Rules, Regulations, and Information

Our elementary level program focuses on a healthy and fun way to learn the basic skills and techniques of lacrosse.

Summary of the rules for 1/2 field Elementary Matches

Youth Girls Lacrosse – Elementary Match Rules

Summary of the rules that were discussed for full field Elementary Games

1. We will play on a full girls lacrosse field – remind your girls there is now field space behind the goals
2. No Goalies – (due to lack of goalie equipment by all teams and limited about of time until the first game). Goals will be flipped over in an “A” shape which is just like the boys 3rd grade leagues.
3. No player will tend the goal – This is a safety issue without proper goalie equipment on. Play should be stopped immediately to allow the player to be re-positioned.
4. No use of colored wrist bands. We will still match up players 1-1 (We all agree that we think the players have that concept now). We will not stop play if 2 on 1 situations momentarily occur. If they remain for a prolonged period of time of if 3 on 1 or more situations arise, play needs to be stopped and players are to be re-positioned.
5. Due to the numbers of available team members on each of our teams, and to allow a full line of “Middie” substitutes, we will play with 9 fielders (like boys, instead of 11 like girls). We will have 3 Attacks, 3 Middies and 3 Defenders. This will allow everyone a full, 2nd line of 3 Middies to cycle in an out. Attacks and Defenders can not pass the restraining line like big girls lacrosse.
6. There will be 5 players from each team on draws. 1 in the center and 4 around the draw circle…again like big lacrosse. This means that 1 Attack and 1 Defender will be allowed to be pulled forward for a draw (leaving 2 attacks and 2 Defenders behind the restraining line).
7. We will stay with the 20 minutes half but will try to call a time out in each half at about the 10 minute mark to give the girls breathers. The 20 minute rolling clock will stop during these 2 times outs. (1 in each half).
8. We will require 2 “passes” (or ball exchanges) before a shot is taken. The passes must occur into the attack zone or while in the attack zone. (i.e a pass started outside of the restraining line but thrown into the attack zone inside of the restraining line counts as one of the passes). Passes further back down the field toward the defensive side do not count. The 2 passes can not be “back and forth” between the same girls. This will prevent some of the larger or more experienced players from just doing a quick pass back and forth and then shooting. (The hope here is to involve more players). If a 2nd pass is done between the same two girls, play will continue but a 3rd (or additional) pass to a different girl is still required.

2012 Season Rules and Regulations for Elementary Girls Lacrosse Matches

We have uploaded the elementary game rules for all organization members.

Please feel free to download or access the document through google docs.

Girls Elementary Lacrosse Match Rules

CAPLAX Girl’s Elementary League

(Grades 2nd – 4th)

Spring 2012

Revision 1.2 1/26/2012

Season Format, Field Configuration and Game Rules

1.0 Philosophy

The following rules/guidelines have been defined with the following goals in mind:

1. Create a friendly, scrimmage like learning atmosphere where our elementary age girls can learn and enjoy the game of Lacrosse. (There is no score keeping during the games and no emphasis should be placed on winning or losing. Coaches should instruct both players and parents of this philosophy).
2. Create an environment of praise and encouragement that promotes the learning of the basic fundamentals and techniques of lacrosse.
3. Make this a fun and positive experience for everyone involved! (Girls, Parents and Coaches)
4. Last but certainly not least, the girl’s safety The following rules have been refined over the past years to maximize the safety, player participation and organizational flow of the game.

2.0 Season format

The season format will consist of 4 games in a 6-on-6 team format played width wise across a standard girl’s lacrosse field. An additional 2 games at the end of the season will be played in a 9-on-9 (or up to 11-on-11 if players are available) full team format playing on a normal size girl’s lacrosse field. Detailed rules and field configuration can be found in later sections of this document.

Benefits of initial 6-on-6 team format:

• Allows organizations to field an Elementary team with fewer players
• Allows young, new players to learn the basic lacrosse fundamentals in a smaller setting (less players on the field) and insures a high level of involvement by every player during the game
• Creates a physically smaller field area to prevent fatigue from running up and down a full size field.
• The ideal team size is 8 to 9 girls to allow for substitutions and absences.

