Lacrosse Rules

League Rules

Volo welcomes all players. As with our workplace practices, we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We strictly prohibit harassment of any kind. To read our full Player Code of Conduct, please reference this PDF.

7v7 Basic Rules for Lacrosse

- Rule #1: Be Kind!

- Roster minimum: 12

- Groups with less than 12 players may have free agents or small groups added as needed

- Pre-paid teams must have a 7 player minimum

- 7 players on the field, 5 men max 

- Minimum to play: 4, including 1 woman/non-binary player

- Please show up 10 minutes early to stretch

Equipment

• Players must use a short lacrosse stick - men’s or women’s

• Players must wear goggles and a mouthguard, or a helmet 

• Players cannot wear protective gloves or other padding (exceptions may be made for cold weather)

Beginning Play

• Each half will begin with a draw 

• After a goal, a defender will clear it to their team. They have 10 seconds to exit the goal crease 

• After a ball goes out of bounds, the player with possession must step into the field and start at the whistle. Defenders should give them 5 ft of space. They can run with the ball or pass it off. 

Substitutions

• Substitutions can be made on the fly

Goalkeepers

• There will be no goalkeepers, and each goal will have a goal shooting target 

• Defensive players may step into the crease to retrieve a dead ball or when guarding a player within stick’s length, but not to goalkeep or block shots 

Defense

• 3-Second Rule: Defenders can’t stay within 8 meters of the goal unless within a stick’s length of and clearly marking an attacker

• Defenders can hold their stick vertically, or horizontally at waist level. They cannot extend their arms or push

• While playing defense, players must keep their stick in the vertical plane or perpendicular to the ground, meaning sticks may not move toward the offensive players head or body 

• Defensive players must lead with their stick while sliding to the player with the ball 

• Checking:

  • Only allowed to the stick head and from behind (no front checks or up-checks)

  • Checks can not reach over or be close to a player’s head

  • Allowed while scooping the ball

  • Checking an empty stick = foul

Offense

• 3-Pass Rule: Must attempt 3 passes in the offensive zone before scoring

  • Passes over midfield count if the recipient is on the offensive side

• Dropped and recovered pass = counts as a completed attempt

• Turnovers reset the count (the opposing team must have had clear possession)

• After a wide shot, if possession is retained, the count continues

Fouls

• Minor fouls may be played through if they do not affect play 

  • Free movement after whistles, except inside the critical scoring zone 

• Excessive/aggressive contact

  • No slashing, cross checks, body checks, pushing, etc.

• Players with repeated fouls may be told to sub out the field by the referee  

Ground Balls

• Players cannot trap the ball by covering it for more than 1 second 

• Cannot check an empty stick while going for a ground ball 

Offensive Fouls

• Dangerous shooting: no dangerous follow-throughs or long-range sidearm shots through defenders - these kinds of goals will not count toward the score 

• Offending player stops play and their team loses possession

Offsides

• Restraining line is at midfield 

• Defense offsides: play will be stopped until corrected

• Offense offsides: turnover

Crease Rules

• Offense cannot enter or land in the crease; only sticks may extend during follow-throughs

  • Ground balls in the crease will be considered a goalie ball and be awarded to the defensive team

• Defense may pass through the crease while guarding an attacker 

  • Players cannot attempt to block shots or act as a goalie in the crease. If a shot is blocked inside the crease, a goal will be awarded to the offensive team.  

• Dangerous follow-through goal = no goal; other team gets ball 5m in front

• No shooting space rule

  • Defense must lead with their sticks when sliding and must adhere to the 3-second rule. 

    • If a defender runs in and attempts to block a shot and gets hit, the goal will still stand. 

  • Shooting into a defender = loss of possession

    • Shots must be clean with enough space to avoid hitting a defender that is clearly marking them 

Playoff Tiebreaker (Shootout):

• Game goes directly to a shootout

• Each team selects 5 shooters (including at least 2 women); shots alternate by gender

• A cone/marker will be placed on the field at a designated distance from the goal and all shots must be taken from behind that marker. Shots cannot be rolled in

• If still tied after the best-of-5 shootout, teams will alternate one-for-one until one scores and the other misses

• Every eligible player must take a shot before any player may shoot a second time

Rosters & Subs

• All rosters are final after your team's 4th regular season game

• No additions or substitutes are allowed during playoffs.

• Teams may recruit substitutes from ONLY players within the league.

• You can only add subs up to the number of players allowed on the court at a time. (i.e If you have 4 rostered players, you can only add 2 additional subs). *This rule does not apply to drop-ins, only for in-league subs

• Players are subject to ID checks during playoffs, anyone not on the roster will not be allowed to play.

• Players officially added to a team’s roster will be required to pay a prorated season registration.

• Only captains may approach the refs about a rule or call

• Do not bother refs over judgment calls, it slows the game and may result in a penalty

Forfeits

• Teams without the minimum number of players to start a game will forfeit after 10 minutes from their designated start time (the time is yours if you want to scrimmage!)

• Teams with two or more forfeits lose their chance to participate in playoffs

Playoffs

• See league rules for specific information regarding the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs

• Sudden-death bracket format

Weather Related Game Cancellation

• Volo will notify players by email ahead of time if there is a cancellation due to weather. 

• Suspended Games: if, due to weather conditions, safety conditions, or staff discretion, a game is halted prior to the halfway point, it will be replayed if possible. A game halted at the halfway point or later will stand as indicated by the score when the game was halted.

• If games are postponed due to weather, facility closures, or other unforeseen circumstances, make-up games may be rescheduled at the end of the season or as double headers. Make-ups may not occur at the same location, day of the week, or time.