Mid America Lacrosse Officials Association
2006 Handbook
Lacrosse officiating is challenging and requires a great deal of practice and training. Officials must know the rules, when and how to apply them, and manage the game so that it is Safe, Fair, and Fun. This handbook provides information regarding MALOA membership and training.
All MALOA Officials must complete the 4 training session.
2006 Training Sessions
Class #1 Introduction to Lacrosse Officiating
US Lacrosse Officials Training Manuals ($27) are available for purchase.
Returning Officials should have rulebooks and Manuals.
Kansas City MO, Saturday, 1/28, 9 AM – noon Rockhurst Jesuit High School
St. Louis MO, Saturday, 1/28, 9 AM – noon DeSmet Jesuit High School
Columbia MO, Saturday, 1/28, 9 AM – noon Boone Hospital
Class #2 Rules meeting with high school coaches.
Attendance required for all MSLA Head Coaches and MALOA Officials.
Rules test due and graded. NCAA Tape viewed.
After the rules meeting coaches are excused and we will continue with training
Lacrosse Officiating Mechanics and the Annual Required COC Clinic.
What, where, when & how to be a good official.
Kansas City MO, Saturday, 2/11, 9 AM – 3 PM Rockhurst Jesuit High School
St. Louis MO, Saturday, 2/11, 9 AM – 3 PM DeSmet Jesuit High School
Class #3 Review of Rules and Mechanics.
Kansas City MO, Saturday, 2/25, 9 AM – noon Rockhurst Jesuit High School
St. Louis MO, Saturday, 2/25, T.B.A
Columbia MO, T.B.A.
Class #4 On-field training and Basic Training Graduation. Throw your first flag.
Uniform and USLacrosse membership required. $40 MALOA dues waived if you work a Jamboree.
Kansas City MO, Saturday 3/4, 9 AM – 5 PM Rockhurst Kansas City Jamboree
St. Louis MO, Saturday, 3/11, 8 AM – 4 PM Jamboree at AB Sports Centre
All 4 sessions are required, but additional training sessions can be scheduled with your trainer at a mutually agreeable time. 1/27/06
Page
2006 MALOA Training Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Professional Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
NCAA vs. MSLA Rule Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Philosophy of Officiating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Lightning Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Lacrosse Online Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Timer and Scorer Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MEN'S LACROSSE RULES: Simplified version . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
MALOA Game Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Professional Membership
MALOA (Mid America Lacrosse Officials Association) officials must join USLacrosse as an “Official”. The annual cost of USL membership as an official is $50, and it includes insurance for officials, a subscription to Lacrosse magazine, and a rulebook after your first year. You can register online or download the membership forms at www.uslacrosse.org. To be a MALOA official you must attend the 4 training classes before each season. Annual Dues for MALOA are $45, but are waived if the official attends Class #4, the “Jamborees”.
USL (USLacrosse) is the National Governing Body of Lacrosse.
The mission of US Lacrosse is to ensure a unified and responsive organization that develops and promotes the sport by providing services to its members and programs to inspire participation, while preserving the integrity of the game. We envision a future that offers people everywhere the opportunity to discover, learn, participate in, enjoy, and ultimately embrace the shared passion of the lacrosse experience. www.lacrosse.org
MDOC (Men’s Division Officials Council) is part of USLacrosse and all USL officials for men’s lacrosse are members. Successful completion of training and testing are required before an individual receives his patch and full status as an MDOC Official. The MDOC is divided into 11 districts. Your District, #7 is Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Each district elects a Governor to represent its membership on the Board of Directors.
District 7 Governor, Bob Schulte, 636-349-7090, [email protected]
MDOC President, Jim Carboneau, [email protected]
COC (College Officials Committee) is Committee the MDOC and consists of the MDOC Members who are certified to work college level games. Membership involves passing annual tests on the NCAA rules and three-man mechanics, attending clinics on rules and mechanics, receiving on-the-field evaluations and recommendations from current COC Officials. There are additional fees for the COC membership. It takes most new officials several years of working high school games to meet these requirements, although candidates with experience officiating in other sports may become COC-certified more quickly. You must apply to your District Governor for COC membership. [email protected]
COC President, John Hill, [email protected]
MALOA is the local official’s organization for men’s lacrosse officials in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa and aspires to provide the finest officials in the sport.
