How we recommend
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Get coaching
This page explains what lacrosse's rule books, governing bodies and standards bodies publish. It is not a substitute for coaching from a qualified coach, and it does not replace medical advice.
Start with a programme, not a shop
We suggest children start through a programme or club with qualified coaches, who will also cover sizing and fit; this guide describes neither, and it does not recommend any club, camp, coach or shop. USA Lacrosse's chief executive said in March 2026 that it had more members aged nine and under than at any point in its history, without giving a number. USA Lacrosse's Bronze coach certification, required of all its active coach members, covers a background check, abuse prevention training, cardiac care, concussion awareness, cultural competency and an annual rules test. See how people learn and safeguarding.
Who writes youth rules
In the United States, USA Lacrosse writes stand-alone boys' and girls' youth rule books for 14U and below, and its rules committee meets each late spring to consider changes for the next season. Its current books are the 2026 Boys' Youth Rules and 2026 Girls' Youth Rules, with comparison charts. Every one of those PDFs returned an error when the research for this site tried to open them on 23 October 2026, so the youth equipment and age details below that rest on them are search-result summaries and are marked unconfirmed. In Canada, Lacrosse Canada's 2026 memo says the World Lacrosse box rule book with Lacrosse Canada's Age and Stage Modifications governs the 2026 box season unless the memo says otherwise. The rule book your child's league names is the one that counts: check the rule your league uses.
Boys' youth: confirmed and unconfirmed
| Item | What the source says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Chest protection (USA Lacrosse youth rules) | ND200 chest protectors for all goalkeepers from 1 January 2021, and for boys' youth field players from 2022 (USA Lacrosse Magazine, 31 March 2021) | Confirmed from a fetched USA Lacrosse article |
| Stick checks (USA Lacrosse, 19 July 2023) | For 2024, one-handed stick checks allowed at 12U and 14U; the two-minute penalty kept for incidental head or neck contact in youth play | Confirmed |
| Body checking (2025 USA Lacrosse presentation) | Limited body contact but no body checking at 8U, 10U and 12U; at 14U a body check legal only when both players are upright and the checker has both hands on the stick | Unconfirmed: search summary of a PDF that could not be opened; a 2020 book was reported to word 12U differently |
| Lost helmet (2026 boys' youth rules) | An illegal procedure at 12U and 14U unless caused by direct contact to the head by an opponent | Unconfirmed: search summary |
| Stick lengths (2026 comparison chart) | Not given here | Unconfirmed: search summary of a chart that could not be opened |
Girls' youth: confirmed and unconfirmed
| Item | What the source says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Eyewear (US Lacrosse, May 2003 vote) | Mandatory at youth, scholastic and collegiate levels from 1 January 2005 (ISHN; MedStar Health) | Confirmed for that decision; current wording not read |
| Eyewear by age (2025 girls' youth comparison) | Required at 10U, 12U and 14U, and at 6U and 8U when NOCSAE balls are used | Unconfirmed: search summary of a PDF that could not be opened |
| Eyewear certification (trade-body memo hosted by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association) | From 1 January 2020, youth eyewear SEI certified to the current ASTM F3077, listed by SEI and, for youth play in 2020, carrying the SEI mark | Unconfirmed: no USA Lacrosse original read |
| Headgear (USA Lacrosse) | Optional; any headgear worn must meet ASTM F3137 from 1 January 2017 | Confirmed for that date; current wording not read |
| Checking (USA Lacrosse, 4 April 2025) | Modified checking at 11U and 12U and transitional checking at 13U and 14U (the transitional category since the 2019 season); no checks inside a 12-inch sphere around the ball carrier's head | Confirmed |
Under World Lacrosse's women's field rules (2025-2026, v1.0, Appendix H), players under 15 may use a crosse shorter than 90 cm so it fits along the arm. Boys' and girls' youth rules are separate books.
Canada: box contact by age stage (2026)
Lacrosse Canada's 2026 Age and Stage Contact Standards for box, a national safety standard from the 2026 season, set stages from U7 (no cross-checking) through U9 (guided contact introduced), U11 (controlled cross-checking, no checks to the back), U13 (progressive contact within World Lacrosse standards) and U15 (full cross-checking) to U17 (the full World Lacrosse ruleset); checks to the back or head are illegal at every age. Lacrosse Canada sizes box goalkeeper gear by height, not age group, with adjustable straps required, and allows three helmet set-ups. The full detail is on youth contact and checking rules.
