Lacrosse is a sport that can be played outdoors, typically on a football field, or in an indoor arena. Indoor lacrosse is a professional sport and league rules dictate stick length. For indoor contests, the teams are composed on six players per team on the playing surface. For outdoor games, there are 10 players on each team. The length requirement for outdoor lacrosse games depends on what type of league the game is being played in. There are different length requirements for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's teams. Also, there are rules for high school teams, although these are typically based on NCAA rules.
National Lacrosse League
For the National Lacrosse League, which is an indoor league, the stick length must be between 42 and 46 inches in length, except for the goalie's stick. The goalie's stick must have an overall length of between 40 and 72 inches. The maximum width of the goalie stick must be no more than 13 inches. For other sticks, the width must be between 4 1/2 inches and 7 inches.
NCAA Men's Lacrosse
The attack players and midfield players have lacrosse sticks with shorter length requirements than defensive players. These shorter sticks must have an overall length of between 40 and 42 inches. The head, which contains the ball-cradling mesh, can be no wider than 10 inches. The defensive players have sticks than must measure between 52 and 72 inches in length. The goalie's stick must measure between 40 and 72 inches.
NCAA Women's Lacrosse
Mesh pockets are not allowed in NCAA women's lacrosse. Instead, they use sticks that have heads with ball-cradling pockets made from strips of leather or synthetic thongs. These thongs are then cross-laced with eight to 12 stitches. The overall length of the sticks must be between 35.5 inches and 43.25 inches.
High School Lacrosse
High school lacrosse rules are dictated by state rules but generally follow NCAA rules. There is a National Federation of State High School Associations. This federation helps to coordinate rules. They also have different length requirements for different age group leagues. In the Lightning and Bantam divisions, the sticks are 37 to 40 inches in length for attack players and midfield players, and the sticks are between 37 and 72 inches in length for defensive players.
Warning
The ball used in lacrosse is constructed with a hard rubber material that is 8 inches in circumference and weighs 5 ounces. The ball can be thrown and shot with high velocities, so it is important to wear approved safety equipment when playing lacrosse.
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