President Bob Schulte [email protected]
Vice President/Tres. Chris Brescia [email protected]
Secretary Greg Schneider [email protected]
Chief Referee Scott Bedell [email protected]
High School Assignor David Schmid [email protected]
Rules Interpreter Jim Shaw [email protected]
Past President John Skarin [email protected]
Kansas City Area Chief Chuck Ozonoff [email protected]
Kansas City Area Assignor Jon Brenneman [email protected]
Omaha Area Chief Charles Hagen [email protected]
Rules
A good official must have a thorough knowledge of the rules and understand the proper application of those rules. The rules are there to keep the game Safe, Fair, and Fun. Honor the game of Lacrosse by knowing them and by enforcing them fairly, properly, and consistently.
At first, it will be all you can do to get the major calls correct; there will be so many things to keep track of that is a difficult to recognize the more obscure situations. As you begin to experience games and study the rules, you’ll recognize more and more situations from the rulebook.
KNOW THE RULES. Be a student of the game and after interesting situations arise, check the rulebook and other resources available to you for the correct answer.
Officials will be tested before and during each season using both standardized tests and pop quizzes to keep you sharp and improve your game. COC officials and those applying for membership must take the COC test without notes or books. A minimum score for College Officials is 80%; for High School 70%; and for Youth 60%.
Officials are expected to know the rules, but confer with their partner if they have a question. Take the time to make the correct call, even if that means changing your initial call. Changes can only be accomplished before the restart of play.
Rulebooks
The USILA (NCAA Div. I, II, III) and USLacrosse Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates, Div. I & II, use the 2006 NCAA Men’s LACROSSE Rulebook. The NCAA rulebook can be downloaded from http://www.ncaa.org/library/rules/2006/2006_m_lacrosse_rules.pdf .
The National Federation of State High School Associations publishes the youth boys’ lacrosse rulebook, which can be downloaded from www.nfhs.org
Most of the rules used for the MSLA (high school) and NCAA lacrosse are identical. Here are the most important differences.
NCAA game length: Four - 15 min. quarters,
MSLA High school Varsity 12 min. quarters, JV, Freshmen, & youth 10 min. quarters
Matching colors for gloves, sweatpants, under shorts not required in MSLA or youth
JV & Freshmen Goalies do not have to serve releasable penalties. However, all goalies must serve their own unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
It takes good judgment to be a good official. You need practice to determine when you should and shouldn’t throw your flag, call for a “play on,” or blow your whistle. This judgment comes with experience, and other officials will give you a great deal of guidance in this area during your first few seasons.
One of the most important aspects of judgment for officials regarding technical fouls is in the area of advantage gained. In applications of the rules that are not black-and-white we ask: “Was an advantage gained or lost during the play?”
For example, a player from team A might give a team B player, who is carrying the ball, a slight push in the back. If the team B player was running away from the goal area and was not hindered by the push, there would likely be no flag thrown. However, if the push forces the team B player out of bounds, a flag would be thrown, since otherwise team A would get the ball when team B went out of bounds. Similarly, if the push costs the player a shot opportunity, a flag should be thrown.
You must know what to look for, take in a great deal of action, apply the rules, process all of this in an instant, and then correctly make the call. You probably won’t be able to recognize every situation when you are just starting out, but you will improve if you study and work diligently.
Mechanics
Many new officials believe that if they can just learn the rules they’ll be good referees. While you do need to know the rules, you also need to know where to be on the field, where to focus your attention, how to work with your partner or partners, how to interact with the official scorer and timer, how to signal calls, and how to deal with other aspects of game administration. These aspects of officiating are collectively known as “Mechanics.” The USLacrosse “Officials Training Manual” provides 100 delightful pages of detailed instructions about your job as an official. It concentrates on the 2 man officiating crew most often used in high school and lower level college games. Your will find additional information on 1 and 3-man mechanics at the website www.zlax.net and click on “Lacrosse Mechanics”. Most of your initial training will come in our classroom training, and then will be followed up on the field as you work with more experienced officials.
An official needs to be able to interact with the players, coaches, other officials and appropriately handle a variety of potentially troublesome situations. You need to be yourself, but have a framework to build on to become a great official.
First the goal: Conduct a Safe, Fair, and Fun Game
Develop a firm, positive and courteous manner
Be cooperative.
Be pleasant, confident, and communicate with others as you would to a respected friend.
Confidence is not cockiness. It comes from a thorough knowledge of the rules, excellent mechanics, appearance and communication skills.
We are not the focal point of the game, The players are. Be inconspicuous.
