The Different Types Of Lacrosse
Lacrosse is divided into two main types - indoor and outdoor. The indoor game is primarily box lacrosse, and sometimes intercrosse also known as soft lacrosse. The outdoor game is divided into boy's & men's field lacrosse and girl's and women's field lacrosse.
Box Lacrosse is played on an ice-free hockey rink, which is usually indoors, but sometimes may be an outdoor rink. Box, sometimes called 'boxla,' is a 6v6 game, which includes a goaltender and 5 'runners.' The 'floor' is divided into offensive and defensive zones and the object of the game is to score more goals than the other team in the allotted time, usually three periods of varying length; shorter periods for younger players and a full 20-minute stop-time period for Junior (U21) and above.
Youth box lacrosse in Ontario is referred to as 'minor lacrosse' or 'minor box' and can include both boys and girls, although there is a girls-only box sector that goes all the way to a women's league. Minor lacrosse played at the provincial level is called 'rep' (short for 'representational') lacrosse. Teams are organized around age categories from 5 to 21 years and compete all summer culminating in the Provincial Championship, usually held the first two weeks of August at the Ontario Lacrosse Festival.
Minor Lacrosse played at the local level is often referred to as 'rec' or 'recreational' lacrosse, and better known as 'house league.' In Oshawa, our house league is called the City League and teams compete for the City Championship after a 10 week season that begins in April and finishes at the end of June. Oshawa's rec box programs include a U5 'Peanut' division for players aged 3& 4, but they do not play competitive games. While contact is a part of box lacrosse, City League has modified contact rules to favour the development of stick & game skills for newer players.
Boy's and Men's Field Lacrosse is played on a full soccer or football field usually between teams of 10 players each, although popular modifications include a 7v7 format and the new 6v6 Olympic format. The latter are played across the width of the field rather than the full length. Field lacrosse in Ontario ranges from 'minor field' with age categories ranging from U7 to U17 and play a short spring season with Provincials in late May; U19 Junior Men & Senior Men play in the autumn. Boy's and Men's Field Lacrosse is a full contact sport and the equipment - including the stick - is compatible with box lacrosse. Oshawa Blue Knights enters teams in the minor field season as part of the rep team programming. A separate U19 club operates the Junior Men Blue Knights. Many local high schools also enter field lacrosse as part of their varsity athletic program.
Girl's and Women's Field Lacrosse is played on a full soccer or football field between teams of 12 players each. There are also 7v7 & 6v6 rule modifications. Girl's and Women's field lacrosse is a significantly different game than Boy's and Men's field lacrosse. There are more players on the field, the game is non-contact, there is much less equipment, and they play with a much shallower stick. Girl's minor field lacrosse in the Durham Region is provided by the Oshawa Lady Blue Knights, who have been in operation for over 20 years. As well, many high schools also offer this game as part of varsity athletics.
Intercrosse is a game usually played indoors, in a gym, between teams of 5 players. Intercrosse is a non-contact sport with a stick that is completely made of plastic. The intercrosse stick is incompatible with both box and field lacrosse. Oshawa Minor Lacrosse does not offer intercrosse, although the game may be offered as part of local schools PE programming.