Lacrosse
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Lacrosse
NCAA Division I lacrosse game
Highest governing
body
First played
Federation of International Lacrosse
As early as the 12th century AD,
North America
Characteristics
Olympic
1904-1908; (1928, 1932, & 1948
Demonstration only)
Lacrosse is played using a solid rubber ball and long handled racket called a crosse or lacrosse
stick.The head of the crosse has a loose net strung into it that allows the player to hold the
lacrosse ball. Offensively the object of the game is to use the lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and
pass the ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling the ball into an opponent's goal.
Defensively the object is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the
ball through the use of stick checking and body contact. There are four distinct versions of the
sport: men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse (or sofcrosse).
Contents
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1 History
2 Types of play
o 2.1 Field lacrosse
o 2.2 Box lacrosse
o 2.3 Women's lacrosse
o 2.4 Intercrosse
3 International lacrosse
4 Governing bodies
5 References
o 5.1 Footnotes
o 5.2 Notations
6 External links
[edit] History
Main article: History of lacrosse
"Ball-play of the Choctaw--ball up" by George Catlin, circa 1834-1835.
In Native American society the sport was used as a religious ritual. Games could be played on a
pitch over a mile wide and sometimes lasted for days. Early lacrosse balls were made out of
deerskin, clay, stone, and sometimes wood. Lacrosse has played a significant role in the
community and religious life of tribes across the continent for many years. Early lacrosse was
characterized by deep spiritual involvement, befitting the spirit of combat in which it was
undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory
and honor to themselves and their tribes.[1] The game was said to be played "for the Creator."
Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America. It may have developed as early as the
1100s,[2][3] but since then it has seen many modifications. In the traditional Native American
version, each team consisted of about 100 to 1,000 men on a field that stretched from about 500
yards to a couple of miles long.[4] These lacrosse games lasted from sunup to sundown for two to
three days straight. These games were played to give thanks to the Creator. The modern Ojibway
verb 'to play Lacrosse' is baaga'adowe (Baggataway [sic]).[5]
The game became known to Westerners when a French Jesuit Missionary, Jean de Brébeuf, saw
the Iroquois tribesmen play it in 1636.[6] He was the first to write about lacrosse and thus gave it
its name. Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la
crosse.[7] Others suggest that it was named after the crosier, a staff carried by bishops.[8]
Richmond Hill "Young Canadians" lacrosse team, 1885.
In 1856, Dr. William George Beers, a Canadian dentist, founded Montreal Lacrosse Club and in
1867 he codified the game, shortening the length of each game and reducing the number of
players to twelve per team.[4] The first game played under Beers' rules was at Upper Canada
College in 1867, with Upper Canada College losing to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3–
1. By the 1900s, high schools, colleges, and universities began playing the game. Lacrosse was
contested as a demonstration sport in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics. On both occasions, rather
than holding tryouts and sending an All-star amalgamation, the U.S. chose to be represented by
the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays.
In the United States, lacrosse had primarily been a regional sport centered in and around New
England, upstate New York, Long Island and the Mid-Atlantic States. In recent years however,
its popularity has started to spread south to Georgia, Alabama and Florida, as well as west to
Colorado, California, Texas, and the Midwest, spurred by the sport's increasing visibility in the
media, the growth of college, high school, and youth (or "pee wee") programs throughout the
country. The NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship is the most attended NCAA Championship,
outdrawing the Final Four of men's basketball.[9] The growth of lacrosse was also facilitated by
the introduction of plastic heads in the 1970s by Baltimore-based STX. This innovation reduced
the weight and cost of the lacrosse stick, and allowed for faster passes and game play than
traditional wooden sticks.
Up until the 1930s all lacrosse was played on large fields outdoors. Around this time the owners
of Canadian hockey arenas invented a reduced version of the game, called box lacrosse, as a
means to make more profit from their arena investments. Through this commercialization, in a
relatively short period of time, box lacrosse became the dominant form of the sport in Canada.
More recently field lacrosse has witnessed a revival in Canada as the Canadian University Field
Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) began operating a collegiate men's league in 1985 that now
includes 12 varsity teams. Lacrosse was officially declared Canada's National Summer Sport
with the passage of the National Sports Act (Bill C-212) on May 12, 1994.[10]
In 1987 a professional box lacrosse league was started called the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse
League. Eventually this league would change its name to the National Lacrosse League and grow
to encompass lacrosse clubs in twelve cities scattered throughout the United States and Canada.