Keep the game moving. Do your job efficiently, fairly and consistently.
Anticipate the play, not “the call”. Make the call only when and if the foul occurs.
Help the players learn and play within the rules. Comments such as “Stay out of the neutral zone” are preferred over “White, get out of the neutral zone” which the opposing team might deem “coaching”.
Don’t awaken the coaches. Avoid these Hot Buttons:
Unexpected or inconsistent calls from you and your partners.
Be constituent, at both ends, for the entire game.
Safety issues that are uncalled. “My players are being hurt.”
Unsportsmanlike behavior that isn’t called
Inappropriate comments
Being out of position to make the call.
When the team’s head coach asks you a reasonable question, respond in an appropriate manner and time.
Do not allow your actions, or those of players, coaches or spectators to bring dishonor to the sport. Neither seek nor avoid confrontation.
You should be in good physical shape so that you can keep up with the flow of
the game. Ideally, you might not have to sprint very often during a game if
your mechanics are good, but depending on the game (3-man vs. 2-man crew,
college vs. high school vs. youth) you may be sprinting, jogging and moving for
long periods. You have to be in good condition so that you can keep up with the
play. If you are out of position, it will be apparent, and players and coaches
have little patience for an official who doesn’t care enough to be in shape for
his job. On the other hand if you are hustling and moving to be in perfect
position to make the call, you will rise in everyone’s opinion.
Professional Appearance
Officials should report to games well in advance and in a clean, proper uniform. You should be either clean-shaven or have a neatly trimmed beard or mustache. Shoes should be polished, and no extraneous jewelry should be worn. This works to create a professional appearance, and enhances your credibility with the coaches and players. If you don’t look and act like an official, don’t expect anyone to treat you like one.
The complete uniform requirements are found on page 1 of the USL Officials Training Manual.
There is a significant amount of equipment needed for refereeing at the college level. In order to allow new officials to begin working without making a huge initial investment in equipment, we allow officials to buy different amounts of equipment depending on the level of lacrosse they are working. This equipment is often tax deductible against your earnings as an official. These items can also be purchased from referee supply companies.
Short-sleeved striped shirt $26 Finger-grip whistle $6
Penalty flags (2) $10 Official’s hat $10
White shorts $28 White socks w/ Black trim $5
Tape measure (6 ft) $3 Scorecard/pencil $4
Black T-shirt (to wear under stripes) Black belt
Black shoes Watch
USLacrosse “Official” Patch on left shoulder American Flag Patch above pocket
20-second belt timer $43
Black nylon rain pants with belt loops $20 Long-sleeved striped shirt $26
Jacket $60 Mesh shirt $29
Extra whistle $6 & scorecards $4 Extra socks $5
Black equipment bag
Lacrosse Officiating Opportunities
There are a variety of lacrosse leagues in MALOA’s region. Youth lacrosse, freshmen, and JV games offer a great training ground for new officials. Officials with some experience work high school varsity games in the spring. Finally, the most experienced officials become COC certified and work USLIA and USILA college games and men’s club games. As a new official, you’ll be paired with a more experienced official. In a two-man game, the more experienced official will generally be the referee and the other official will be the umpire. This gives new officials a chance to learn on the job as much as possible.
MSLA
(Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association)
The MSLA consists of all high school girls’ and boys’ lacrosse programs and contracts with MALOA to cover boys’ games. You must be an active member of MALOA to officiate a MSLA contest. Check out the www.molax.org website for an up to date list of all the teams in our area.
GRLC
(Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference)
GRLC is the regional league of the MDIA (Men’s Division US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates). The US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (Men’s and Women Divisions) is a national association of college club teams and leagues. While these teams in general do not have varsity status from their schools, they play under NCAA rules and compete for the right to play in the USLIA National Championships.
Officials should be certified by the Collegiate Officials Committee (COC) to work these games but non-COC officials can be used at the discretion of the assignor.
The assignor for the GRLC is Chris Brescia ; he can be contacted at [email protected] or at 314-409-6911 (cell).
USILA
(United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association)
Additionally, some of you may get the opportunity to officiate a USILA game.
The USILA is made up of the NCAA Division I, II, & III teams. While there are currently no USILA teams in our District, next year two schools are scheduled to begin Div III men’s lacrosse. You may get games in another district on the Interchange Program or games when teams come here to compete such as the Annual Fall Face Off.
