World Lacrosse today announced the adoption of a comprehensive set of athlete safety measures, establishing certified equipment standards across all disciplines of the sport at World Lacrosse owned and sanctioned events.
The measures represent the most significant athlete safety initiative in the International Federation’s history and align World Lacrosse with established industry standards for protective equipment. The decision follows extensive review by the WL Sport and Governance committees, consultation with legal experts, and analysis of peer-reviewed research on injury prevention in lacrosse.
Among the key changes:
- Protective eyewear is required for all women’s field and women’s sixes athletes
- Women’s field and women’s sixes athletes are permitted to wear soft-shell headgear
- Helmets meeting NOCSAE certification (or comparable standards in the country of product origin) are required wherever helmets are mandated in field and sixes
- Goalkeepers in field and sixes are required to wear chest protection meeting NOCSAE standards
- Shoulder pads meeting NOCSAE commotio cordis standards are required for men’s field, men’s sixes and men’s/women’s box
WL CEO Jim Scherr said: “The safety of our athletes is our highest priority, and these standards reflect both our duty of care as an International Federation and the best available evidence on injury prevention in our sport. As lacrosse continues to raise its global profile, it is essential that athletes at every World Lacrosse event compete with equipment that meets a consistent, science-based standard.”
Studies have shown that protective eyewear can reduce the likelihood of catastrophic eye injury by up to 84 per cent when impact occurs, and a 2024 study found a 50 percent reduction in concussion rates among women’s lacrosse athletes wearing soft-shell headgear. NOCSAE-certified shoulder pads and chest protectors are designed to mitigate the risk of commotio cordis – a sudden cardiac arrest caused by a non-penetrating blow to the chest, which is estimated to claim the lives of 15 to 25 athletes across all sports each year.
To allow athletes, members and manufacturers adequate time to prepare, the requirements will be phased in by discipline:
- Sixes: 2027 WL Sixes Championships and all WL owned and sanctioned events thereafter
- Box: 2028 WL Box Championships and all WL owned and sanctioned events thereafter
- Women’s Field: 2029 WL Women’s U20 Championship, or if a continental federation holds its qualifier for the 2030 WL Women’s Championship before then, athletes within that federation must comply at the qualifier and in all subsequent WL sanctioned events
- Men’s Field: 2029 WL Men’s U20 Championship, or if a continental federation holds its qualifier for the 2031 WL Men’s Championship before then, athletes within that federation must comply at the qualifier and in all subsequent WL sanctioned events
The new standards will apply at World Lacrosse owned and sanctioned events, including world championships, continental championships and any WL-managed multi-sport competitions such as The World Games and the Olympic Games. Members are strongly encouraged to adopt the same standards for domestic play.
World Lacrosse will support members through grants and procurement programs to assist with the acquisition of certified equipment. Further details on these programs will be announced in the coming months. A detailed FAQ on the new standards is available here.