Head and chest injuries in young players
No helmet is concussion prevention, and concussion rules differ by body and level; they are set out on concussion by body. NOCSAE says commotio cordis can affect athletes of any age, and a 2023 review of the US registry (Peng and colleagues, Sports Medicine) gives a mean age of 15 across all sports, with about 95 percent of cases male. No chest protector is presented as preventing it. A suspected injury, a blow to the chest or head, or a suspected concussion needs medical care. World Lacrosse's men's field book (Rule 14.3) even sets rules for ball persons: at least 10 years old, and wearing helmets, gloves and, where appropriate, boxes or cups.
Our picks by category
Youth lacrosse sticks
Shorter sticks for young players. The one youth length rule confirmed for this site is World Lacrosse's women's field allowance for players under 15; USA Lacrosse's youth stick lengths are unconfirmed. Men's and women's stick rules differ, and USA Lacrosse's youth rule books could not be read.
Best for: Young players, once a coach has helped with length
Lacrosse helmets
Hard-shell helmets with a facemask for boys' field and box and for goalkeepers. The label must show the month and year of manufacture under NOCSAE ND041, and a helmet not meant to be recertified has a certification life of no more than 5 years. Fit is for a coach to check. See the helmet guide.
Best for: Boys in field and box, and goalkeepers
Shoulder pads
USA Lacrosse reports that boys' youth field players have had to wear ND200 chest protection since 2022. The standard is pass or fail, and it is not presented here as preventing commotio cordis.
Best for: Boys' youth field players in US play
Women's lacrosse eyewear
Required at youth level under the 2003 US Lacrosse decision from 2005; the ages in the current USA Lacrosse youth rules are unconfirmed. ASTM F3077 is ASTM's standard for women's lacrosse eye protectors; the 2020 F3077 requirement rests only on a trade-body memo.
Best for: Girls in US youth lacrosse
Lacrosse gloves
Gloves for the boys' game. The youth glove rule could not be confirmed; World Lacrosse's men's field book and the NFHS boys' rules both require gloves, with different palm rules.
Best for: Boys in field and box
Mouthguards
Every World Lacrosse code requires a mouthguard, and the field and sixes books say it covers all upper teeth; the colour rules differ between the men's and women's books.
Best for: Every young player
Sources
- USA Lacrosse, boys' and men's rules page
- USA Lacrosse, Girls' and women's rules page (read 23 October 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, State of the sport: USA Lacrosse CEO examines COVID bounceback and more (23 March 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, Coach certification (read 23 October 2026)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, new equipment standard an unprecedented breakthrough (31 March 2021)
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, High school and youth boys' lacrosse rules changes announced for 2024 season (19 July 2023)
- USA Lacrosse, Understanding the transitional checking rule for 14U girls (4 April 2025)
- USA Lacrosse, 2026 boys' youth rules (PDF returned 404 on 23 October 2026)
- USA Lacrosse, 2026 Boys' Youth Rules Comparison Chart (returned an error when opened; seen in a search summary only)
- USA Lacrosse, 2025 Boys' Youth Rules presentation (returned an error when opened; seen in search summaries only)
- USA Lacrosse, 2025 Girls' Youth Rules Comparison (could not be opened; seen in a search summary only)
- USA Lacrosse, 2026 Girls' Youth Rule Book (returned an error when opened; seen in a search summary only)
- ISHN, protective eyewear mandated for women lacrosse players (30 May 2003)
- MedStar Health, protective eyewear in women's lacrosse: does it work? (26 January 2015)
- Sports and Fitness Industry Association, girls' lacrosse eyewear compliance memo
- USA Lacrosse Magazine, the story behind the 10-year evolution of women's lacrosse headgear (22 September 2021)
- World Lacrosse, Women's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2026, v1.0 (copy hosted by Lacrosse Victoria)
- World Lacrosse, Men's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2025-2027, v1.0 (copy hosted by BC Lacrosse with World Lacrosse's permission)
- World Lacrosse, Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- Lacrosse Canada, Box Lacrosse Safety Standards: Contact On and Off Ball (2026)
- Lacrosse Canada, memo regarding equipment and rules in 2026 (28 January 2026)
- Lacrosse Canada, equipment regulations
- NOCSAE, NOCSAE and USA Lacrosse team up against commotio cordis
- Peng T et al., Commotio Cordis in 2023, Sports Medicine 2023;53(8):1527-1536
- NOCSAE, ND041-15m24 (modified June 2024)
- World Lacrosse, Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules 2026-2028, v2.0 (May 2026)
- NFHS, boys' lacrosse rules changes for 2024 (21 August 2023)