Lacrosse Equipment

What do I need?

There are several pieces of gear and protective equipment that are required to play youth lacrosse.  Because the girls' game has no contact, their equipment needs are substantially less.  Required equipment is defined by US Lacrosse, the governing body for our sport.  Other equipment is recommended by Saco Bay Lacrosse.

Each player must provide his or her own equipment as follows:

    Boys:
    Required:
  • Stick
  • NOCSAE Approved helmet with faceguard
  • Gloves
  • Arm pads
  • Shoulder pads
  • Mouth guard
    Recommended:
  • Athletic supporter with cup
  • Rib pads
  • Cleats (soccer or football)
    Girls:
    Required:
  • Stick
  • Protective eyewear (Goggles)
  • Mouth guard
    Recommended:
  • Cleats (soccer)
  Goalie (additional):
  • helmet w/ throat protector
  • chest protector
  • cup (boys)
  • arm and shoulder pads (not required)
Additional girls’ (stick, helmet, throat protector, chest protector, shin pads) and boys’ (stick, throat protector, chest protector, pants, shin pads) goalie equipment is provided by Saco Bay Lacrosse.

Game jerseys and shorts are included in your registration fee and will be supplied by Saco Bay Lacrosse.

 Where do I get Lacrosse equipment?

Leading manufacturers of lacrosse equipment include: STX, Brine, Warrior, and deBeer.  All of their gear is of high quality and adequate for youth lacrosse.  Complete starter packages are available to get you going at a reasonable price.  If you want to venture outside of the starter packages, the best place to start shopping for gear is online at www.laxshopper.com.  Here you can learn about the different pieces of equipment, read reviews and comparison shop. Options we provide: At least one supplier of equipment will attend our registration meeting and offer partial and complete equipment outfits at very reasonable prices.  We also have a discount night at Play It Again Sports prior to the start of each season.  Finally, at registration, you should have received a discount card to Play It Again Sports.  Other options: Complete starter packages are available from a number of sources, including:

 

Lacrosse equipment is available from many sources both locally and on-line. The following southern Maine retailers carry lacrosse gear:
  • Atlantic Sportswear (Portland, Saturday morning hours only)
  • Play-It-Again Sports (Portland, best selection, educated staff)
  • Dick’s Sporting Goods (near Maine Mall)
  • Olympia Sports (Biddeford & Maine Mall)
  • Sports Authority (Maine Mall)
  • Philbrick’s Sports in Dover, New Hampshire
Online suppliers also are plentiful.  Here are some good ones:

Equipment Overview:

The Crosse: The crosse (lacrosse stick) is made of wood, laminated wood or synthetic material, with a shaped net pocket at the end. For boys, the crosse must be an overall length of 40 - 42 inches for attack and midfield sticks, or 52 - 72 inches for defense sticks. All girls use the same crosse.  The head of the crosse must be 6.5 - 10 inches wide, except a goalie's crosse which may be 10 - 12 inches wide. The pocket of a boys’ crosse shall be deemed illegal if the top surface of a lacrosse ball, when placed in the head of the crosse, is below the bottom edge of the side wall. The pocket of a girls’ crosse shall be deemed illegal if the top surface of a lacrosse ball, when placed in the head of the crosse, is below the top edge of the side wall. The Ball: The ball must be made of solid rubber and can be white, yellow or orange. The ball is 7.75 - 8 inches in circumference and 5 - 5.25 ounces. The Helmet (boys): A protective helmet, equipped with face mask, chin pad and a cupped four point chin strap fastened to all four hookups, must be worn by all men's players. All helmets and face masks should be NOCSAE (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment) approved. The Mouthpiece: The mouthpiece must be a highly visible color and is mandatory. The Glove (boys): All players are required to wear protective gloves. The cutting or altering of gloves is prohibited.   Protective Equipment (boys): All players, with the exception of the goalkeeper, must wear shoulder pads and arm pads.  Rib pads are also strongly recommended and often required, as are athletic supporters and protective cups for all players. The goalkeeper is required to wear a throat protector and chest protector, in addition to a helmet, mouthpiece and gloves.  

Random equipment thoughts.

We have a discount night at Play It Again Sports prior to the start of each season.  You should also have received a discount card to Play It Again Sports.  Utilize one of these options for your best price. 

If you just want to learn about the different options in gear, go online to www.laxshopper.com.

Some players have great fun customizing their sticks.  You can dye your head different colors or string your own pocket (only for experts!).  Additional information on these hobbies can be found at: LaxMania, Jimalax (stringing materials), Queen City (stringing materials), E-Lacrosse (dying), Lax.com (mesh stringing), http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/catsnmore/dyedheads.html, Lax Nation (mesh stringing), Lax Nation (dying), E-Lacrosse (traditional stringing).

If your child wears braces, you may want to contact your orthodontist to see what they recommend your child use to protect their teeth.

It's a good idea to have a water bottle at practice. Please bring your own as sharing just leads to a team of sick players.