Lacrosse has enjoyed a surge in popularity that matches that of just about any other sport in the country. More youth are playing it now than ever before at the lower levels and in high school. You should know what all those field lines and markings on a lacrosse field actually mean, whether you are a player, a budding coach or a parent of a potential star.
Standard Lines and Markings
How do lacrosse field lines and markings differ from one another?
Faceoffs, including those that start each game, are held at the midfield line. A field’s perimeter is outlined by four lines that define the area of play and out of bounds. Out of bounds is defined as having your foot over any of these lines.
The offensive players are prohibited from entering the creases in front of both goals. All shots must be taken outside the crease, and they are not allowed to enter the crease. The crease may, however, be accessed by defensive players.
A lacrosse field has two lines that midfielders and attackers cannot cross until after the faceoff and one team has obtained possession.
60 meters wide by 100 meters long is the size of a regulation lacrosse field (65.62 yards x 120.30 yards). Recently, international changes have made women’s lacrosse fields the same size as men’s lacrosse fields. Approximately 3.28 yards is the radius of the goal crease. Thirteen yards separate the lacrosse goal from the goal line. 13 meters, or about 14 yards, is the substitution area.
Half of the field’s length is divided by the midfield line. The midfield line includes perpendicular markings for the wing area, which is defined by markings 10 yards from the field lines (20 yards from the middle).
35 yards from the end lines of the field are marked the “attack area” and “defensive area.” Each area has a maximum number of players allowed. In a regulation lacrosse goal, there are six feet of height, six feet of width, and seven feet of depth.
Related: Lacrosse Warding Penalty
Game Play
Lacrosse rules: what are they?
A lacrosse field typically contains 10 players at a time, including the goalkeeper. There are four positions in soccer: midfield (sometimes called “middies”), attack, defense, and goalkeeper.
Three attackers are on the field, three middies are on the field, and three defenders are on the field. As lacrosse levels progress from youth to high school to college to pro to international, the quarters grow in length from eight to fifteen minutes. At the end of each quarter, teams switch ends of the field.