Payment for Officiating
As a youth or high school official, you should expect to be paid for your work before the game begins. This allows you to leave quickly after the game. Several schools have their business office issue a check after the game has been played; you should have the opportunity to fill out any forms before the game begins. For college games, the officials receive checks from the league several times a season.
The referee should contact the home coach to confirm the time and location of your game one or two days in advance and contact his partner(s).
For high school games, the home team coach is required to contact both the assignor and the officials by noon if a game is cancelled. If you show up for a game you confirmed and you were not notified of a cancellation by noon of that day, you should expect to be paid by the home team.
If a game is stopped in progress due to weather conditions or other reasons, the officials are still to be paid. This is another reason to get your payment before the game begins. If the game continues at a later time, the referees still “own” that game. No additional pay is expected.
2006 MALOA Official's Fees for MSLA
2-Man Crew - Single
game - V, JV, or Fr. 2-Man Crew - Two games (V followed by JV)
MALOA First Season $50 each MALOA First Season $50 +
$40 = $90
MALOA Official $55 each MALOA Official
$55 + $45 = $100
MALOA Crew Chief $60 each MALOA Crew Chief $60 +
$50 = $110
1-Man Crew - Single
game - V, JV, or Fr. 1-Man Crew - Two games (V followed by JV)
MALOA First Season $75 MALOA First Season
$140
MALOA Official $82 MALOA
Official $154
MALOA Crew Chief $90 MALOA Crew Chief
$170
3-Man Crew - V, JV,
or Fr.
MALOA First Season $40
MALOA Official $45
MALOA Crew Chief $50
Each MSLA team will have a 3-Man Training Crew at one home game each season.
The payment for this training game is:
MALOA First Season
$50
MALOA Official $55
MALOA Crew Chief $60
MSLA Travel fees per official:
First 50 miles of roundtrip free, thereafter fee is 2006 I.R.S. mileage rate of $0.445 per mile.
Example: if St. Louis to Columbia roundtrip is 204 miles, (204 – 50) X $0.445 = $68.53
Round these fees to:
St. Louis – Columbia $69.00
St. Louis – Kansas City $139.00
Kansas City - Columbia $69.00
Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates fees for 2006
Division A
Three Officials $125.00 Per Official
Two Officials $150.00 Per
Official
Division B
Three Officials $115.00 Per Official
Two Officials $140.00 Per Official
2006 MDOC-MDIA MILEAGE CHART
|
MILEAGE one way |
PAYMENT |
|
25-49 Miles |
$15.00 |
|
50-74 |
$25.00 |
|
75-99 |
$35.00 |
|
100-124 |
$55.00 |
|
125-149 |
$65.00 |
|
150-174 |
$80.00 |
|
175-199 |
$90.00 |
|
200+ |
$100.00 |
All MDOC members who officiate MDIA games shall receive a per diem of Seventy-Five ($75.00) Dollars if travel is more than two hundred (200) miles one way.
The IRS expects you to report income from officiating. However, you may be able to deduct your uniform and other equipment, mileage to games and officials meetings, membership in officiating organizations and USLacrosse, and other expenses against your income. Begin keeping receipts and records now.
Proposed MALOA Code of Ethics
MALOA Officials shall:
1. Wear the proper uniform.
2. Be prompt for all assignments.
3. Not
overly socialize or become intimate with the players, parents, coaches or
coach’s family. (Officials are not prohibited from attending social functions
where players, parents and coaches may be present).
4. Not
accept assignments to any match in which the official has a relationship with
one of the players, teams or coaches that may be considered a conflict of
interest and may cast doubt upon his impartiality. Not only is a bona fide
conflict of interest prohibited, but the appearance of such conflict causes the
assignment to be unacceptable.
5. Be pleasant, confident, and respect the Game of Lacrosse and those who participate in it.
6. Conduct games in a Safe, Fair, and Fun manner.
7. Not
be interviewed by the media without permission of the Chief Referee and your
entire family.
8. Not
publicly criticize other officials, players or coaches.
9. Not bet on anything concerning an event in which he is involved, or any sporting event.
10. Always
converse with coaches, players and spectators in a pleasant and courteous
manner.
11. Not
request favors or special considerations from a tournament sponsor, coach or
team.
12. Not
use title or position to abuse the rules or influence others to do so.
13. Not
consume alcoholic beverages or take drugs or medication that will
inhibit performance before his assignment ends or while in full uniform.