In the summer of 2001 a professional field lacrosse league known as Major League Lacrosse
(MLL) was inaugurated. Initially starting with six teams the MLL has grown to a total of ten
clubs located in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States. On July 4th 2008 Major
League Lacrosse set the professional lacrosse attendance record when 20,116 fans attended a
game at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado. Quebec Canada has also recently seen the
development of a field lacrosse league in 2006. Composed of the English colleges, this league
came together to become the first official college field lacrosse league in Quebec.
[edit] Types of play
[edit] Field lacrosse
Main article: Field lacrosse
Men's field lacrosse is played with ten players on each team: a goalkeeper; three defenders in the
defensive end; three midfielders free to roam the whole field; and three attackers attempting to
score goals in the offensive end. It is the most common version of lacrosse played
internationally. The modern game was codified in Canada by Dr. William George Beers in
1856.[11] The game has evolved from that time to include the protective equipment and lacrosse
sticks made from synthetic materials.
Diagram of a men's lacrosse field.
Each player carries a lacrosse stick (or crosse). A "short crosse" measures between 40 inches
(1.0 m) and 42 inches (1.1 m) long is typically used by midfielders and attackmen. A total of
four players per team may carry a "long crosse" (sometimes called "long pole" or "d-pole") that
are 52 inches (1.3 m) to 72 inches (1.8 m) long. The head of the crosse on both long and short
crosses must be 6.5 inches (17 cm) or larger at its widest point and 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) inches
wide or wider at its narrowest point. The designated goalkeeper is allowed to have a stick from
40 inches (1.0 m) to 72 inches (1.8 m)) long and the head of a goalkeeper's crosse may measure
up to 15 inches (38 cm) wide, significantly larger than field players' heads to assist in blocking
shots.[12][13][14]
A face-off.
The field of play is 110 yards (100 m) long and 60 yards (55 m) wide. The goals are 6 feet
(1.8 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m). The goal sits inside a circular "crease", measuring 18 feet (5.5 m) in
diameter.[12][13][14] Each offensive and defensive area is surrounded by a "restraining box." Each
quarter, and after each goal scored, play is restarted with a face-off. During a face-off, two
players lay their stick horizontally next to the ball, head of the stick inches from the ball and the
butt-end pointing down the midfield line.[13] Face-off-men scrap for the ball, often by “clamping”
it under their stick and flicking it out to their teammates. Attackers and defenders cannot cross
their “restraining line” until one player from the midfield takes possession of the ball or the ball
crosses the restraining line.[13] If a member of one team touches the ball and it travels outside of
the playing area, play is restarted by possession being awarded to the opposing team. During
play, teams may substitute players in and out freely. Sometimes this is referred to as "on the fly"
substitution. Substitution must occur within the designated exchange area in order to be
legal.[12][13][14]
For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and his team has to play
without him and with one less player for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for 30 to 60
seconds. Occasionally a longer penalty may be assessed for more severe infractions. The team
that has taken the penalty is said to be playing man down while the other team is on the man up.
Teams will use various lacrosse strategies to attack and defend while a player is being penalized.
Offsides is penalized by a 30 second penalty. It occurs when there are more than six players
(three midfielders/three attackmen or three midfielders/three defensemen) on one half of the
field. The zones are separated by the midfield line. Defensemen and attackmen can cross the
midfield line, however the team must assure that a midfielder "stays back" in order to avoid an
offsides penalty.[12][13][14]
At the highest level it is represented by the professional Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and on
the collegiate level by the NCAA Division I in the United States.[15] The first collegiate lacrosse
program was established by New York University in 1877,[16] and the 1971 tournament was the
first Men's Lacrosse Championship sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA).[17] It is also played at a high level on the amateur level by the Australian Lacrosse
League, the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association, and club lacrosse leagues
internationally.[18]
1904 Olympics Gold Medal winning Winnipeg Shamrocks Lacrosse Team
Internationally, there are twenty two total members of the Federation of International Lacrosse
(FIL), only United States, Canada, Australia, and the Iroquois Nationals have finished in the top
three places at the World Lacrosse Championships. The World Lacrosse Championship began as
a four-team invitational tournament in 1968 sanctioned by the International Lacrosse
Federation. Lacrosse at the Olympics was a medal earning sport in the 1904 Summer Olympics
and the 1908 Summer Olympics.[19][20][21] Lacrosse was a demonstration sport in the 1928
Summer Olympics, 1932 Summer Olympics, and the 1948 Summer Olympics.[22][23][24] [25]
The professional Major League Lacrosse strayed from the established field lacrosse rules of
international, college, and high school programs. With intentions to increase scoring, the league
employed a sixty second shot clock, a two–point goal for shots taken outside a designated
perimeter, and allowed each to only field three long–stick defenders as opposed to the traditional
four. However, after eight years of play, the league introduced a fourth long stick defender prior
to the 2009 MLL season.[26] The MLL has been bolstered by a ten year television contract with
ESPN in 2007.[27]
[edit] Box lacrosse
A National Lacrosse League game.
