Free lacrosse template, no account
Free Lacrosse Code of Conduct Template
A lacrosse code of conduct for the places lacrosse behavior goes wrong: the equipment, the stick, contact, the penalty, the ground ball and the sideline. Players and parents each get their own commitments, on one page, with one place to sign.
What a lacrosse code of conduct needs that a general one does not
A general code covers respect, effort and turning up, and the document above already carries those: how players treat teammates, opponents, coaches and officials, and how they behave in team group chats and on social media. These are the lacrosse rules it adds for players, each one there because it is the thing that actually goes wrong on a field. Contact, checking, stick and equipment rules vary by age group, league and governing organization, so edit these to match the rules your team follows.
- Required equipment. Lacrosse equipment differs between boys' and girls' lacrosse and between leagues: helmets, pads, mouthguards and eye protection are required in different combinations. The rule asks for whatever your league requires, worn at every practice as well as every game and checked before stepping on the field. The document says: “I will wear all the protective equipment my league requires at every practice and game, and check it before I step on the field.”
- Legal stick. A stick that is not legal can cost a team a penalty, and a damaged head or shaft can hurt someone. The rule asks players to check the stick before every game, and the standard comes from your league. The document says: “I will keep my stick legal under my league's rules and check it before every game.”
- Legal checks. Contact rules differ by age group, by league and between boys' and girls' lacrosse, so the rule is the commitment: keep checks within your league's rules, and never check toward the head or from behind. Your coaches teach the technique. The document says: “I will keep my checks within my league's rules, and never check toward the head or from behind.”
- Penalties. A penalty is part of the game, and a player who argues turns a small penalty into a larger one for the team. The rule asks players to accept it and serve it, and leaves any question to the coach. The document says: “I will accept a penalty without complaint and serve my time without arguing.”
- Ground balls. Ground balls are where lacrosse gets rough, because players are bent over the ball and the whistle may not have gone. The rule asks players to play through the whistle and never to swing at a player on the ground. The document says: “I will play through the whistle and never swing at a player who is on the ground.”
- Officials. Officials make calls on sticks, contact and positioning at speed. The rule asks for respect and for the call to be accepted, and the coach is the one who speaks to the official. The document says: “I will address officials respectfully and accept their calls.”
Parents and the sideline
The code above also carries a section for parents and spectators, signed by the same page. These are the commitments in it, and what each one is for.
- Spectator area. A lacrosse field is wide, and the goals are surrounded by loose balls and shots that miss. The rule keeps parents out of the space behind the goals and near the benches, where a ball can arrive at speed. The document says: “I will watch from the spectator area, not behind the goals or near the benches.”
- Substitution and penalty areas. The substitution and penalty areas are working spaces, with players coming on and off and officials and timekeepers at work. A parent in them is in the way of all three. The document says: “I will keep clear of the substitution and penalty areas.”
- Penalty calls. A penalty call can change a match, and it is the call parents dispute loudest. The rule asks parents not to dispute it and not to comment on a player sent off, which leaves the conversation to the coach. The document says: “I will not dispute penalty calls or comment on a player being sent to the box.”
- Physical play. In a contact sport some parents want their child to play harder, and a sideline voice can turn a hard game into a rough one. The rule asks parents not to encourage rough or retaliatory play. The document says: “I will not encourage rough or retaliatory play from the sideline.”
- Officials. Officials make quick calls with everyone watching, and parents set the example for how they are treated. The rule asks parents to address them respectfully, or not at all. The document says: “I will address officials respectfully, or not at all.”
Contact, checking and equipment: let the league define them
A code of conduct states what people promise to do. It is not the document that sets the rules of contact, the limits by age group or the equipment standards, and it should not try to be.
- Contact and checking. Boys' and girls' lacrosse differ, and leagues set limits by age. Point to yours in the team rules section rather than copying it, because it changes.
- Equipment. What is required, and the standard it must meet, is set by your league and the equipment's manufacturer. Follow both, and replace anything damaged.
- Stick rules. Stick standards differ between the two games and between leagues. The player's part is to check the stick, and your league's is to say what legal means.
- Head injuries. Many leagues and states require a separate sign-off before a player practices. The concussion acknowledgment generator makes one, and the code of conduct sits beside it.
Lacrosse player code of conduct versus parent code of conduct
The document above carries both and is signed once: the player's commitments and the parent's, on one page. That is the simplest thing to hand out and the hardest to lose. Some programs prefer two pages, because the player code gets read aloud at the first practice while the parent one goes home with the family. If yours does, the general player code of conduct and parent and spectator code of conduct generators each make one on its own, and you can carry the lacrosse lines from this page into either.
How to write lacrosse code of conduct consequences
The weakest sentence in most codes of conduct is the last one. "May result in consequences" is true and enforces nothing. Lacrosse gives you a better ladder than most sports, because substitutions are built into the game.
