The National Federation of State High School Associations Board of Directors has approved 12 rules changes for the 2026 boys lacrosse season, with several focused on player safety and injury prevention.
The most significant change prohibits defensive players other than properly equipped goalkeepers from entering their team's crease with intent to block shots or act as a goalkeeper. Violations will result in a personal foul for illegal equipment that cannot be released early.
The NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee recommended the changes during its June 8-10 meeting at The Alexander in Indianapolis. The modifications aim to discourage improperly equipped players from acting as goalkeepers by imposing more severe penalties.
Additional safety-focused changes include making helmet loss a technical foul for illegal procedure to encourage proper helmet and chin strap use. The committee also expanded holding penalty descriptions to include hooking, lifting or pinning an opponent's body with the crosse.
Game administration changes eliminate the five-second maximum for goalkeepers to re-enter the crease on restarts, aligning their treatment with field players during injury or equipment issues. Officials can now call delay-of-game penalties on faceoff players requiring repeated adjustments.
"Through rules changes and discussion, the committee spent a significant amount of time addressing risk minimization and the personal equipment that supports athlete safety," said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee.
The committee rewrote interruption procedures, declaring games legal and complete if 75 percent of playing time has elapsed when games cannot be resumed the same day and the score is not tied.
Equipment changes require cones at team area corners and working horns at sideline tables. Jersey number requirements were reduced from 12 inches to 8 inches tall, and tooth and mouth protector rules were aligned with other NFHS codes.
Penalty restart procedures were simplified, with all restarts now administered laterally outside the goal area regardless of conditions.
Complete rules changes are available at www.nfhs.org under "Activities & Sports" and "Lacrosse – Boys." TSSAA head coaches receive free access to the new digital rules book and are briefed annually on rules changes through mandatory rules clinics.
According to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 115,001 boys participated in lacrosse at 3,278 high schools during the 2023-24 academic year.
