

Loading OpenSourceSports…


Team Sports
4–8 players
outdoor
ball, crosse
10 essential rules
Lacrosse Sixes is the shortened-format variant of lacrosse developed by World Lacrosse to provide a faster, smaller-field, more spectator-friendly version of the game suitable for international and Olympic competition. The format was approved for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as the lacrosse...
4 quarters × 8 minutes running time (35 minutes total including breaks); 2-minute breaks between quarters; 5-minute halftime; OT: golden goal sudden-death (4-minute periods)
No offside rule — players move freely across field; Goalkeeper may participate in play across the field (within crease for goalie privileges); Body contact substantially reduced vs men's field lacrosse — Sixes emphasizes stick checks, not body checks
30-second shot clock — offense must shoot within 30 seconds of gaining possession; Failure to shoot in time → turnover; No traditional "stalling" or "keep-away" — shot clock enforces pace
Stick (crosse): 40-46" (102-117 cm) for field players (unified men's / women's stick), max 72" for goalie; Ball: standard lacrosse ball (140-149 g, ~6.3 cm diameter), white preferred; Helmet: required for all players (men's-style helmet with full face mask)
Field: 70 m × 36 m (~76 × 39 yards) — substantially smaller than traditional men's lacrosse (110 × 60 m) or women's (100 × 55 m); Goal: 1.83 m × 1.83 m (6 ft × 6 ft) — same as field lacrosse; Crease: 2.75 m radius circle around each goal
6 per side: 5 field players + 1 goalkeeper; Roster: 12 players per game (6 on field, 6 substitutes); unlimited substitutions on-the-fly; Officials: 3-person crew (referee + 2 umpires) at international/Olympic level
4 quarters × 8 minutes running time (35 minutes total including breaks); 2-minute breaks between quarters; 5-minute halftime; OT: golden goal sudden-death (4-minute periods)
1 goal = 1 point (ball fully crosses goal line, in-bounds, scored from outside crease); Total game goals decides winner; OT: golden-goal sudden-death
Personal foul (slashing, illegal body check, cross-check, etc.): 30-second timed penalty (player serves in penalty box; team plays short); Technical foul (interference, illegal screen, hold, etc.): change-of-possession or 30-second penalty; Crease violation: turnover
Lacrosse Sixes is designed with reduced-contact rules vs men's field lacrosse — stick checks remain but body checks are heavily restricted. Mandatory helmet + mouthguard + full pad suite.
Stop active play when a player is seriously injured
When an opposing player is clearly injured and down, the convention is to hold the ball and not press for scoring advantage until the player is attended to and play is officially stopped. Ignoring an injured opponent to score is widely considered poor sportsmanship in all lacrosse formats.
More expectation in amateur/youth levels; pros rely on officials, but the spirit is acknowledged at elite levels too.
Shake hands after every match
Post-game handshake lines are a deeply embedded expectation across all lacrosse formats at every level. Skipping or making the handshake perfunctory is considered disrespectful regardless of the result. The tradition carries directly into Sixes from both field and box lacrosse cultures.
Ready to dive deeper?