Bulletin 2026-01: Conduct, Equipment, and Standards of Play
I. Purpose
This bulletin reaffirms the standards of conduct, equipment compliance, and physical play required of all participants in Liberty Lacrosse Association (LLA) sanctioned games. It is issued in response to a series of incidents reported across multiple divisions and is intended to ensure consistent application of league rules by coaches, officials, and program leadership for the remainder of the 2026 season.
II. Background
LLA exists to develop players through age-appropriate instruction in the sport of lacrosse. The league's rules are structured to introduce skills, contact, and competitive intensity in a measured progression across divisions. This progression is intentional. A 7/8 division game is expected to look meaningfully different from a 1/2 division game, and the standards that follow reflect that design.
The league recognizes that lacrosse is a physical sport and does not seek to remove contact from the game. The objective is to introduce contact in the right sequence so that players develop the skills, judgment, and confidence to remain in the sport as they advance. Recreational programs across all sports are competing for the participation of the same families, and a safe, well-officiated environment is essential to retaining players at every age.
III. Coach Conduct
A. Conduct toward opposing players. Negative commentary directed at opposing players by any LLA coach is prohibited. Concerns regarding the conduct of an opposing player shall be communicated by the head coach to the game official and to the head coach of the opposing team. No other channel is appropriate.
B. Conduct toward opposing coaches. Coaches shall maintain professional conduct toward opposing coaches at all times. Sideline arguments, confrontations, and verbal exchanges between benches are not acceptable. Players and families take their behavioral cues from the coaching staff, and conduct between coaches sets the tone for family conduct in the stands. Concerns regarding an opposing coach's conduct shall likewise be directed to the game official.
C. Communication with officials. Communication with game officials shall be conducted by the head coach only. Head coaches are responsible for the conduct of their assistant coaches, and officials shall not be required to manage multiple voices from a single bench.
IV. Standards of Play — Physical Contact
The majority of recently reported incidents involve physical play exceeding what is permitted at the relevant division level. The following clarifications apply.
A. Cross checks (all divisions). A cross check is defined as any contact made with the stick between the hands, including thrusting or punching motions and contact made by a player running into an opponent with arms extended. Holding the hands together does not render a thrusting motion legal. Coaches are responsible for instructing players in the use of legal holds with equal pressure and proper body position. This technique must be coached actively.
B. Body checking — 1/2 and 3/4 divisions. Body checking is not permitted at these divisions under any circumstances. Allowable contact is limited to legal holds and pushes with equal pressure, boxing out, riding, and incidental contact. The objective at these divisions is the development of fundamentals and the building of player confidence, not the introduction of take-out contact.
C. Body checking — 5/6 and 7/8 divisions. Standard checking rules apply at these divisions, with particular emphasis on the protection of defenseless players. A player who is moving toward a ground ball and is struck without awareness of the contact is considered defenseless. A check on a defenseless player is illegal regardless of whether the technique itself would otherwise be legal. The game official has discretion in making this determination, and that discretion shall be respected. Coaches are responsible for instructing players on the appropriate timing and application of checks.
D. Progression and intent. The differences between division-level rules reflect the league's deliberate progression of physical play. These rules are not subject to local modification by individual coaches or programs.
V. Equipment
Players shall be properly equipped at all times during participation in LLA games. Mouthguard violations, in particular, have been a recurring issue across multiple divisions. The fact that an equipment violation was not enforced in a previous game does not constitute a defense in any subsequent game. If a player is penalized or removed from play due to missing equipment, the head coach is expected to resolve the matter without disputing the official's call.
VI. Implementation and Enforcement
A. Distribution. Program directors are responsible for distributing this bulletin to all head coaches and assistant coaches within their programs prior to their next scheduled game.
B. Enforcement. Game officials are authorized and expected to enforce the standards described in this bulletin. Coaches and program directors are expected to support officials in that enforcement. Failure to comply with the standards of this bulletin may result in disciplinary action as provided for under league rules, up to and including removal from coaching responsibilities.
C. Questions and concerns. Questions regarding the interpretation or application of this bulletin shall be directed to the League Director through the program director chain.