Player's Guide to Lacrosse Canada Women's Field Lacrosse All Ages 2025-26

Under Rule 6.A of the World Lacrosse Women's Field Rules:

• Field players may wear close-fitting gloves, nose guards or eye guards. They are not permitted to wear headgear or face masks.
• Eye guards worn must comply with the safety aspects listed in Rule 6 or meet the certification requirements of any country, organization or standard. World Lacrosse does not guarantee or monitor eye guard safety.
• Prescription glasses or sunglasses may be worn, and shatter-resistant frames or lenses are strongly recommended.
• Every player, including the goalkeeper, must correctly wear a professionally manufactured intra-oral mouthguard covering all upper teeth. A player found without one is penalized with a minor foul.
• Jewelry must be removed, except securely taped medical alert jewelry. A sports hijab may be worn.
• Cleated shoes (plastic, metal, leather or rubber, with smooth exposed surfaces) are allowed; athletics spikes are not.

Under Rule 6.A of the World Lacrosse Women's Field Rules, a goalkeeper must wear:

• A chest or body pad.
• A helmet designed for field lacrosse with a fastened chin strap, a facemask and an attached throat protector (the throat protector must hang less than the diameter of the ball from the helmet).
• Padded gloves, tied securely at the cuff with no webbing.
• A professionally manufactured intra-oral mouthguard covering all upper teeth, like every other player.

A goalkeeper may also wear shoulder or arm pads, soccer-style shin guards, compression shorts or football pants, and a shatter-resistant clear or tinted visor on the helmet. The maximum padding thickness is 3 cm.

The game starts, and restarts after each goal, quarter and overtime period, with a draw in the centre circle (Rule 13).

• Two opponents stand at the centre of the circle with one foot toeing the centre line. Their crosses are held in the air above hip level, back-to-back, parallel to and above the centre line, with the right sidewall down.
• The bottom hand cannot be higher than the top hand, and the butt end of the shaft cannot be lower than 30 degrees from parallel with the ground. The top hand must not touch the throat, pocket or sidewall.
• After the official says "Ready", the draw-takers must stay motionless (except for their heads) until the whistle. At the whistle both draw their crosses up and away from each other, and the ball must go higher than both players' heads.
• A maximum of three players from each team may be in the midfield area during the draw, including the draw-takers. All others, including goalkeepers, stay behind their restraining lines until possession is gained or the ball crosses the line ("Possession!" or "Free ball!").
• Teams must be ready to start 30 seconds after a goal.

The Lacrosse Canada Women's Field Rules Summary 2025-26 (based on the World Lacrosse rules) describes:

Minor fouls are generally non-dangerous, for example empty crosse check, withholding the ball, held crosse, illegal draw, early entry, illegal procedure (equipment, substitution), hand ball, offside and delay of game. The offending player stands 4 m to the side of the player awarded the ball.

Major fouls are potentially dangerous, for example check to the head, dangerous follow-through, dangerous propel, swipe, across the body, block, charge, dangerous check, dangerous play, detain, illegal contact, illegal cradle, misconduct, shooting space, three seconds, trip and ward. The offending player stands 4 m directly behind the player awarded the ball (unless there is a card).

Below the goal line extended inside the AFA, the free position is set on the nearest dot; between the 15 m and 11 m lines, a minor foul is taken on the 15 m line in line with the foul and a major foul at the spot of the foul. Other players must be at least 4 m away.

• A check to the head, a swipe, a dangerous follow-through and a dangerous propel are major fouls that require a mandatory warning card. Other persistent major fouls can get a discretionary card.
• Yellow card: 2 minutes. Yellow/red card (a second yellow): 5 minutes. Red card: 10 minutes.
• Carded players serve the time in their team bench area. No substitute may enter until the time expires, so the team plays with one fewer player in its attacking and defending areas. If a substitute enters early, the team re-serves the full penalty.
• A field player with a second yellow (5 minutes) or a straight red (10 minutes) serves the time and is suspended for the rest of the game.
• If a suspension is longer than the time left in the quarter, it carries over into the next quarter and overtime.
• The off-field official can also award a warning card for misconduct by a coach, manager or other team staff.

