2025 season rule changes

[AreaLax]

Men's Rules Release

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Wednesday approved modifying the video review criteria in men's lacrosse so coaches can make challenges using the previously approved situations within the criteria at any point in the game, effective for the 2025 season.

Officials can initiate video review only in the last four minutes of regulation and in any overtime period.

Under the new rule, officials can initiate reviews to identify participants in a fight or determine whether flagrant misconduct or unsportsmanlike conduct or contact to the head and/or neck took place at any time in the game.

Another scenario that was added to the video review criteria will allow coaches to challenge whether a valid shot deflected off the goalie or the goal pipe to see whether the shot clock should be reset. Officials can initiate this type of video review, starting with the last four minutes of regulation.


Faceoff change

The panel approved an adjustment to the faceoff officiating mechanic for next season. Under the change:

After the command of down, the official will stand over the faceoff players and can adjust the players' positions as needed.
From there, the official will say "set" and will back out and whistle to start the faceoff.
This will require the official to get out of the way before the faceoff starts.
Under the new rule, if a faceoff player commits a violation, that player will not be allowed to participate in the next faceoff. Also, the 30-second penalty for teams that commit three faceoff violations in a half was eliminated.

Other rules changes

Players established in the defensive half of the field will only be able to bat or deflect the ball with their crosse to keep it in the offensive half of the field. Body contact with the ball will result in an over-and-back violation.


A suspended coach or any other personnel cannot be in the confines of the venue from the time the team arrives until officials leave the field after the contest.

Clear mouthguards will be permitted.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... en-s/63785

[Nassaufan]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

[mdk01]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

Agreed. Keeping the FOGO out of next faceoff is a much more appropriate penalty.

[wgdsr]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

like the rule change. i think you mean it elevated a technical to what's basically a personal in regard to both possession and assessment (although 30 sec vs 60+).

[a fan]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

Agreed. Keeping the FOGO out of next faceoff is a much more appropriate penalty.

Huh. I thought the rule was installed to keep Coaches from negating a fogo who can pop the ball forward and have several fast breaks per game...by intentionally violating, allowing them to get back on Defense?

[mdk01]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

Agreed. Keeping the FOGO out of next faceoff is a much more appropriate penalty.

Huh. I thought the rule was installed to keep Coaches from negating a fogo who can pop the ball forward and have several fast breaks per game...by intentionally violating, allowing them to get back on Defense?

If a team does't have a decent #2, FOGO it may not be a fast break but you will get a unsettled situation with advantage offense

[a fan]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

Agreed. Keeping the FOGO out of next faceoff is a much more appropriate penalty.

Huh. I thought the rule was installed to keep Coaches from negating a fogo who can pop the ball forward and have several fast breaks per game...by intentionally violating, allowing them to get back on Defense?

If a team does't have a decent #2, FOGO it may not be a fast break but you will get a unsettled situation with advantage offense

The rule was put in place because teams that faced dominate faceoff guys who could push the ball to themselves were giving up multiple goals.

So to counter that, they just stood up early, to defend the break, and concede the faceoff. You don't even need to put a FOGO out there....you just put a DM out there......and you've lost the ball, but denied the break.

There is no unsettled situation when they do this... the DM is square to the Fogo with the ball when the Fogo picks up the ball.

Hence the rule change to a flag after 3 violations. It seems weird to me that they changed it back....but I didn't really pay all that much attention to how many FOGO were routinely getting solo fastbreaks the last few years.

[runrussellrun]

in an effort to speed up the game, and sucks, is reffing the Belmont Hill versus Middlesex game, is sucks, supposed to whip out his scorecard, and write down the number of the Fogo in violation, while play continues or will the Ai NFHS camera do the job for the officiating crew


fix stupid… By trying to "fix" the beautiful game of Lacrosse

huh

[pcowlax]

Glad to see the NCAA finally eliminated the 30-second penalty for three faceoff violations. That rule penalized teams twice for the same infraction.

Agreed. Keeping the FOGO out of next faceoff is a much more appropriate penalty.

Huh. I thought the rule was installed to keep Coaches from negating a fogo who can pop the ball forward and have several fast breaks per game...by intentionally violating, allowing them to get back on Defense?

If a team does't have a decent #2, FOGO it may not be a fast break but you will get a unsettled situation with advantage offense

The rule was put in place because teams that faced dominate faceoff guys who could push the ball to themselves were giving up multiple goals.

So to counter that, they just stood up early, to defend the break, and concede the faceoff. You don't even need to put a FOGO out there....you just put a DM out there......and you've lost the ball, but denied the break.

There is no unsettled situation when they do this... the DM is square to the Fogo with the ball when the Fogo picks up the ball.

Hence the rule change to a flag after 3 violations. It seems weird to me that they changed it back....but I didn't really pay all that much attention to how many FOGO were routinely getting solo fastbreaks the last few years.

I know that was the theoretical concern and I may have, very rarely, seen that but how much of an actual problem was that? Teams intentionally violating to prevent a break? I’m not saying it never happened, it did, but I don’t like rule changes that affect the whole game to address extremely rare, outlier situations. Don’t get me started on rules against crease diving.

[FannOLax]

I'd be delighted if they would go a couple of years without changing any rule. These rule changes seem to pursue an elusive and impossible perfection.

[NotLikeUs]

I don't mind the face off rule change but would have liked to see the violating team have their face off guy come off immediately as opposed to just standing up, cutting off a break and matching feet with the face-off guy who didn't jump/go early. Not sure how many 6 v 5 breaks you could generate for more than 5-10 seconds, but it would have been interesting

[FOGO_Daze]

The FOGO changes are good I think. Changing out a FOGO that lost is a great idea and will get more kids on the field, which is also nice.
The call to SET then back away is also great. Too many fogos were just jumping the whistle with rarely a penalty. THis will now show who really has technique and hand speed at the position.

[faircornell]

I understand that this might be of limited interest, but World Lacrosse approved a shot clock for men's and women's field lacrosse a few months ago. I believe that it will be somewhere around 80 seconds, including the clear. The change will begin January 2026 for men and January 2027 for women.

[Olderbarndog]

The FOGO changes are good I think. Changing out a FOGO that lost is a great idea and will get more kids on the field, which is also nice.
The call to SET then back away is also great. Too many fogos were just jumping the whistle with rarely a penalty. THis will now show who really has technique and hand speed at the position.

Good officials change cadence. Always looked forward to facing off with guys who didn't. Thousand one, thousand two...