What equipment do lacrosse sixes players use?
Officials' detail · Keeping the ball in play · 1 of 1Every player needs a stick and a mouthguard. Men must wear a helmet with a face mask and protective gloves. Women may wear close-fitting gloves, eyewear and soft headgear, but not a hard helmet. Goalkeepers in both games wear a helmet, a throat protector and a chest pad. A field stick is at most 110 cm long.
How it works
- The stick: a shaft with a netted head. Field sticks are 100 to 110 cm for men and 90 to 110 cm for women.
- The head: at least 15 cm wide inside and 25.4 cm long.
- The pocket: in the women's stick the top of the ball must show above the sidewall. In the men's it must not hang below it.
- The ball must come out: it has to roll freely and fall out when the stick is turned over.
- Goalkeeper's stick: a head up to 38.1 cm wide and a stick up to 140 cm long.
- Men: helmet with face mask and chinstrap, and gloves.
- Women: gloves, nose guards and eyewear are allowed. Hard-shell helmets are not, except for the goalkeeper.
- Mouthguard: compulsory for everyone.
- Goalkeeper: helmet, face mask, throat protector, chest pad and padded gloves.
- Stick check: a head coach may ask for an opponent's stick to be inspected at a stoppage. Officials may check at random.
- Illegal stick: a major foul, and the stick is kept at the scorer's table.
- Jewellery: not allowed, apart from taped medical or religious items.
The glossary has the goalkeeper, the major foul, withholding the ball, slashing, the illegal body check and the roster.
Tricky cases
A coach asks for a stick check and the stick passes. What happens?
A major foul against the team that asked, served by its In-Home.
An official asks for a player's stick and the player tugs at the strings before handing it over. What is the call?
Unsportsmanlike conduct. If the stick is then found illegal, a second foul is added.
Can a woman field player choose to wear a men's hard helmet for safety?
No. Hard-shell helmets are prohibited for women's field players, and no medical exemptions are given.
Can a stick check be requested in overtime?
No. Stick check requests are not allowed in overtime.
Why the rule exists
The stick rules all serve one idea: the ball must be able to come out. A deep or pinched pocket would let a carrier run without fear of losing the ball to a check. The protective rules differ between the women's and men's games because the stick contact allowed in each differs.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Men's field stick | 100 to 110 cm, deeper pocket allowed | WL Sixes Rule 2.2.1M |
| Women's field stick | 90 to 110 cm, shallow pocket | WL Sixes Rule 2.2.1W |
| From the 2027 Sixes World Championships, women | Protective eyewear becomes compulsory | WL Sixes Rule 2.4.1W, note |
| From the 2027 Sixes World Championships, men | Certified helmets and shoulder pads become compulsory | WL Sixes Rule 2.4.1M, note |
From the rule book
World Lacrosse, 2026-2028 Sixes Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (version 2.0, May 2026), Rules 2.2 to 2.5 and 8.3.6. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Lacrosse Sixes Rule Book 2026-2028 (PDF).