Main article: Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse (or indoor lacrosse) is an indoor version of the game played by teams of six on ice
hockey rinks where the ice has been removed or covered by artificial turf. The enclosed playing
area is called a box, in contrast to the open playing field of the traditional game.[28] This version
of the game was introduced in the 1930s to promote business for hockey arenas,[29] and within a
several years had nearly supplanted field lacrosse in Canada.[30]
Box lacrosse is played at the highest level by the Senior A divisions of the Canadian Lacrosse
Association (Western Lacrosse Association of the British Columbia Lacrosse Association and
Major Series Lacrosse of the Ontario Lacrosse Association), and the National Lacrosse League
(NLL). The National Lacrosse League employs some minor rule changes from the Canadian
Lacrosse Association (CLA) rules. Notably, the games are played during the winter,[28], the NLL
games consist of four fifteen-minute quarters compared with three periods of twenty minutes
each (similar to ice hockey) in CLA games, and that NLL players may use only sticks with
hollow shafts, while CLA permits solid wooden sticks.[31][32]
The goals are much smaller than field lacrosse, traditionally 4 feet (1.2 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m)
tall in box, and 4.6 feet (1.4 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall in the NLL. In the National Lacrosse
League and Major Series Lacrosse the dimensions are slightly larger at 4 feet 9 inches (1.4 m)
wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) tall.[31] Also, the goaltender wears much more protective padding,[28]
including a massive chest protector and armguard combination known as "uppers", large shin
guards known as leg pads (both of which must follow strick measurment guidelines), and ice
hockey-style masks or lacrosse helmets such as those made by Cascade.[33] Also, at the
professional level, box lacrosse goaltenders often use traditional wooden sticks outside of the
NLL, which does not allow wooden sticks.
The style of the game is fast, accelerated by the close confines of the floor and a shot clock. The
shot clock requires the attacking team to take a shot on goal within 30 seconds of gaining
possession of the ball. In addition, players must advance the ball from their own defensive end to
the offensive side of the floor within 10 seconds.[28]
For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and his team has to play
without him and with one less player for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for two
minutes, unless a five minute major penalty has been assessed. Fighting is illegal in box lacrosse,
however what separates box lacrosse (and ice hockey) from other sport is that at the top levels of
professional and junior lacrosse, a five-minute major penalty is given and the players are not
ejected for participating in a fight.[34]
Internationally, the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships are held every four years, originally
sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation and now sponsored by the Federation of
International Lacrosse. Only eight nations have competed in these competitions, and only
Canada, Iroquois Nationals and the United States have finished in the most coveted 1st, 2nd and
3rd places at these events.
[edit] Women's lacrosse
2005 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship
Main article: Women's lacrosse
The rules of women's lacrosse differ significantly from men's lacrosse, most notably by
equipment and the degree of allowable physical contact.[35] Women's lacrosse does not promote a
lot of physical contact. The only protective equipment worn for this sport is a mouth guard and
face guard and sometimes thin gloves. Although women's lacrosse does not allow much physical
contact, it does allow stick to stick contact when in the right body position (though limited in
younger age groups). Players are able to hit the opponent's stick to try and obtain possession of
the ball. This is commonly known as checking.
The first modern women's lacrosse game was held at St Leonards School in Scotland in 1890. It
was introduced by the school's headmistress Louisa Lumsden.[36] The first women's lacrosse
team in the United States was established at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland. Men’s
and women’s lacrosse were played under virtually the same rules, with no protective equipment,
until the mid-1930s.