A defender must not block or guard the goal with any part of their body for the purpose of obstructing the shooting lane. The rule applies only when the attacking team has possession inside the 15 m marking area.

• Obstruction occurs when a defender is illegally in the shooting space at their own initiation.
• It is not obstruction if the defender is drawn into or through the lane by an opponent they are legally marking within a crosse length (about 1.5 m), or is standing below the goal line extended.
• The call should be made only if the ball carrier is "looking" to shoot and has the opportunity to.
• When approaching the ball carrier, a defender's body (not their crosse) must stay outside the shooting space until within a crosse length of the ball carrier.
• It is an immediate whistle. If a shot has been released and a goal is scored, the goal counts.

A defender must not remain in the 11 m Fan for more than three seconds unless they are marking an opponent within a crosse length (approximately 1.5 m).

• Only one defender may mark the same opponent without the ball in the 11 m Fan.
• A defender is "inside" the Fan only when both feet are fully in it; once one foot is on the Fan line or beyond, they are "out" and no longer eligible for a three seconds call.
• The rule takes effect when the team in possession crosses the ball over the restraining line into its attacking end.
• A defender marking an unmarked opponent standing directly behind the goal-circle is exempt from three seconds, but not from the shooting space rule.
• It is a major foul. Outside the AFA the free position is at the spot of the ball, with the nearest player from the offending team moving 4 m behind.

Under Rule 17 of the World Lacrosse Women's Field Rules:

• A goalkeeper or defender has possession in the goal-circle if they have one or both feet grounded in it and the ball is in their crosse (or is in the circle and in the pocket or trapped under the goalkeeper's crosse). A defender cannot cover the ball; only the goalkeeper can trap it.
• The goalkeeper's crosse cannot be checked while they have possession in the circle. A defender's crosse can be checked.
• They must move the ball out of the circle within 5 seconds of gaining possession.
• Once the ball has been moved out, the defending team must not return it to the goal-circle until it has been played. A goalkeeper or defender cannot re-enter the circle with the ball in their crosse.
• The Lacrosse Canada summary adds that defenders may move through the circle at any time but may not remain in it, and that a goalkeeper with one foot in and one foot out is in the circle.

Out of bounds: when a player in possession carries or propels the ball out, or is the last to touch it before it goes out, the nearest opponent is awarded the ball 2 m from the boundary. Players may not take an active part in the game while out of bounds, and going out of bounds is a change of possession, not a foul. On a "Shot!" call, the player closest to the ball when it goes out is awarded possession.

Self-start: after a whistle for a major or minor foul outside the Advantage Flag Area (AFA), the player awarded the free position may continue play once both feet are stationary and the ball is in their crosse, without waiting for another whistle. Self-start is not permitted when the game clock is stopped for a time-out, or for offside, an illegal draw, or any foul in the AFA.

Advantage flag: for a major foul by the defence on a scoring play inside the AFA, the official raises a flag and says "Flag!" and play continues until the scoring play ends.

Rule 24 of the World Lacrosse 2025-2026 Women's Field Rules adds an 80-second shot clock. The rule book says it will be implemented in World Lacrosse Women's Field Lacrosse events effective January 1, 2027, and that it applies only when a shot clock is being used.

When it is in use:

• Two visible shot clocks, set to 80 seconds, are required in all games, with an audible signal at zero.
• The clock starts once a team gains possession. When 80 seconds expire, the opposing team is awarded possession. This is not a foul.
• It resets, for example, when possession is gained in live play, after a change of possession, and after a valid shot that hits the pipe or crossbar or hits the goalkeeper (or their equipment) in the goal-circle.
• Time left on the clock at the end of a quarter does not carry over to the next quarter.