A CAPLAX member organization may form multiple 6 man teams. It is intended that these 6 man teams will be combined at the end of the season to form a single team when the format changes to full size teams and fields. Organizations with a single 6 man team can be combined with other single 6 man teams to form a full team for the final games in the season.

Organizations with multiple 6 man teams should try to keep the rosters of the individual teams separate so opponents do not end up playing the same girls in multiple games during the season. Sliding girls between teams should be avoided but is understandable if a full team cannot be fielded.

3.0 6-on-6 Team and Game Format

3.1 Field layout

• Games will be played width wise across a standard lacrosse field using the full field
  restraining lines and end lines as the side lines. Full field sidelines will be used as end lines. Goals will be placed on the end lines with no play to occur behind the net. (see the diagram below)




• 2 games can be held on a full size field at the same time, one at each end of a standard lacrosse field. The open area in the middle of the field service as a buffer zone so that players and/or balls will not enter the playing area of the other game that is in progress




• Tall cones should be placed along the sidelines for visual reference. Ensure that at least 1 set of cones are placed at mid-field to serve as a visual reference for draws.
  
  
• 4 to 5 flat cones should be placed in an arc in front of the goals to represent a goal circle. The arc of cones should be placed in ~5 foot radius from the goal. (Smaller than the 8.5 radius of a standard girl’s lacrosse field).




• No Goalies- open net. For safety reasons, no girls at any time are allowed to tend the goal (like a goalie). Play should be stopped if any player enters the goal circle. The ball will be award to the opposing team.




• Players are not allowed to reach into the goal circle with their stick to retrieve a ball. If a ball comes to rest inside the goal circle, but not across the goal line, the ball is awarded to the defensive team just outside of the goal circle and play is restarted.




• If a ball rolls through the goal circle and exits the circle on the far side, and is still inbounds,
  it is still a live ball and is playable.

3.2 Game Format and Officiating

• Games will be 20 minute halves, rolling clock – No clock stoppage. 10 minute half times.




• Coaches may take one 2 minute timeout put per half. Based on the nature of the “Play Date” or scrimmage like format and with coaches on the field, in the interest of time we encourage coaches to try to avoid taking time-outs.




• Coaches are the “refs”. Coaches (refs) should be more concerned with player safety and instruction vs. assessing fouls and scoring.




• Coaches involved in each game should manage their own clock. (Start and stop of each half and half time). Please be cognizant to end your game on time as not to delay games that may follow. Reduce the half time duration if your game started late.




• A team must have at least one Coach on the field (must have a whistle to stop play). A team may have a coach on each end of the field (maximum of 2 per team) but they should not cross the mid-line. If a team has only one coach on the field, they may travel up and down the full length of the field.




• No checking of any kind is allowed. For safety and training purposes, play should be stopped momentary if infractions occur and cordial coaching/instruction should take place prior to resuming play.




• We should be very lenient regarding “Covers” on ground balls, especially on the first couple of games though we should instruct the girls that this is not legal in lady’s lacrosse.




• No score will be taken. Coaches should stress to their players (and more importantly the parents) that this is not a “Win” or “Lose” situation.




• Games will be started by a draw (i.e. face-off). Draws will be done after each goal (just like big girl lacrosse).




• Since there will be no lines across the middle of the field, orange cones will be placed on each sideline to signify mid field.




• The residing Coaches (refs) are ultimately responsible for safety, sportsmanlike conduct and fair play. Games should be stopped immediately and instruction should be given to any player or situation that may arise before play is continued. Players that cannot control their emotions or actions should be removed from the game. Any violent or intentionally dangerous act by a player will not be tolerated. The player should be immediately removed from the rest of the game. Coaches from both teams should contact CAPLAX officers to report the offense. Upon a reported offense by either coach, both coaches and at least two CAPLAX officers will meet or conduct a conference call to review the infraction and determine if the player will be allowed to participate in any remaining games in the season.