NCAA women's Lacrosse Division I began play in 1982. The University of Maryland, College
Park has traditionally dominated the women's intercollegiate play, producing many head coaches
across the country and many U.S. national team players. The Lady Terps won seven consecutive
NCAA championships, from 1995 through 2001. Princeton University's women's teams have
made it to the final game seven times since 1993 and have won three NCAA titles, in 1993,
2002, and 2003. In recent years, Northwestern University has become a force, winning the
national championship from 2005 through 2008.[37]
Internationally, the game is commonly played in British girls' independent schools, and while
only a minor sport in Australia, it is played to a very high standard at the elite level, where its
national squad won the 2005 Women's Lacrosse World Cup. The next Women's World Cup will
be played in 2009 hosted by Prague, Czech Republic.[38]
[edit] Intercrosse
Main article: Intercrosse
Intercrosse (also referred to as sofcrosse, modcrosse, or pop lacrosse) is a non-contact form of
lacrosse with a standardized set of rules using intercrosse equipment. Intercrosse as a competitive
sport is popular in many continental European countries, as well as in Quebec, Canada. It is also
a popular alternative for physical education.
An intercrosse stick is different from a normal lacrosse stick in that the head or "crosse" is made
completely of plastic, where in traditional lacrosse the head has a flexible string or mesh pocket
in which the ball is carried. The ball is larger, softer and hollow.[39]
[edit] International lacrosse
Lacrosse has been played for the most part in Canada and the United States, with small but
dedicated lacrosse communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Recently, however,
lacrosse has begun to flourish at an international level with the sport establishing itself in many
new and far-reaching countries, particularly in Europe and east Asia.
With lacrosse not having been an official Olympic sport since 1908, the pinnacle of international
lacrosse competition consists of the quadrennial World Championships. Currently, there are
world championships for lacrosse at senior men, senior women, under 19 men and under 19
women level. Until 1986, lacrosse world championships had only been contested by the United
States, Canada, England and Australia, with Scotland and Wales also competing in the women's
edition. The expansion of the game internationally saw the 2005 Women's World Cup competed
for by ten nations, and the 2006 Men's World Championship was contested by 21 countries.
In 2003, the first World Indoor Lacrosse Championship was contested by six nations at four sites
in Ontario, Canada. Canada won the championship in a final game against the Iroquois, 21-4.
The 2007 WILC was held in Halifax, Canada on from May 14-20. Teams from Australia,
Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Iroquois Nationals, Scotland and the United
States competed.
The next largest international field lacrosse competition is the European Lacrosse
Championships. Held for both men and women, the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) has
been running the European Championships since 1995. Before 2001 the Championships were an
annual event, but in 2001 the ELF changed the format to every four years between the World
Championship. Before 2004, only 7 nations had ever participated, but in 2004 there was a record
number of participating countries, with 12 men's and 6 women's, which made it the largest
international lacrosse event of 2004. The last European Lacrosse Championships were held in
Lahti, Finland in 2008, with 18 competing countries. England placed first with the Netherlands
and Germany placing second and third, respectively.
A player taking a "dive shot".
The World Lacrosse Championships have been dominated by the United States, particularly in
the men's game, where the only world championship game losses at either level was in the 1978
final to Canada and 2006 final to Canada. The USA has won 8 of the 10 senior men's and all six
under 19 men's tournaments to date. The next Men's World Lacrosse Championships will be held
in Manchester, England, in 2010.
In the women's game, Australia have provided stiffer competition, even holding a winning record
against the USA of 6 wins to 5 at senior world championships, plus one draw. Despite this, the
USA has won 5 of the 7 senior women's and 2 of the 3 under 19 women's tournaments to date,
with the other world championships won by Australia, including the 2005 senior women's
trophy.
The Iroquois Nationals are a team consisting of members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois
Confederacy. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) in 1990. It is
the only Native American team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally. The Nationals
placed fourth in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Lacrosse Championships. In 2008, the Iroquois
were admitted as the Haudenosunee Nation to the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse
Associations (IFWLA) as one of that governing body's final acts.
One obstacle to the international development of lacrosse had been the existence of separate
governing bodies for the men's and women's versions of the sport, with men's lacrosse being
governed by ILF and the women's version by IFWLA. In August 2008, after four years of
negotiation, the two bodies merged to form a single unified body, the Federation of International
Lacrosse (FIL). All championships previously operated by the ILF and IFWLA will be taken
over by the FIL.