14. Conduct him or herself in a professional and ethical manner.
Lightning Policy
It is important that officials and coaches be in agreement with regard to lightning. No coach should ever pressure a referee to continue a game just for the sake of getting the game finished when it puts the lives of the players, referees, and coaches at risk, and no referee should allow a game to proceed under such dangerous conditions.
Lightning is dangerous in any outdoor sport, but it’s even more dangerous in lacrosse, where each athlete carries around a long metal pole. As an official, perhaps your greatest exposure to legal liability comes from lightning. In addition to possible legal and civil penalties if an athlete were, injured by lightning in a game you should have stopped, you would also have to face knowing that you could have prevented it.
If you know the forecast calls for thunderstorms, try to talk to the coaches before the game and let them know what you consider cause for stopping the game. Tell them that all players and coaches will have to move into vehicles or into permanent structures and stay there until you clear them to come back out or until the game is postponed. Some athletes and coaches, particularly young and inexperienced ones, will try to argue with you about this. If they do, warn them they’ll be penalized for their conduct and follow through.
When it becomes clear that you will not be able to complete the game, talk to the coaches about suspending the game. Record all relevant game information (score, timeouts, which team has possession and where, time remaining, who is in the penalty area and for how much longer) and pass it on to your assignor.
What follows is the lightning guideline for MALOA Officials. This is considered to be a reasonable guideline in the absence of tighter guidelines issued directly by a league or school.
30 Seconds: STOP
Stop the game when there is a 30 second or less “flash to bang” (thunder) time. At 30 seconds “flash to bang,” the lightning strike is 6 miles away. If you are doing the 30-second count and do not use a stopwatch, utilizing your beeper for 20 seconds of the count can increase your accuracy. The game should be stopped earlier if there are extraordinary circumstances regarding getting everyone to safe shelter. Safe shelter is defined as a solid building with plumbing and electricity or, secondarily, motor vehicles with metal roofs and the windows rolled up.
30 minutes: RESUME
Resume the game no sooner than 30 minutes after the last lightning flash or thunder.
Lacrosse Online Resources
If you don’t already have an e-mail account, you should get one. Even if you don’t have a computer, you can get a free e-mail account at hotmail.com or yahoo.com and use the computers at your local library. E-mail is relied upon heavily for communicating game assignments and other information.
There are a number of resources online for lacrosse officials, players, and fans. Here are several you should know about.
The USLacrosse website is at www.lacrosse.org. It contains membership information, general information about lacrosse, and links to other lacrosse websites.
The site www.zlax.net has a great deal of information for officials, including an Adobe Acrobat .PDF file containing mechanics manuals and diagrams.
The NCAA website www.ncaa.org contains general information about NCAA sports as well as information on ordering rulebooks. In addition, the NCAA rulebook can be downloaded from http://www.ncaa.org/library/rules/2006/2006_m_lacrosse_rules.pdf in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.
The National Federation of State High School Associations publishes the official high school boys’ lacrosse rulebook, which can be downloaded from www.nfhs.org. While this rulebook is not used by the MSLA, it does contain youth lacrosse rules that you should study.
The MOLAX website www.molax.org contains a great deal of information about youth, high school, and college lacrosse in the area, as well as contact information for MALOA officials. From field locations to this handbook, you can find it all at www.molax.com .
GRLC website is found at http://www.uslia.com/conf.php?id=2 .
The NASO offers general information about officiating, and it also publishes Referee magazine.
Their websites (www.naso.org and www.referee.com ) are worth looking at. In particular,
http://www.referee.com/books/catalog.htm has a list of publications on officiating for sale.
In addition to the NCAA rulebook and the USL Training Manual, there are some general books about refereeing that may be helpful to new officials. These can be ordered at http://www.referee.com/books/catalog.htm (click on “General”).
The first two listed are the most expensive, but they are both excellent publications. Successful Sports Officiating is a complete introduction to all aspects of officiating, and 101 Tips For Youth Sports Officials is full of advice about game control and other topics.