3.3 Player Positions

• 2 of the six players from each side must stay behind the mid field center line. This means there are never more than 4 attacking players and 4 defending players on each side of the field (this introduces the position concepts of “Attack”, “Middies” and “Defenders”. It also prevents all 12 girls from being on one end of the field herding around the ball like the “Bee hives” effect we see in little league soccer. Teams will have 2 attacks, 2 defenders (both limited to one side of the field) and 2 middies that can go full field. (See the diagram below).




• Off sides: In the event that an attack or defensemen is off sides, they should be reminded that they cannot cross the mid-field line. Some leniency should be taken at the beginning of the season where the player is verbally instructed that they cannot do. This can be done either while play continues or via a brief stoppage of play. Come mid-season, if an offensive player is off sides, play should be stopped and the ball should be given to the opposing team.




• During a draw, in addition to the 1 player taking the draw, 3 other girls from each team will be placed in a circle (imaginary draw circle) approximately 15 feet away from the center. This limits only 4 girls from each team fighting for the ball. (The goal circle of a regular full size field can be used as the draw circle for elementary games).




• Of the remaining 2 girls from each team, there should be 1 girl placed about half way
  back between mid field and goal on each side of the field (kind of like a safety and similar
  to real lacrosse).You must have a total of 2 players on the defensive side of the field and
  2 players on the offensive side. It is coach’s choice where the 6th player is located.
  
  
• Draws are a bit hard at this age and they do not always clear the ball over their heads. As
  long as it was a clear draw, and the ball just didn’t fall to the ground, there is not a
  requirement that the draw clear the top of the players’ heads.




• We encourage coaches to let girls switch off during the game so that they have playing
  time at all 3 positions. This also allows some rest time for girls that are playing Middie
  and have run up and down the entire field. We also encourage coaches to ensure that
  everyone on the team gets to participate in at least one draw during the game.




• To prevent some of the 4 on 1 situations we have experienced in the past, we will have
  each girl wear a colored wrist band (much like elementary basketball leagues). Girls will
  only be allowed to guard the opponent with the same color wrist band. Coaches should
  all encourage players to spread out to allow for clear passing. This also helps to prevent
  the bee-hive effect.




• At the start of each half, coaches will pair up girls from each team based on position,
  physical size and demeanor as best as possible. When a girl is substituted, the sub
  should be someone that is comparable to the player coming off the field to avoid a gross
  physical differential between mated players. If this is not possible, shifting girls around to
  other positions may be required. (A pack of multi-color wrist or sweat bands and be
  purchase on web sites such as Amazon or eBay).




• Like the basketball rules, a girl of a different wrist band color can guard another girl
  (example: fast break) but only in a 1 on 1 manor. If the girl with the matching color wrist
  band re-engages her player, the other player must withdraw. (thus no double teams)




• If a 2 on 1 situation arises, coaches should verbally shout (“1-on-1”) to prompt the extra
  player to release. If the 2 on 1 continues, a whistle should be sounded, players should be
  reset to their matching color opponent and then play can be restarted.




• To prevent play from occurring predominately on one side of the field do to the lack of
  successful “clears”, we will again adopt little league basketball rules and not allow any
  “back court pressure”. This means if the attacking team loses the ball and the defensive
  team regains clear possession of the ball, they can advance the ball to middle field
  without any guarding (This means that your attacks can not transition to a defensive roll.
  The middies can transition to a defensive role once they cross mid field). During a “clear”,
  if a player drops the ball prior to crossing or passing into the attack zone at mid-field, they
  will be allowed to pick-up the ball, unimpeded, and continue to clear the ball past midfield.




• The “3 pass rule” will be in place. This means that there must be 3 “attempted” passes or change-of-player possessions once the mid field line is crossed before a shot can be taken at the goal. With an open net, this prevents one dominate girl from running down the field and scoring without any other player involvement. This promotes more passing and catching and involves more players in the goal attempt. Since many of the passes at this age result in a ground ball, the 3 pass counter continues to increment as long as the attacking team retains possession after each ground ball. A player dropping the ball and then picking it up herself does not constitute as an attempted pass or player exchange.




