In girls' lacrosse, many choices regarding rules are left up to the judgment of the school district or league in which a team plays. Rules are similar to the U.S. Lacrosse Women's Rules with adjustments made to allow for youth and inexperience. They are written and amended by the U.S. Lacrosse Women's Division and ratified the the U.S. Lacrosse Youth Council.
Competition Levels
Girls' lacrosse is divided into three skill levels: A, B and C, with A teams being those with the most experienced players. Leagues have the option of also defining levels by age, with Level A players being the oldest. Girls younger than the fifth grade must play at B or C levels. Many girls' lacrosse rules vary depending on the level of the players.
Equipment
Coaches have the option of using either regulation lacrosse balls or a softer ball. Soft balls are encouraged for Level C teams and younger players. Level C teams may use either a regulation women's stick, or crosse, or a youth crosse. Level A and B teams must use the women's stick. Mouth guards are required for all players, and goalies must be equipped with a face mask, throat protector, chest protector, pelvic protection, specialized gloves and leg padding, according to USlacrosse.org.
Time Limits
Games at the A and B levels are 25 minutes long, and C level games are limited to 20 minutes. The coaches make decisions as to how to break the time up into halves or quarters of play. The clock stops whenever the official blows his whistle, and all players must stop where they are and remain in that position until the whistle blow again, resuming play.
Checking
The U.S. Lacrosse Youth Council prohibits checking, contact between two players' sticks, for all Level B and C teams. Level A teams who have mastered the game might engage in modified checking, according to USlacrosse.org.
Fouls
Fouls are either major or minor. A player generally receives a major foul for safety issues if she endangers another player by illegally checking, tripping, or slashing with her stick. Minor fouls pertain to fair rules of play. Punishment for a foul is called a free position. This involves the fouled player receiving the ball to resume play with no other player allowed closer to her than 4 m. Officials also hand out cards for major fouls. A yellow card requires the offending player to leave the game for three minutes and no other player is allowed to replace her, forcing the team to play short-handed. Receiving two yellow cards causes the player to be ejected from the game. A red card warrants ejection and a ban from playing in the next scheduled game.
Scoring
Scoring is identical to U.S. lacrosse women's rules. The ball must pass over the goal line into the cage, and it cannot come in contact with an offensive player other than the player making the goal. However, it can touch a defender's body or stick.
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