Successful Sports Officiating BSSO, $19.95,
101 Tips For Youth Sports Officials, B101YS, $9.95, NASO-Member Price: $7.95
101 Tips For Better Officiating, B101, $4.95, NASO-Member Price: $3.95
The 44 Most-Common Officiating Errors and How To Avoid Them
B44, $4.95. NASO-Member Price: $3.95
16 More Most-Common Officiating Errors and How To Avoid Them
B16, $2.95. NASO-Member Price: $2.35
Better Officiating Now, BBON, $2.95, NASO-Member Price: $2.35
Making the Call: The Inner Game Of Sports Officiating
BMAK, $2.95, NASO-Member Price: $2.35
When They’re in Your Face and How to Deal With It
BIYF, $2.95, NASO-Member Price: $2.35
You’re in Charge - 104 Ways
BYIC, $2.95, NASO-Member Price: $2.35
12 Ways to Better Officiating
BWBO, $1.95, NASO-Member Price: $1.55
Also, another good book is “Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion” by Dr. George
Thompson, which can be found at http://www.verbaljudo.org/verbaljudovisitourstore.html
Timer and Scorer Instructions
The most important support people for lacrosse officials are the timer and the scorer, who are supplied by the home team. The fact that the NCAA rules address the processes and procedures, with which these official game functions must be undertaken, is a direct measure of the importance we should attach to the timers and scorers that participate in our games. These people are often volunteers, who will need some instruction, and sometimes you won't have the time to thoroughly discuss their duties with them before the game.
The next few pages include directions for the timer and scorer that you can copy and give to them before the game. Try to find out who they are as soon as you arrive on the field and hand them the instructions. Check back with them before the game starts to see if they have any questions about their responsibilities, and make certain that they know they can signal you with multiple horn blasts during any dead ball situation if they have questions or to inform you of a substitution area violation.
Timer Instructions for Men’s Lacrosse
§ High school Varsity: four 12-minute periods
§ JV: 10-minute
§ Freshmen/Youth: 10-minute
§ College: four 15-minute periods.
§ Stop timer when whistle blows to stop play.
§ Start timer when whistle blows to start play.
§ All periods: Notify nearest official verbally when there are 30 seconds remaining, and then count down loudly from 10, sounding horn at zero. If the field has a visible electronic clock with a functioning horn, these notifications may be modified by the Referee.
§ Fourth period: Notify the nearest official when there is 2:10 and 2:00 remaining. If the field is equipped with a functioning electronic clock, the Referee may choose to eliminate this verbal warning from the official timer.
§ There are two minutes between all periods (including overtime periods) except for halftime.
§ Halftime is ten minutes long. Notify officials when there are four minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the halftime.
Signaling of penalties
§ The number is signaled with one hand; holding the fingers pointing up signals 0 through 5, while holding the hand sideways adds 5 to the number indicated. A closed fist indicates zero.
§ A "T" formed with the arms indicates a 30- second technical foul.
§ One, two, or three fingers held overhead indicates the number of minutes to be served for a personal foul.
§ Some penalties are non-releasable, which is indicated by clasping hands over the head.
§ Occasionally the officials will indicate that the first part of a penalty is non-releasable but the second part is releasable.
§ Common non-releasable penalties are unsportsmanlike conduct and illegal sticks.
§ When the penalty is signaled in, write down the player's jersey color and number, the length and nature of the penalty, the time the player should be released, and an "NR" if the penalty is non-releasable in the official scorebook.
§ Penalty time starts when the whistle blows to re-start play
§ If team A scores a goal, all releasable penalties for team B are released.
§ If team A scores a goal, penalties for team A are not released.
§ Non-releasable penalties always serve the full penalty time no matter how many goals are scored.
§ Unexpired penalty time at the end of a period carries over into the next period.
§ The referee will keep track of the length of timeouts, all of which are 2 minutes long
Horn
§ If the coach calls for a horn during a sideline out of bounds, sound the horn once. The official will signal a sideline out of bounds by holding both of his arms above his head. If there is a problem and you need to notify the official, blow two short blasts on the horn during the next dead ball situation. Do not repeat the two-blast notification unless none of the officials responds.
Overtime
§ Overtime periods are four minutes long.
§ Two minutes between overtime periods.
§ Count down final 10 seconds and sound horn at zero (see electronic clock guidance in the “End of Period” section).
§ Game is over once a goal is scored
Scorer Directions for Men’s Lacrosse
Record keeping: The scorer will keep a written record of the goals, assists and other statistics. This record will be kept in the official scorebook, which is provided by the home team. The visiting team may elect to keep a similar book, with corresponding information, but the home team book is the official game record.
Timeouts: Record the period in which each timeout is taken and the time remaining when it is taken. Timeouts between periods are charged to the previous period.
Penalties: The scorer will keep an accurate record of the number of each player to whom a penalty is assessed, the type of violation, the time and the quarter when the foul occurred and the duration of the penalty. The scorer will work with the timer in this effort.
