Player's Guide to Lacrosse Canada Senior A Box Lacrosse Ages 22+ 2026

The Lacrosse Canada Regulations set an affiliation structure that lets players of affiliated teams compete with the higher-category team in association playdowns, provided the Member sends a list of the applicable affiliations to the national office on or before August 10.

• In the structure's table, the Senior A column lists Senior B, Senior C, Junior A, Junior B and U19 A as the affiliated categories.
• Unaffiliated players can play with teams of a higher category as allowed by their Member.
• Players may not affiliate U17 to Senior lacrosse.

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Player Eligibility):

• Effective 2024, Senior A players may be signed or released from any team until July 10.
• Senior players who have been released can be signed by another Senior team within that Member on or before July 15, and are eligible to compete in Lacrosse Canada competitions.
• For other levels, July 1 is the final date for signing or releasing players within a Member, with a July 15 deadline to sign a player released before July 1.
• A player who secures a release from their Member can sign with a team in another Member and still be eligible for Lacrosse Canada competitions, provided the release was secured and registered under the Inter-Member Transfer policy.

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Inter-Member Transfers, which apply to players aged U17 and older):

• Transfers are only permitted between March 1 and June 30 at 3:00 pm EDT. The receiving and releasing Members have 24 hours after the deadline to approve and finalize.
• A player who has signed a playing card for the current season, or is on a negotiation list, must receive a release from the team they signed with or that listed them.
• Negotiation lists: each Member files a list of players requiring negotiated releases by February 24 each year. A Senior A team's list may not exceed 35 players. No player can be on more than one negotiation list at a time. Failure to submit by the deadline means those players are treated as free agents (who still need a transfer form confirming good standing).
• Once a transfer is complete, all rights to the player belong to the receiving Member. The player can only play at the level at which they were transferred for the rest of the season, unless the upper level is not available in the jurisdiction they transferred from.
• No team may let a player from another Member play a league or playoff game without a complete transfer. A proven violation is subject to a $5,000 fine to the team and suspension of the player and responsible team personnel.

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (Inter-Member Transfers), a player can move from one Member to another in these circumstances, among others:

• Free agent: the player is not on a negotiation list and is in good standing, and their current Member signs a transfer form confirming that.
• Negotiated release: the team holding the player's rights and the team wishing to acquire them reach an agreement to release the player.
• Change of residence: the player changes residence from one Member's jurisdiction to another before December 31, where the primary purpose of the move is not to play lacrosse. The request must be made in writing before February 15 of the playing season to the Member the player is moving to, which forwards it to the Lacrosse Canada office and the Transfer Review Committee Chair with a supporting letter. If approved, a non-negotiated transfer is completed.
• Five years without a playing card: a player who has not signed a playing card for five years within a Member and has not played lacrosse in any other jurisdiction is free to move without a Lacrosse Canada transfer, but needs an email from the previous Member confirming good standing.
• Under 18s need a parent or guardian's signed permission to move (unless the parent or guardian is also moving).

The Player Eligibility section of the Lacrosse Canada Regulations sets a professional-player limit for Senior B only: beginning in 2025, a Senior B team may have no more than three current professional players on its roster (registered with their Member). (For 2024 only, the limit was five.)

Professional players are defined as players who, during the current calendar and/or playing year or season, have been on an active roster for four or more games, or have come off an injured reserve list after one or more active-roster games, or are hold-outs, in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) or any other professional lacrosse league.

The regulations do not state a corresponding professional-player limit for Senior A teams. Senior A negotiation lists do record hold-outs (Senior A only).

Under the Lacrosse Canada Regulations (National Championships, box lacrosse):

• The team registration form is limited to a maximum of 25 players (26 only for the Presidents' Cup and Founders' Cup).
• A completed, or substantially completed, registration form must be sent to the Lacrosse Canada office by 3:00 pm EST two business days before the tournament starts (the tournament begins at the coaches meeting). It must be typed and use proper names, not nicknames. Late submission means a $500 fine to the Member.
• The signed form and each player's Assumption of Risk and Waiver of Claims and Liability Agreement must be brought to the coaches meeting; failing to do so is a $500 fine to the Member. No player or bench personnel may play or participate until a Waiver and Code of Conduct form is submitted.
• Eligibility for a national box championship follows the requirements of the Member's own regional playdowns.
• Officials for the Mann Cup are generally Level 5 and NOCP certified in the current year.

Under the World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (published on lacrosse.ca):

• Length: 60 minutes of stop time, in four 15-minute quarters. There is a 2-minute break between quarters 1 and 2 and between 3 and 4, and a 12-minute half time.
• On the floor: six players per team, including one goalkeeper at a time.
• Dressed players: no more than 20 per game, made up of 18 runners and 2 goalkeepers (if available). Two identical lists must be handed to the head official no later than 30 minutes before the game.
• Shot clock: the team in possession must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds or possession goes to the other team. It resets when the team takes a shot on goal, the ball deflects off the goalkeeper in the crease, or the ball hits the post, and on any floor violation or personal penalty.
• Faceoff after a goal: the referee aims for a faceoff within a maximum of 20 seconds.

The Lacrosse Canada "2026 LC Modifications 2.0" list these for Senior A (shared with Junior Women U22, Junior Men A, B and C, and Senior B and C):

• No crease cylinder.
• Crease diving is permitted.
• 3v3 sudden-victory overtime for all non-playdown games.
• 5v5 overtime during playdowns and playoffs.
• Officials' discretion when a goaltender is hit in the facemask with a ball. It is not an automatic whistle, and safety remains a priority.

For comparison, the base World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Rules describe sudden-victory overtime as 15-minute periods after a 2-minute interval, with the first goal winning.

Under the World Lacrosse 2026-2028 Box Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (published on lacrosse.ca):

• Minor penalty: any player except the goalkeeper is ruled off the floor for 2 minutes. If the opposing team scores while a team is short-handed by a minor penalty, the first minor penalty ends automatically.
• Major penalty: the offender is ruled off for 5 minutes. A second major penalty to the same player in the same game is assessed as a major plus a game misconduct, and the player is ruled off for the rest of the game.
• Fighting: a player deemed to be fighting is assessed a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, plus an automatic one-game suspension from the team's next game.
• Unwilling combatant: the rule book defines this as a player who tries to defend against incoming blows without dropping their gloves, taking their helmet off or initially countering with punches.