SPARKS, Md. — The application window for the 2024 USA Lacrosse Youth Nationals, featuring top-tier girls’ 13U, 14U and 15U teams from around the country, is now open.

As a coach, you likely have certain assumptions around receiving respect from your athletes. However, when was the last time you really considered what respect means to you, and how your athletes define it? Respectful behaviors might seem obvious to you, but often, what you consider signs of respect are things that athletes simply haven’t learned or don’t understand.

Concussion research is a rapidly evolving field, and over the past several years, there have been some changes in recommendations regarding concussions and their treatment. Newer research shows that some prior recommendations, including prolonged periods of rest, were not helpful for recovery.

Sixes, the fast-paced, Olympic-style version of lacrosse, has seen increased exposure over the past year with inclusion in The World Games in Birmingham, Ala., last summer and the Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series in February. 

Now it’s ready to come to youth lacrosse. 

As a coach or caregiver, it’s easy to forget the anxiety and nerves that often crop up for athletes around team tryouts. Or maybe you have an experience of your own that you remember and shudder about decades later. But how do you hold tryouts and make the right selections for your team while still helping athletes navigate those nerves?

SPARKS, Md. — The USA Lacrosse Board of Directors, a group that helps set policy, strategy and financial oversight for the nonprofit governing body, has recently welcomed four new members. Rick Burton, Andrea Chen Lin, Juan-Pablo Mas and Shawn Nadelen each have started two-year terms as volunteers with the organization.

SPARKS, Md. — USA Lacrosse is excited to announce the first wave of boys’ club lacrosse tournaments that will use its age verification services during the 2023-24 season.

Earlier this year, the National Lacrosse Federation (NLF), an organization comprised of the top boys’ club lacrosse programs in the country, and USA Lacrosse entered into a transformational partnership to bring age verification to the boys’ club lacrosse landscape. The goal is to improve the integrity of competition, the quality of experience for all participants and player safety.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and USA Lacrosse have announced boys’ rules changes that will be effective for the 2024 youth and high school seasons. USA Lacrosse and the NFHS collaborate annually on rule changes.

The move from halves to quarters and an adjustment to the determination of free position location based on the spot of the ball when the violation occurs were among the changes supported by both the high school girls’ and youth girls’ lacrosse rules committees for the 2024 season.  Additionally, the NFHS committee eliminated the pause on self-starts for the high school level.

The high school rule changes have been approved by the board of directors for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and for the youth level by USA Lacrosse.

SPARKS, Md. — USA Lacrosse today announced the 2023 girls’ players and coaches honored through its high school recognition program. The recognition program includes Coach of the Year awards and for players, All-America, All-Academic, and the Jackie Pitts Award. 

A USA Lacrosse All-American is a player who exhibits superior skills and techniques and possesses exceptional game sense and knowledge. A USA Lacrosse All-American is one of the best players in the United States, while also embodying excellent sportsmanship.