Lacrosse Goal Care and Maintenance

The care and maintenance of your lacrosse goal and net are easy to take for granted, but they should be tended to with care and vigilance so that the goals you are using are safe and do not deteriorate.

Net Maintenance

A lacrosse net doesn’t last forever. Eventually, rips and tears in the netting will precipitate the purchase of new netting. Replacement lacrosse goal nets can be difficult to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A net with 4mm thickness will withstand any shot taken with real authority and force, and you will benefit further if you can find a net that comes with bungee cords to easily install it. You can find netting anywhere from 2.5mm to 6mm thick. The thicker the netting, the less susceptible it will be to tearing. A 6mm thick net may cost you twice as much as a 2.5mm thick net, but you won’t have to replace it for a much longer period of time than you would a thinner netting.

Pole Maintenance

How should I keep my lacrosse goal well maintained?

Lacrosse goals with traditional steel poles might eventually rust. It’s a good idea to keep organic material away from the base of your steel lacrosse poles, which could begin to deteriorate or corrode if exposed to excess grass, litter and sundry debris. Lightweight, portable practice lacrosse goals will not usually have as long a life as permanent lacrosse goals with squared off, welded corners and thicker steel pipes, so if you are using a collapsible practice goal, be prepared to replace it sooner than you would a sturdy, competition-grade goal.

Choosing the Right Lacrosse Goal

Lacrosse is a sport whose popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds, as more high schools launch varsity programs and more youth organizations develop lacrosse leagues. More sports-oriented folks than ever before are shopping for the right lacrosse goal for their league or their team. Which lacrosse goal is best suited for your needs?

Make sure you focus on these three variables when you initiate your search for the right lacrosse goal: 1) Its size and dimensions; 2) the distinction between official lacrosse goals and practice lacrosse goals; and 3) whether a portable lacrosse goal is a better fit for your situation.

What factors should I consider when buying a lacrosse goal?

Size Matters

Size: Regulation goals for youth leagues, high school or colleges measure 6′ x 6′. Nets are sold by diameter or netting in sizes 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm and 6mm. Most goals include a net that measures 2.5mm or 3mm. The only time you would ever require a different size of lacrosse goal would be for indoor lacrosse, which uses a goal that is 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide.

Net Usage

What’s the difference between an official lacrosse goal and a practice goal for the backyard? Net Usage: Official lacrosse goals have squared off welded corners, as opposed to the rounded corners on lacrosse practice goals. Official lacrosse goals employ thicker steel pipes that are between 1.75″ and 2″ in diameter, while lacrosse practice goals have 1.5-inch steel piping. Official lacrosse goals are very heavy, often exceeding 100 pounds, and are made with sturdy, high-quality metal that is not characteristic of the more cost effective materials used in the manufacture of lacrosse practice goals.

Lightweight portable, collapsible lacrosse goals that fold up enable you to cart your lacrosse goal around just about anywhere you go. It’s a handy thing to have for anybody who might want to move the goal to different spots in their yard or even to transport it to practices. These portable lacrosse goals usually fold up in a snap so that moving them from place to place is simplified. You can find practice goals that weigh as little as 15 pounds but which still feature rust-proof steel that will last a long time, even in adverse weather conditions. Official lacrosse goals that are heavier often are not foldable.

Lacrosse Field Lines and Markings

A sport whose recent growth in popularity can match that of just about any other in the country, lacrosse is being played by a lot more youths at the lower levels and in high school now than ever before. Whether you are a player, a budding coach or a parent with a potential lacrosse star, it would behoove you to understand the rules and know what all those field lines and markings on a lacrosse field actually signify.

Standard Lines and Markings

What are the standard lines and markings in lacrosse?

The midfield line is where the faceoffs take place, including the one that starts each game. The four lines that outline the perimeter of the field separate the area of play from what constitutes out of bounds. A player who has his or her foot across any of these lines is considered out of bounds. Both goals have an area in front of them known as a crease, and this area is deemed off limits for the offensive players. They are not allowed into the crease, and must attempt any shots from outside this crease. Defensive players, however, are allowed to venture into the crease. Each side of a lacrosse field has two lines that you can’t cross over if you are a midfielder or an attacker until the faceoff is over and one team has secured possession.

The size of a regulation lacrosse field is 60 meters wide by 100 meters long (65.62 yards x 120.30 yards). A woman’s lacrosse field used to have different dimensions than that of a men’s lacrosse field, but recent international changes made the field size for both genders universal. The radius of the goal crease is 3 meters, or 3.28 yards. The space behind the lacrosse goal is 13 yards. The substitution area is 13 meters, or a shade larger than 14 yards.

The midfield line divides the length of the field in half. Markings on the midfield line include perpendicular markings for the wing area, which is marked 10 yards in from the sidelines (20 yards in from the center) of the field. The “attack area” and “defensive area” are marked 35 yards from the end lines of the field. These lines designate the number of players allowed in each of these areas. A regulation lacrosse goal measures 6 feet high by 6 feet wide by 7 feet deep.

Game Play

What are the basic rules of lacrosse?

There are 10 players per side on the field at any one time in lacrosse, including the goalkeeper. The sport consists of four positions: midfield (sometimes referred to as “middies”), attack, defense and goalie. There are three attackers, three middies and three players on defense. Lacrosse games are four quarters, with length of the quarters increasing from eight to 15 minutes as the levels go up from youth to high school to college to pro to international. Teams trade ends of the field at the end of each quarter.