Fouling out: If a player accumulates 5 separate personal fouls (regardless of the length of time for each penalty), notify the nearest official immediately. A player with 5 personal fouls has fouled out of the game; he will serve his penalty but then must exit to the bench area and another player will take his place on the field. Technical fouls have no bearing on fouling out of a game.
Scoring: The scorer is responsible for determining and recording goals, assists, saves and shots. If there is any question as to the correctness of a recorded scoring statistic, the scorer should consult with an official. Team coaches may provide information if the scorer requests it, but the scorer and the game officials make the final determination.
§ Goals: For a goal, record the number of the player scoring the goal and the time remaining in the period.
§ Assists: You may award an assist if a player makes direct pass "to a teammate who then scores a goal without having to dodge or evade an opponent other than the goalkeeper." Only one assist may be awarded on any goal, and many goals in lacrosse are unassisted.
§ Saves: Whenever the goalkeeper stops or deflects a shot that otherwise would have entered the goal, a save is awarded. A shot that misses the goal on its own is not recorded as a save.
§ Shots: Whenever the offensive team propels the ball toward the goal with the intent of scoring, a shot is awarded (even if the ball is kicked, flipped directly from the ground with a stick, or intentionally deflected toward the goal). A shot may miss the goal entirely without being saved. A goal scored by the defensive team is not credited as a shot.
MEN'S
LACROSSE RULES: Simplified version
Mid America Lacrosse Officials
Association
Men's lacrosse is a contact game played by ten players: a goalie, three
defensemen, three midfielders and three attackmen. The object of the game is to
shoot the ball into the goal. The team scoring the most goals wins.
Each team must keep at least four players, including the goalie, in its
defensive half of the field and three in its offensive half. Three players
(midfielders) may roam the entire field.
College varsity games consist of four, 15-minute quarters. High school varsity
games are 12-minute quarters, junior varsity games are 10-minute quarters, and
youth games are 8-minute quarters. Each team is given a two-minute break
between the first and second quarters, and the third and fourth quarters.
Halftime is ten minutes long. If the score is tied at the end of regulation,
sudden victory periods are played lasting 4-minutes in duration until a goal is
scored.
The team winning the coin toss can choose the end of the field it wants to
defend first or the first alternate possession. Teams change
sides between periods. Each team is permitted two timeouts each half.
Men's lacrosse begins with a face-off. The players take their positions on the
field: four in the defensive clearing area, one at the center, two in the wing
areas and three in their attack goal area. The ball is placed between the
sticks of two squatting players at the center of the field. The official blows
the whistle to begin play. Each face-off player tries to control the ball. The
players in the wing areas can run after the ball when the whistle sounds. The
other players must wait until one player has gained possession of the ball
before they can release. Face-offs are also conducted at the start of each
quarter and after a goal is scored.
Players must use their crosses to pass, catch and run with the ball. Only the
goalkeeper may touch the ball with his hands.
A player may gain possession of the ball by dislodging it from an
opponent's crosse with a stick check. A legal stick check is the controlled
poking or slapping of the stick and gloved hands of the player in possession of
the ball.
Body checking is permitted if the opponent has the ball or is within five yards
of a loose ball. All body contact must occur from the front or side, above the
waist and below the shoulders. An opponent's crosse may also be checked if he
is within five yards of a loose ball.
If the ball or a player in possession of the ball goes out of bounds, the other
team is awarded possession. If the ball goes out of bounds after an
unsuccessful shot, the in-bound player nearest to the ball when it goes out of
bounds is awarded possession.
The Defensive Team has 20-seconds to clear the ball past the midfield line once possession has been gained. An Offensive Team has 10-seconds to move the ball into the Attack Goal area once they have possession in the offensive half of the field. A new 10-second count begins each time the offensive team brings the ball outside the Attack Goal area. In the final 2 minutes of play, the team that is ahead in score must keep the ball within the Attack Goal area and loses possession if the ball comes out (other than as a result of a shot or pass deflected by the defense).
An attacking player cannot enter the crease around the goal, but may reach in
with his stick to scoop a loose ball provided he does not contact the goalie or
the goalie’s crosse.
A referee and an umpire supervise field play. A timekeeper and scorer are
provided by the home team.
