Age & Eligibility Guidelines

US Lacrosse establishes eligibility guidelines in order to promote the game of lacrosse among the youth of America in a safe and sportsmanlike environment. To best achieve this goal, US Lacrosse believes that leagues, associations, and other organizers of youth lacrosse should seek to provide playing opportunities that, as much as possible, establish a “level playing field” among players of similar age, size, and ability.

Age Grouping Quick Reference Table

Age and Eligibility Guidelines are not considered “game-day rules” and are not enforced as game-day rules by officials. Exceptions to age divisions cannot be made on game day and all coaches must adhere to classifications as determined by their league or association.

League and Association Play

Leagues and associations should organize competition by age, and consider physical, cognitive, and emotional maturity when grouping players. For leagues or associations in which some local programs choose to organize their teams by grade, those teams should play in the age division determined by the oldest player on their roster. Teams organized by single birth year or single grade are suggested, but if a league needs to group two years/grades together it should strive to limit the maximum age difference between players in a youth game to no more than twenty-four (24) months.

Players who are participating in any high-school level program such as a high school freshman, JV-B, junior varsity, varsity, or club team should not be eligible for U14 competition in the same season. This means that a player who is age-eligible for U14 but plays on a high school level team should not concurrently play on a youth league U14 team. At other times of the year this player may be U14 eligible; for example, for summer ball or fall ball play, depending on the guidelines of the sponsoring league or organization.

The following age groupings are determined as of the August 31st preceding competition.

NOTE: Age group references used in this section are in common usage but should not be understood literally. The U14 (read: “Under 14”) grouping means that, if a player is 13 years old or younger on the cutoff date, he may participate in the U14 competition.

U14:

All players must be 13 years old or younger on the August 31st preceding competition.

U12:

All players must be 11 years old or younger on the August 31st preceding competition.

U10:

All players must be 9 years old or younger on the August 31st preceding competition.

U8:

All players must be 7 years old or younger on the August 31st preceding competition.

It is recommended that when multiple teams exist, the program should consider physical size, skill, and maturity when organizing teams.