Last updated June 2026.
The Drawer · Rules at-a-glance · lacrosse
Lacrosse rules: a five-minute primer for first-time parents
What youth lacrosse looks like, how the field is set up, how scoring works, and the calls parents hear most often but do not always understand.
Field/court setup
A lacrosse field is roughly 110 yards long and 60 yards wide with a goal at each end. The goal sits inside a circular crease that only the goalie can occupy. The field is divided at midfield. Boys lacrosse uses 10 players per side (3 attack, 3 midfield, 3 defense, 1 goalie). Girls lacrosse uses 12 per side with different contact rules.
Game length
Most youth lacrosse games run four 8–12 minute quarters with a running clock, stopping only for injuries and timeouts. Total game time is typically 60–75 minutes. High school games run four 12-minute quarters.
Scoring basics
- · A goal is scored when the ball passes completely through the goal from front to back.
- · The ball must be shot or carried. A ball that deflects off a player's body and enters the goal counts.
- · Goals scored from inside the crease do not count in most youth rules.
Calls you'll see
- · Crease violation: an offensive player entering the circular crease around the goal. Turnover to the defense.
- · Offsides: fewer than three players on the defensive half or fewer than three on the offensive half. Each team must maintain positional balance.
- · Illegal body check (boys): checking an opponent who does not have the ball or is not within five yards of a loose ball.
- · Slashing: swinging the stick at an opponent's body instead of their stick or gloves.
- · Warding: an offensive ball carrier using their free hand to push away a defender's stick check.
- · Stalling: deliberately avoiding play to run out the clock. Officials can issue a warning requiring the offensive team to advance the ball.
Three things parents most often get wrong
- · Boys and girls lacrosse have very different contact rules. Girls lacrosse is essentially non-contact, with stick checking limited to certain angles.
- · The crease belongs to the goalie in both versions. Players cannot camp in it waiting for a pass.
- · An offsides call has nothing to do with where the ball is. It is about how many players are on each half of the field.
- · Cradling is not traveling. The stick rocks back and forth while running. That is how the ball stays in the pocket.