MEN'S
LACROSSE PERSONAL & TECHNICAL FOULS:
There are personal fouls and technical fouls in men’s lacrosse. The penalty for
a personal foul results in a one to three minute suspension from play and
possession to the team that was fouled. Players accumulating five personal
fouls would be ejected from the game. The penalty for a technical foul is a
thirty-second suspension if the fouled team is in possession of the ball when
the foul is committed. If the ball is loose, or in possession of the offending
team, when the technical foul is committed, the fouled team is awarded
possession of the ball. Penalties are released when the full penalty time has
been served or when a goal is scored by the team with the man advantage (except
in some circumstances when penalty time is classified as “non-releasable”).
Personal Fouls
Slashing: Occurs when a player's stick viciously contacts an opponent in
any area other than the stick or gloved hand on the stick or a player swings his
stick in an uncontrolled manner.
Tripping: Occurs when a player obstructs his opponent at, or below the
waist with the crosse, hands, arms, feet or legs. When a player trips
accidentally while participating in play, no foul has been committed.
Cross Checking: Occurs when a player uses the handle of his crosse
between his hands to make striking or thrusting contact with an opponent.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Occurs when a player or coach commits an act
that is considered unsportsmanlike by an official, including taunting, arguing,,
obscene language or gestures. Most of these violations result in non-releasable
penalty time.
Unnecessary Roughness: Occurs when a player strikes an opponent with his
stick or body using excessive or unnecessary force.
Illegal Body Checking: Occurs when any of the following actions takes
place:
a. body checking an opponent who is not in possession of the ball nor within
five yards of a loose ball;
b. avoidable body check of an opponent after he has passed or shot the ball;
c. body checking an opponent from the rear or at or below the waist;
d. body checking an opponent above the shoulders.
e. body checking of an opponent who is on the ground.
A body check
must be below the shoulders, above the waist, and both hands of the player
applying the body check must remain in contact with his crosse. A body check
must not be initiated with the head – this is referred to as Spearing and also
results in non-releasable penalty time.
Illegal Crosse: Occurs when a player uses a crosse that does not conform
to required specifications. A crosse is found illegal if the stick length is
too short or too long, the pocket is too deep, or if any other part of the
crosse was altered to gain an advantage.
Illegal Equipment: A player may not use gloves that do not conform to required specifications. A glove is found illegal if the fingers and/or palms are cut out of the gloves, or if the glove has been altered in a way that compromises its protective features.
Additional equipment required includes an approved helmet, colored mouthpiece, shoulder pads, and arm pads. Additionally the goalkeeper is required to wear throat and chest protectors but shoulder pads are optional.
Technical Fouls
Holding: Occurs when a player impedes the movement of an opponent or an
opponent's crosse.
Interference: Occurs when a player interferes in any manner with the free
movement of an opponent, except when that opponent has possession of the ball,
or both players are within five yards of a loose ball. An offensive player may
also not interfere in any manner with the Goalie while the goalie is within the
goal crease.
Offsides: Occurs when a team does not have at least four players on its
defensive side of the midfield line and at least three players on its offensive
side of the midfield line
.
Pushing: Occurs when a player thrusts or shoves a player from behind.
Illegal Offensive Screening: Occurs when an offensive player moves
into & makes contact with a defensive player with the purpose of blocking him
from the man he is defending. Similar to a “moving pick” in basketball.
Stalling: Occurs when a team intentionally holds the ball, without
conducting normal offensive play, with the intent of running time off the clock.
Warding Off: Occurs when a player in possession of the ball uses his free
hand or arm to hold, push or control the direction of an opponent's stick check.
The rules are designed to keep Lacrosse Safe, Fair, and Fun. ©MALOA www.molax.org Spring 2006 revised 1/25/2006
MALOA LACROSSE GAME REPORT
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Game Date:
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Location: |
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Referee:
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Home Team: Score:
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Umpire:
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Visiting Team: Score:
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Field Judge:
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Duration of game |
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League:
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Unusual Game Conditions Y N |
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Comments:
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FOUL REPORT |
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Number of Conduct Fouls
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Unsportsmanlike Fouls
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Expulsion Fouls
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Game Administration |
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Fair |
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Comment |
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Locker Facilities |
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Security |
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Field and Table Setup |
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Ball Handling |
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Home Team Conduct |
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Home Coach Conduct |
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Visiting Team Conduct |
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Visiting Coach Conduct |
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Sportsmanship Rating (5 high to 1 low) |
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Visiting |
Spectators |
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Unusual Game Situations/Comments:
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Submitted by: ___________________________________
Please fax within 24 hours to your assigning authority.