US Lacrosse Women’s Rules Changes/Clarifications – 2011 Season

On September 12th, the US Lacrosse Board of Directors approved the following rule changes for the women’s game for the 2011 season, as recommended by the US Lacrosse Women’s Rules Subcommittee:

Rule Changes

Rule 2, add NOTE following Section 10 (This is a request that came from the NFHS Rules Committee): Hard and unyielding items (guards, casts, braces, splints, etc.) on the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm or shoulder are prohibited unless padded with a closed-cell, slow-recovery foam padding no less than ˝” thick. Knee and ankle braces that are unaltered from the manufacturer’s original design/production do not require any additional padding.

Rule 3, Section 7 (and Youth Rules) – added the recommendation that US Lacrosse rated umpires be assigned to games. Previous wording only indicated “umpires”.

Rule 3, Section 11 – the scorer must notify the umpire immediately if a team receives its third card.

Rule 5, change NOTE following Section 25 (This is a request that came from the NFHS Rules Committee): Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional. (Additional information regarding concussions will be added to the Appendix. Specifically what is added should be coordinated with the NFHS.)

Rule 7, Misconduct and Suspensions sections – The Rules Committee undertook a complete review of the rules dealing with carding and substantial changes have been made. The basic changes are as follows: The head coach will be responsible for the behavior of personnel affiliated with her team, including all assistant coaches and will receive any cards related to lack of bench decorum. Anyone receiving two yellow cards in a single game must sit out the team’s next game. Anyone receiving a red card must sit out of the team’s next two games. For youth teams using Level FC rules where a check to the head is a mandatory red card a player will continue to sit out one game if a red card is received. Once a team receives its third card of the game the team will play shorthanded for the remainder of the game. They will lose an additional player each time another card is received.

Rule 9, Section 8 – Wording in this section will be changed to match the rule change being implemented at the international level – Pockets must be attached to/anchored along the bottom rail of the head through stringing holes in the bottom rail of the sidewall. The top of the sidewall stringing hole shall not be more than 1.0 cm from the bottom of the sidewall.
Rule Clarifications/Edits

Rule 2, Section 10, last sentence – change “or” to “and” - ….complies with the rules and manufacturers’ specifications …

Rule 3, Section 6a – change “the” to “any” – to call any coin toss (visitors call)…. This will clarify who calls the coin toss for choice of ends for any overtime period.

Rule 5, Section 2 – New sentence added: When setting up the draw the umpire should be aware of possible height differentials between the centers and place the crosses in such a way that neither player gains an advantage.

Rule 5, Section 17e – clarified that the deputy goalie may play the ball with her hand: while within the goal circle may play the ball with her hand, place it in her crosse, and proceed with the game. The phrase indicating the deputy could remove a ball lodged in her clothing or crosse was deleted.

Rule 7, Section 27 – a carded player will serve the penalty time in the team’s bench area.

Youth Rules, Introduction – add language in the rule book to match what is now in the Umpires Manual –A Junior Youth Umpire is under 18 years of age or in High School and is qualified to umpire Youth Level games. The Junior Youth Umpire should be at least two years older than the participants, for example if the umpire is 16 participants should be no older than 14 years of age.

Youth Rules, Start of Game – changed “free position” to “possession” – when a four- goal differential exists the team with fewer goals will take possession at the center, not be given a free position.

Appendix B, Metric Conversions – add a statement on the page indicating that any conversions are approximate and are for information purposes only.