Men’s Lacrosse vs Women’s Lacrosse - What Are the Differences?

In today’s article, we will cover the difference between men’s and women’s lacrosse and why they use different equipment and field lines. Check out our full selection of men’s and women’s lacrosse gear to prepare for the season!

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Why Do Boy's and Girl’s Lacrosse Have Different Rules?
• Equipment Differences for Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse
• Rule Differences for Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse
• What Are the Similarities Between Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse?
• FAQs About Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse

Why Do Boys and Girls Lacrosse Have Different Rules?

Boy’s and girl’s lacrosse have different rules to limit contact. A girl’s lacrosse game is about finesse and getting the right shot off. Whereas boy’s lacrosse is focused on speed and force.

Equipment Differences for Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse

Due to the differences in rules, the equipment is much different for men’s and women’s lacrosse. Men will need helmets, gloves, shoulder pads, and elbow pads. Where women only need goggles, with gloves being optional.

Rule Differences for Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse

Contact is going to be the biggest difference between men’s and women’s lacrosse, but there are a couple of other rule differences that make a difference.

• Number of Players
• Field Size
• Checking & Contact
• Offensive & Defensive Player Locations
• Face-off vs. Draw

Number of Players

Women’s lacrosse has 2 more players on the field than men’s lacrosse. Women have 5 attackers, 6 defenders, and 1 goalie. While men have 3 attackers, 3 midfielders, 3 defenders, and 1 goalie.

Field Size

Women’s lacrosse is played on a slightly bigger field than a men’s field, 120 yards by 70 yards vs. 110 yards by 60 yards.

Checking & Contact

Men’s lacrosse players are allowed to check much more than women’s lacrosse players. Anything from body checking to stick checking is legal in men’s, while any check that hits another player in women’s lacrosse is a penalty.

Offensive vs. Defensive Player Location

In men’s lacrosse, the attackers must stay on the offensive side and the defenders must stay on the defensive side. Occasionally an attacker or defender can cross into the opposite zone as long as a midfielder stays back.

In women’s lacrosse, there can only be 7 attackers and 7 defenders below the restraining line at any time.

Face-off vs. Draw

Men’s and women’s lacrosse also have different procedures to start each quarter and after each goal. In men’s lacrosse, the ball is placed on the ground and two players fight for the ball to gain possession in a face-off. Women do what is called a draw. The referee places the ball in between 2 players and they throw the ball up to gain possession.

What Are the Similarities Between Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse?

As we can see, there are a ton of differences between men’s and women’s lacrosse. However, there are also a lot of similarities between the 2 games.

Similarities include:

• Restraining lines
• Goalies
• Crease rules
• Penalty for checking to head or back
• Subbing on the fly

FAQs About Men’s Lacrosse vs. Women’s Lacrosse

Men’s and women’s lacrosse have different rules to limit contact. A girl’s lacrosse game is about finesse and getting the right shot off. Whereas boy’s lacrosse is focused on speed and force.

Yes, women can play men’s lacrosse.

There are two big differences between men’s and women’s sticks. The first is the pocket, men’s pockets can be one lacrosse ball deep giving them more control and providing security when they’re checked. Women’s pockets are much shallower, which means it is easier for the ball to be knocked out.  Second is the size of the head itself, women’s heads are much thinner than men’s. This is due to the lack of contact in women’s lacrosse, but the thinner heads offer more control and a lighter frame to work with than a men’s stick. Additionally, women can use thinner and slightly longer shafts than men’s players.

The only difference between the balls is color. Girls use yellow balls while boys use white balls.

Girl's lacrosse requires more finesse than boy's lacrosse, requiring much higher stick skills and lacrosse IQ.

Yes, players in boy’s or girls’s can kick the ball.

Lack of pads, women wear almost no pads meaning there will be less contact.

No, girls can not body check in lacrosse.

In today’s article, we covered the difference between men’s and women’s lacrosse and why they use different equipment and field lines. With this information, check out our full selection of men’s and women’s lacrosse gear to prepare for the season!