- A conversation first. At a stoppage or after practice, with the player, and with a parent if it was bigger than a dropped pass.
- Coming off for a spell. The lacrosse version of a timeout. It is visible, brief, and it ends at the next substitution.
- Sitting a half. For repeated or serious conduct, after a conversation with the family.
- A meeting with the director. For anything involving safety, harassment, or an adult.
Consequences should follow your league's rules, its minimum playing time requirements and your organization's policies, so check them before you promise a bench. Many leagues require every player to play a set share of every game, and a consequence that breaks that rule is a problem you created for yourself. Penalties, cards, ejections and suspensions are set by your league or governing body and vary, so the code does not put a number on any of them. Point to yours in the team rules section, and add your own consequences beside it.
Getting it signed, and getting it read
A code nobody has read changes nothing. Three habits make the difference.
- Hand it out with registration. Families who agree before the first practice are far easier than families asked after the first incident. It travels well with the lacrosse registration form.
- Read the equipment and contact rules aloud at the first practice. Two minutes, with the players. They hear it from you, and they hear that it applies to everyone.
- Keep one copy and give one copy. A signed page in the file is what makes a later conversation short.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the lacrosse version. The general player code of conduct works for any sport, and the lacrosse forms and templates page lists the other 5 lacrosse documents.
Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.
Common questions
Who should sign a lacrosse code of conduct?
The player and a parent or guardian, on the same page. A ten-year-old can promise to wear the equipment the league requires and to keep their stick legal, but it is the parent who promises not to encourage rough play from the sideline, and a code only one of them has signed covers half the problem. The signature block on this one has both.
What should a lacrosse code of conduct say about contact and checking?
That players keep contact within the league's rules, and never check toward the head or from behind. Boys' and girls' lacrosse differ on contact and checking, and leagues limit it by age, so the code states the commitment and leaves the definition to your league. Edit the line to match yours.
Should the code mention equipment?
Yes. Required equipment differs between boys' and girls' lacrosse and between leagues, so the line asks for whatever your league requires, worn at every practice as well as every game. A player who skips equipment in practice is the player who forgets it in a game.
What about parents and penalty calls?
A penalty can change a match, and it is the call parents dispute most. The rule asks parents not to dispute a call or to comment on a player sent off, and not to encourage rough or retaliatory play from the sideline. Questions go to the coach after the game.
What should we do when a parent breaks the code?
Speak to them privately and soon, with the page in your hand, and do it as a person with authority rather than as a coach in the middle of a game. A written code does most of its work here: you are pointing at a line they signed, not offering an opinion.
Can I use it for school, club or recreational lacrosse?
Yes. Edit the sections to match your program, change the examples in the team rules section, and delete the parent section if your program does not ask parents to sign. Choosing the Adult participants option removes the parent and guardian wording for an adult league.
More lacrosse tools
The rest of the lacrosse toolkit
Lacrosse Registration Form
Positions, top hand, goalie interest, last season's level, equipment owned and three jersey number choices, on a form for sign-up day.
Open the generatorLacrosse Tryout Evaluation Form
A scoring grid for stick handling, catching, passing, shooting, dodging and ground balls, with a table for sprint, shuttle and wall ball counts.
Open the generatorLacrosse Player Evaluation Form
A mid-season report for a parent: lacrosse skills against the age group, a section for each position, and room for words.
Open the generatorLacrosse Tryouts & Evaluation Guide
A 90-minute run of show, seven stations from line drills to the scrimmage, a staffing plan, and how to run goalies fairly.
Read the guideLacrosse Equipment & Uniform Checkout
Sticks, helmets, pads, goalie gear and uniform, with ID numbers, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorOnce you have filled it in
Playbook Logix
Collect the lacrosse code of conduct online
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. A signed page is only useful if you can find it again. This is how Playbook Logix collects the same agreement without a folder.
Make it part of registering
Add an Agreement question to the registration form and a parent has to check it before the form will submit. It works on every plan, including the free one.
How it worksOr collect a typed signature
On the Coach plan and above, upload the code once and each parent signs on their phone by typing their name. The date and the child it covers are recorded, a list shows who has signed, and families with something unsigned are reminded automatically. A signed paper copy can be marked as received.
How it worksPost it where it cannot be buried
Pin the code to the team message board and ask parents to tap Acknowledge, so you can see who has read it and who has not, instead of hoping forty people read a group text.
How it worksThe Starter plan is free, and the iPhone and Android app is free on every plan. Anything described above as Coach plan and above needs a paid plan. See the plans or the mobile app. Nothing you type into the template above is sent to us, whether or not you ever sign up.
Get every family to sign before the first game
Playbook Logix collects signed documents with registration, so the code of conduct is on file before the first practice and not in a folder in somebody's truck.