A little over a year ago, USA Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse Federation announced a partnership to bring age verification to boys’ club lacrosse. After launching with pilot events run by Prime Time Lacrosse and MADLAX last fall and winter, USA Lacrosse’s age verification program has made significant strides in the first spring and summer of implementation in concert with the NLF.
WHAT IS AGE VERIFICATION?
Age verification is a process in which a proof-of-age document is uploaded to USA Lacrosse where it will be reviewed by USA Lacrosse staff. After review, the member’s record will be updated as age-verified if the documentation is approved. This is a one-time process included in the cost of membership. As long as your child’s USA Lacrosse membership remains active, their age-verification status remains valid.
This functionality has been a part of the USA Lacrosse membership platform for several years, but in collaboration with event operators like the NLF, USA Lacrosse has now taken the lead to require player members to verify. Verification can help ensure that age groups for players 14 and under comply with best practices.
WHAT ARE THE AGE GROUPINGS?
In order to facilitate fairness, competitive integrity and enhanced safety, USA Lacrosse recommends all youth players 14 and under to play in age groupings of a maximum of 24 months by birthdate, using September 1 as the beginning of the year to align with the majority of school systems nationwide.
The NLF and other boys’ club events have opted to use 15-month age segmentation for players aged 14 and below, allowing for flexibility for individuals born in the summer months of June, July and August. Graduation year is the primary category for the NLF events, but all players must fit within the 15-month window for their graduation year. If they are older then they must play in the older age grouping. Playing down a class year based on birthdate is not allowed for NLF events.
For high school players that have reached ninth grade, they are grouped by their graduation class regardless of age.
The chart below shows the groupings for the 2024-25 season for 14U and younger:
WHERE IS AGE VERIFICATION USED?
A growing number of event operators, including some affiliated with NLF programs, utilize age verification. Among some of the larger events that USA Lacrosse provided assistance with the age verification process this summer were:
- Crabfeast, Baltimore, Md.
- ECD National Capital Classic, Upper Marlboro, Md.
- Hudson Valley Summer Classic, Middletown, N.Y.
- Lax Clash, Uniondale, N.Y.
- Legacy Summer Invitational, Devens, Mass.
- Long Island Lax Fest, Farmingdale, N.Y.
- Mile High Classic, Denver Colo.
- NAL Youth Championships, New Castle, Del.
- NLF Summer Kickoff, New Castle, Del.
- Prime Time Youth Summer Youth Invitational, Danbury, Conn. and South Salem, N.Y.
- Southeast Summer Invitational, Matthews, N.C.
- Team 91 Invitational, Piscataway, N.J.
- Westchester War Games, Middletown, N.Y.
The following upcoming events will also use USA Lacrosse age verification support:
- Big Time Shootout, Westville, N.Y.
- Hershey Shootout, Palmyra, Pa.
- NLF National Championships, Stony Brook and Farmingdale, N.Y.
- Summer Lax Jam, Farmingdale, N.Y.
I’M A PARENT, HOW DO I GET MY CHILD AGE VERIFIED?
There are three-simple steps to have your child’s birthdate age-verified:
- Log into your USALacrosse.com account, not your child's if you are a parent.
- Find the member you need to verify.
- Upload a valid form of ID.
This quick video tutorial goes over the process. https://vimeo.com/833389889
I’M A TOURNAMENT OPERATOR, HOW DO I UTILIZE AGE VERIFICATION?
USA Lacrosse has expanded its toolkit for event operators this spring to streamline implementation of age verification. If you’re an event operator interested in learning more, please contact Brian Turk at bturk@usalacrosse.com.
WHAT IS USA LACROSSE DOING GOING FORWARD?
- Beginning July 1, 2024, all USA Lacrosse player members will be required to submit age-verification documents during the member-onboarding process. Previously, this was an optional step. This new requirement will make it easier for events and leagues to use age verification.
- Digital membership cards showing age-verification status will be available in July 2024. The member cards will be able to be stored or downloaded from your member profile into your digital wallet on your phone to show proof of age verification upon request.
- Based on feedback from event operators, USA Lacrosse will also be implementing grade-verification in addition to age verification to provide this functionality for groups that segment on these lines.