• 2 offensive players may not pass the ball back and forth between themselves to meet the 3 pass rule. This ensures that 2 taller, more dominate girls do not quick pass the ball back and forth over shorter girl’s heads. This forces more girls to be involved in the play and promotes teamwork. The two girls can be involved in several of the passes, just not back to back passes between each other. If this occurs, play continues but the 3 pass count does not increment.




• All coaches (refs) on the attack side of the field should hold a hand up in the air signifying how many passes have been attempted while reminding the girls verbally how many passes are left (i.e. “two more passes before you can shoot”)

3.4 Coaching Reminders

• Coaches should designate 2 players as Attacks, 2 as Middies and 2 as Defenders before each half. Be sure to remind the Attacks and Defenders that they cannot cross the mid field line.
• Coaches should remind the girls prior to the start of each half that:
  1. They need to freeze on a whistle (Yes, all coaches on the field should have a whistle)
  2. he girls need to guard the opponent with the same color wrist band and that there are no double teams.
  3. Remind the players not put their stick heads in the face of the person they are guarding. A safer and more generous 18” sphere around the opponent’s head should be observed in this age group.

4.0 Full Game Play

The final 2 games of the CAPLAX elementary school season will be played on a full size field with 9 or more players one each team. At this point of the season, the young girls have developed the skills and understanding of the rules of the game to proceed to the next level of the game. This is an exciting step-up that all the girls look forward to at the end of the season and also prepares the “graduating 4th graders” for the middle school league the following year.

It is intended that CAPLAX organizations that have multiple 6 player teams combine them at this phase of the season to form a single, full size team. The CAPLAX Elementary League coordinator will work with organizations with only a single 6 man team and combine them with other single 6 man teams in the league to form a full size team for the final two games of the season.

• Games will be played on a full sized girl’s lacrosse field. Girls should be reminded that there is now field space behind the goals
• No Goalies – (due to lack of goalie equipment by all teams and limited amount of training time until the first game). Goals will be flipped over in an “A” shape just like the boys Bantam elementary leagues.
• No player will tend the goal – This is a safety issue without proper goalie equipment on. Play should be stopped immediately to allow the player to be re-positioned. The rules stated in the 6 man format in Section 3.1 regarding entering the goal circle or retrieving balls that have come to rest inside the goal circle are still in effect.
• No use of colored wrist bands. Players will still be matched up 1-1 at the start of play since the girls are used to this concept after playing the 6 on 6 format.
• No double teams are allowed. Play should not be stopped if 2 on 1 situations momentarily occur. If they remain for a prolonged period of time or if a 3 on 1 situations arises, play needs to be stopped and players are to be re-positioned.
• Due to the numbers of available team members on each of our teams, and to allow a full line of “Middie” substitutes, games will be played with 9 fielders (like boys, instead of 11 like girls). Teams will have 3 Attacks, 3 Middies and 3 Defenders. This will allow everyone a full, 2nd line of 3 Middies to cycle in and out since the playing field is much longer. Attacks and Defenders cannot pass the restraining line like big girls lacrosse.
• If both teams have enough players and subs and both coaches agree, games may be played 10-on-10 or 11-on-11.
• There will be 5 players from each team on draws. 1 in the center and 4 around the draw circleFagain like big lacrosse. This means that 1 Attack and 1 Defender will be allowed to be pulled forward for a draw (leaving 2 attacks and 2 Defenders behind the restraining lines).
• Halves will be 20 minutes long with a running clock. Each team may have one 2-minute time out per half. It is encouraged that a time out is called by one coach or the other at about the 10 minute mark (half way through each half) to give the girls breathers. The 20 minute rolling clock will stop during these 2 times outs. (1 in each half).
• A “2 “pass” rule will be in effect before a shot is taken. The passes must occur into the attack zone or while in the attack zone. (i.e. a pass started outside of the restraining line but thrown into the attack zone inside of the restraining line counts as one of the passes). Passes further back down the field toward the defensive side do not count. The 2 passes cannot be “back and forth” between the same girls. If a 2nd pass is done between the same two girls, play will continue but a 3rd (or additional) pass to a different girl is still required.
• All other rules stated in the 6 on 6 sections still apply.