Section 12: Safety and Equipment

1. Safety Policy
1. The fundamental concepts of the safety policy are to establish a standard of care intended to reduce the risk of injury from contact which is inherent in and incidental to the sport and to identify the responsibilities of the various participants.
2. General
1. Player safety and the use of proper equipment is the responsibility of many parties including:
1. Players and parents (of minor players) are responsible for providing and maintaining proper equipment.
2. Coaches, trainers and team personnel are responsible for inspecting players' equipment and preventing the use of improper equipment.
3. Game officials are responsible for enforcing the rules of the game.
2. All players are required to wear protective equipment as described and/or limited in the rules of play approved by the CLA.
   1. In Box Lacrosse the use and/or prohibition on the use of protective equipment shall be as published by the CLA in the Rules of Box Lacrosse.
   2. In Men's Field Lacrosse the use and/or prohibition on the use of protective equipment shall be as published by the ILF in the Official Rules of Men's Field Lacrosse.
   3. In Women's Field Lacrosse the use and/or prohibition on the use of protective equipment shall be as published by the IFWLA in the International Women's Lacrosse Rules.
4. Equipment shall be manufactured by a professional manufacturer, and shall not be altered in any way which will decrease the protection to the player, increase the risk of injury to an opponent or void the manufacturer's warranty.
5. Any equipment which violates this policy and/or the rules of play will be removed from the game and, where required, appropriate penalties will be given.
6. Where equipment dangerous to an opponent has been used, the game officials shall report the occurrence, via the standard incident report, to the appropriate governing body.
3. Helmets
1. For Box Lacrosse and Men's Field Lacrosse all players shall wear a helmet and chinstrap securely fastened under the chin. Helmets must meet the standards published by the CSA for Hockey or NOCSAE for Lacrosse.
4. Facial Protection
1. For Box Lacrosse and Men's Field Lacrosse, all players are required to wear a face mask firmly affixed to the helmet which must meet all of the following guidelines:
   1. The face mask must be approved under the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard for Hockey or under the National Organizing Committee for Safety in Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) Standard for Lacrosse.
   2. The face mask shall be designed to cover the wearer's entire face to the lower line of the jaw, and prevent the ball and/or the head of the stick from touching the face of the wearer.
   3. The face mask must be finished so that it does not create a risk of injury to the wearer or another person when it is used as it is intended.
2. For Women's Field Lacrosse, intra-oral mouth guards, properly fitted and worn as recommended, are mandatory. For Box Lacrosse and Men's Field Lacrosse it is recommended that players also use an intra-oral mouthpiece.
3. For Box Lacrosse and Men=s Field Lacrosse, all players are required to wear a face mask as described above and a chinstrap properly fastened on both sides of the helmet.
5. Gloves
1. In Box Lacrosse all players are required to wear protective gloves.
2. In Men's Field Lacrosse all players are required to wear protective gloves. The gloves may be palmless. The gloves must be worn in such a manner as not to expose the fingers to the risk of injury. The athlete's entire finger must be encased within the finger of the glove.
3. Wrist protection pad and the cuff must be fastened and not allow exposure of the wrist area. It is required that, when wearing gloves specifically designed for Lacrosse, the wrist joint protector pad should be in place and properly secured.
4. In Women's Field Lacrosse close fitting gloves may be worn but are not mandatory.
6. Shoes
1. All players are required to wear suitable athletic shoes. No shoe will be permitted which includes cleats that are made of metal or with a metal tip.
7. Goaltenders
1. The special equipment required for the goaltender must be constructed solely for the purpose of protection of the head or body.
2. In Box Lacrosse, in addition to helmet, face and glove protection, all goaltenders are to wear chest, shoulder and arm pads, and a suitable throat protector.
3. In Men's Field Lacrosse, in addition to helmet, face and glove protection, all goaltenders are required to wear suitable chest and throat protectors.
4. In Women's Field Lacrosse the goaltender must wear a chest or body pad, approved helmet with face protector, and a throat protector. The goaltender may also wear padded gloves, arm pads and leg pads.
5. The goaltender is allowed to wear safety toed shoes and leg/shin protectors. Leg/shin protectors shall be designed for Lacrosse, or of equivalent design.
6. It is strongly recommended that the goaltenders wear a jock/groin protector which is specifically designed for the goaltender position.
8. Other
   1. Players may not wear any jewellery such as but not limited to earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches or rings. Medical information bracelets are allowed but should be taped securely to the player.

  Additional

From:
Michael Lachapelle
Canadian Lacrosse Association
General Manager

January 12, 2001

CLA Chair of Officiating
As of January 1, 2001 the CLA Officiating Program has had a transition in leadership. The new Chair of Officiating for the CLA is Mr. Stewart Begg of Alberta. Stew has been an active official for more than 20 years, has been a key component of the Alberta officiating program, served as head of the ALRA, and has been a member of the CLA Curriculum work group which has been revising the program along competencies guidelines.

Rule changes for 2001
At the CLA Annual General Meeting in November 2000, there were three changes to the rules approved for the 2001 season:

Rule 6 - The Stick
The minimum length for the stick in the Peewee and lower age groups has been changed to thirty-four inches (34"). The note in the rules is to be changed.

Rule 8 - The Goals
For Senior A (CLA designation) category, the net is to be four feet by four and one-half feet (4' X 4'6"). The pilot of this rule was successful. The change is to be added to the rule book as a note to Rule 8.

Rule 36 - Too Many Men
The rule is to be changes to indicate that, on line changes, the penalty for the offense will be loss of possession , and for defense there will be a two-minute minor to be served. The change is to reflect the successful pilot last year.

Facemasks
The CLA Board of Directors took steps to increase the requirements of the Safety and Equipment policy as related to face masks. The Policy was changed to the extent that the only masks which are allowable under the CLA policy are those which have been approved under the CSA standard for Hockey or the NOCSAE standard for Lacrosse.

The impact of this change is, under CLA rules, the face mask designed by Mr. O'Neill and masks converted from baseball or other sports, which have been common over the past few years, do not meet the requirement of the policy and will not be allowed in the game.

It is our understanding that the O'Neill designed mask has been undergoing testing and may soon meet the regulations. At this point in time we are required to indicate that the mask does not meet the policy. We will keep all Member Associations informed of any changes to this situation. As the CLA policy now has a definitive statement on which masks meet regulations, we will be working with our Member Associations to provide a reference list of masks.

If there are any questions on the above, please forward them to the CLA office or the head of your programs in the Member Associations.

Thank you.