checks are allowed if they are from the front or side and if the opponent has the ball. Also, body checks have to happen above the waist and below the shoulders. If the ball or the player holding the ball gets out of bounds, the ball gets turned over to the other team. Also, attack players are not allowed in the goalie crease but if the ball enters the crease, a player can reach in with their stick to grab it. When a player shoots a goal, it is counted as one point. If the goalie catches the ball that is shot, they then pass it to another team member, which is called Clearing the ball.
 * Basic Rules: **

**Girl's Rules:**

** Field and Players: **

Woman's lacrosse plays with 12 people on the field at a time per team- five midfielders, three defense players, three offense players, and one goalie. The attack player has to be fast and precise. They are the ones who usually score the goals. They have to be good at scoring goals. Also, they usually stay in their half of the field. Midfielders have to be able to run the whole field. They have to be good at defense and offense. They also have to be able to transport the ball from the defensive side of the field to the offensive. Defensemen have to be fast to be able to catch up with their player that they are covering. They also need good vision. Goalies have to have good hand eye coordination. They also have to be tough and able to see everything coming at the goal.The field needs to be at least 120 by 70 feet wide. The restraining line is 30 yards from each goal.


 * Equipment: **


 * * ** look under Equipment for Lacrosse section*


 * Jerseys: **

Team jerseys should be of one dominant color with numbers on the front and back side clear enough for the officials to see. In non-professional lacrosse, if both teams have similar jersey colors, the home team has to wear pinnies.


 * Game Lengths and Timeouts: **

A woman's team is all together one hour, with two 30 minute halfs. Each team is allowed two timeouts per game, including overtime.


 * Face-offs: **

If during a game there is a four point lead, the losing team would get the ball at mid-field for a face-off. The ball is put in the nets of the sticks of the two Centers, who are squatting. When the referee blows the whistle, they bring their sticks up and try to get the ball. The midfielders aren't able to enter the center circle before the whistle. Face-offs are typically after a goal or at the beginning of each quarter.

** Basic Rules: ** When the whistle for a penalty is blown, every player on the field has to stop moving unless the official tells them to go somewhere. When a ball goes out of bounds after someone shot the ball, the player closest to it gets the ball. If someone steps out of bounds or the ball is thrown out of bounds, the other team gets the ball. Rough checks and contact to the body by another body or a sick are not allowed and would be called as a penalty. The field players run with the ball while cradling. The other team can check (tap) the opponents stick if they have the ball to gain possession. The player must be one step away from the other player while they are checking. No player can reach across another player in order to check them. All legal checks have to be made 7-inches away from your body, which is the sphere. If someone checks illegally, the ball is turned over to the other team. If an offensive player committees a major penalty, the ball is transferred to the other team and the player who did the penalty starts four meters behind the other player and all of the other players have to be at least four meters away also. If a minor penalty occurs, the other team gets the ball and they can' shoot until the pass once first.

Back to Lacrosse Home Page