How Long Is A Lacrosse Game? – Full Guide

The sport is an exciting one and people are beginning to come up with the question; How long is a Lacrosse game? However, this question appears not to have a singular answer as you must first decide which league or division you will watch or play in. 

This is due to the fact that each association has its own set of regulations. Meanwhile, before we proceed to explain how long a Lacrosse game lasts, it is important that folks should understand the history of the game and what it entails.

Brief History of Lacrosse

Lacrosse is an exciting team sport in which participating players make use of a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. You’d be surprised to know that Lacrosse is the oldest organized sport in North America, having roots dating back to the 12th century with the indigenous peoples of North America. 

However, European colonists extensively modified the game, lowering the violence, to produce its modern collegiate and professional forms that have become popular in recent times.

The head of the lacrosse stick is used by players to carry, pass, catch, and shoot the ball into the goal. 

The sport also comes in 4 variations namely; Field lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, box lacrosse, and intercrosse. Each of these variations comes with its own set of sticks, fields, rules, and equipment. 

Meanwhile, it should be known that Field lacrosse (outdoor) and box lacrosse (indoor) are contact sports in which all players wear protective equipment such as helmets, gloves, shoulder pads, and elbow pads.

Women can also play Lacrosse. The women’s game is played outside and does not permit bodily contact, but does permit stick-to-stick contact. 

Women use eyewear as their only protective equipment while goalies must wear helmets and protective pads. Intercrosse, on the other hand, can be described as a non-contact, mixed-gender indoor sport played with an all-plastic stick and a softer ball.

How Long Is A LacrossE Game?

The average regulation time in a lacrosse game is 60 minutes. This is divided into four 15-minute quarters. There is a 2-minute break between quarters, except at halftime, when there is a 10-minute rest. Timeouts last 4 minutes in total. Therefore, we can say that a lacrosse game will last approximately 78 minutes. 

An Overview of the Lacrosse Game 

In Lacrosse, each competition and league has its own set of regulations and times. We’ll be taking a brief look at some constituents of the game when action is on. 

Quarters: Each lacrosse game is divided into quarters. It is unusual for a lacrosse game to be divided into only two halves. 

Halftime: The interval between the second and third quarters is referred to as halftime. While the players are resting, the coaches can spend more time with them. Also, the crowd can leverage this time to refresh themselves. 

Timeouts: As pointed out earlier, each league or competition has its own set of rules regarding timeouts. College lacrosse allows for two timeouts per half, while the National Lacrosse League allows for three timeouts per game. 

Overtime: Is there overtime in Lacrosse? The answer is a resounding Yes! If the teams are tied at the end of regulation time, they will play overtime. Regardless, Overtime rules differ as they depend on the tournament or league in question. 

How Long Are Lacrosse Games?

Now to the question at hand. We will be providing you with thorough answers based on where the Lacrosse game is being played.

How Long Are Premier Lacrosse Games? 

The Premier Lacrosse League is still in its early stages. They do, however, follow the basic lacrosse regulations. There are also minor changes in the size of the field and the distance between the goals. 

The Premier Lacrosse League features a 48-minute regulation time. This is divided into four 12-minute quarters. Each team is allowed three timeouts per game, for a total of four minutes. 

If you consider the time between quarters, it comes to about 65 minutes every game. If the teams are still tied at the end of regulation time, they will go into overtime. 

The overtime period in the Premier Lacrosse League is 12 minutes long, and the team that scores first wins. 

This is similar to the golden goal rule that was prevalent in extra time in soccer some years back. If a game goes into overtime, you’re looking at approximately 78 minutes each game. 

How Long Are College Lacrosse Games? 

College lacrosse is where young players establish themselves before moving on to the major levels. The regulations of college lacrosse serve as a framework for explaining the rules of professional lacrosse. This is due to their striking resemblance. 

There are four quarters in college lacrosse, with each quarter lasting 15 minutes. There is a two-minute pause between each quarter. However, half-time occurs between the second and third quarters, and the players will take a 10-minute rest during this period. 

A 74-minute college lacrosse game includes three timeouts. If there is no winner at the end of the game, overtime will be played. When the game proceeds to overtime, there will be four-minute quarters until a team scores. Because the first team to score wins, it is difficult to predict how long the game will last. 

How Long Are High School Lacrosse Games? 

The majority of college lacrosse players are scouted while still in high school. However, high school lacrosse is not played with the same fervor as collegiate lacrosse. 

High school lacrosse games are divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each. Except at halftime, each quarter lasts around 2 minutes. The players will have a 10-minute break here. If you include the stop-start whistle, a full game of regular time will take about 65 minutes. 

If no one wins by the end of regulation time, the game will be decided over overtime. This is divided into four-minute segments. The length here is the same as college Lacrosse as they will keep playing until a team scores.

How Long Is A Youth Lacrosse Game? 

Youth lacrosse games are similar to high school lacrosse games. However, they differ with regard to how long the games last.

There are 32 minutes of regulation time in a youth lacrosse game. This is divided into eight-minute segments. There is a two-minute intermission between quarters and a 10-minute halftime break. 

This brings the overall time for regulation to almost 46 minutes. This league is by far the shortest in comparison to other levels where the sport is played.

Meanwhile, it includes overtime, and it is difficult to determine an exact time for this. Each extra period lasts up to 4 minutes, and the game ends when a winner is determined. 

What a Lacrosse Game Entails

The goal of players in a Lacrosse game is to score and help their team to emerge victoriously against their opponents. They will also play their part in ensuring that their team does not concede to enhance their chances of winning.

This can be really challenging and may not go as planned or hoped occasionally. 

Regardless, players should plan to play with a high level of intensity if this is not done, the opposition team will either go right past you or you won’t be able to get past them when assaulting. 

Lacrosse is a high-intensity sport. You will most likely continue running until the game is over, or until you take a rest between each quarter. 

You should plan on playing for four quarters and also note that the length of each quarter is determined by the league or the rules of the association where the game is played.

Conclusion

We’ve provided thorough answers to questions regarding the length of a Lacrosse game in this article, as well as the brief history of the sport and what it entails. 

We’ve outlined the various levels of the sport and how long individual games last across the aforementioned levels. Do well to leverage the information we have provided in this article.