2026 International Sixes Challenge

Rule 1.1

Authority of the Rulebook

The Sixes (Modified) Rulebook governs all International Lacrosse Series competitions, showcases, clinics, jamborees, and event formats unless a published event supplement expressly modifies a rule for that event. This rulebook is derived from the competitive concepts of Sixes lacrosse and adapts those concepts for the International Lacrosse Series format, player-development mission, and extended restraining-box field. All coaches, players, officials, table personnel, event operators, and team representatives are expected to know and comply with these rules.

Rule 1.2

Objectives of the ILS Format

The ILS format is built around three objectives: reinforce the competitive spirit and intent of Olympic-style Sixes lacrosse, support skill development across age levels and competencies, and deliver a fun, positive, and successful event experience. The game prioritizes passing, catching, rapid ball movement, off-ball movement, two-player actions, communication, faking, speed, mobility, agility, and conditioning. Box-style principles are encouraged, including quick decisions, compact spacing, frequent exchanges, aggressive off-ball cuts, and continual defensive communication.

Rule 1.3

Rules Interpretation

In-game interpretations of these rules are made exclusively by the game officials. The Head Official has final authority on the field. When an event condition is not expressly covered, officials shall apply the rule that best protects player safety, preserves competitive fairness, and supports continuous play. Event directors may issue administrative procedures for scheduling, standings, tiebreakers, uniforms, or facility logistics, provided those procedures do not reduce player safety or contradict the core playing rules.

Rule 2.1

Definition of the Game

ILS lacrosse is played by two teams. Each team attempts to score by causing the ball to completely cross the plane of the opponent’s goal while preventing the opponent from gaining possession and scoring. The ball may be carried, thrown, batted, rolled, or kicked in any direction, subject to the restrictions in this rulebook.

Rule 2.2

Players on the Field

Each team plays with five runners on the field of play. Unless an event supplement expressly requires a goalkeeper, the ILS base format is a five-runner field game using standard 6-foot by 6-foot lacrosse goals. If an event division uses goalkeepers, the event supplement must identify that division before play begins and must state the goalkeeper equipment, crease privileges, and restart procedure to be used. A team may continue with fewer than five runners if players are unavailable because of injury, fouling out, expulsion, or penalty administration; however, a team may not begin a game unless it can legally field the minimum number required by the event director.

Rule 2.3

Roster Size

A team roster must include a minimum of 12 players.  The maximum number of players per roster is no more than 18 unless approved by the event operator ahead of time. The head coach or team representative shall submit the eligible player list before the game in the form required by the event operator. Only players listed as eligible for that game may participate.

Rule 2.4

Game Length

The standard ILS game is twenty-eight minutes, played as two fourteen-minute halves. The game clock is running time unless these rules, the officials, or the event director require a stoppage for safety, penalty administration, injury, timeout, or event management. Halftime is two minutes. The event director may shorten halftime only for schedule management and only if both teams receive the same interval.

Rule 2.5

Timeouts

Each team is permitted one team timeout per game. A timeout may be requested by a coach during a dead ball or by a player in possession when allowed by the officials. A team timeout is thirty seconds unless the event director has published a different duration for the event. Officials may call an official timeout at any time for safety, equipment, injury, field correction, clock correction, rules administration, or any other reason necessary for the proper conduct of the game.

Rule 2.6

Start and Finish of Games

Games begin and end according to the tournament game clock, field horn, or official’s signal designated by the event operator. If the event uses a central horn, the horn controls the start and end of the assigned game period unless an official has stopped play for safety, penalty administration, or a correctable timing issue.

Rule 3.1

Stick

Players shall use a legal lacrosse stick appropriate for their division, gender discipline, and event classification. The stick must not have sharp or protruding parts, trick construction, illegal pocket depth, illegal stringing, or any modification that withholds the ball from play or creates danger. A goalkeeper stick may be used only by a designated goalkeeper in divisions that use goalkeepers.

Rule 3.2

Ball

The game ball shall be a regulation lacrosse ball that is solid, smooth, and elastomeric. White, yellow, or another high-visibility event-approved color may be used. Both teams must use the game balls supplied or approved by the event operator. The event operator or home team shall provide an adequate supply of extra balls for efficient restart and continuous play.

Rule 3.3

Personal Equipment

All players must wear mandatory protective equipment required by their division, gender discipline, event classification, and governing safety standards. Mouth guards are required unless an event division expressly publishes a different standard under an applicable governing body. Goalkeepers in goalkeeper divisions must wear goalkeeper-specific protective equipment, including helmet, facemask, chin strap, throat protection, chest or body pad, and padded gloves.

Rule 3.4

Uniforms and Numbers

Players on the same team shall wear matching jerseys or pinnies of the same dominant color. Opposing teams must wear clearly contrasting colors. Each player shall display a unique number when the event requires scoring, penalties, statistics, or player identification. The officials may require a player to correct, replace, or remove any uniform item that creates confusion, danger, or unfair advantage.

Rule 3.5

Illegal or Dangerous Equipment

No player may wear jewelry, body-piercings, cameras, accessories, or equipment that the officials judge to be dangerous or inconsistent with the rules. Medical or religious items may be worn only if secured in a manner approved by the officials. Play shall be stopped immediately when required equipment becomes dislodged in a way that compromises safety or materially increases the risk of injury.

Rule 3.6

Equipment Checks

Officials may inspect any player’s equipment when necessary for safety, legality, or rules administration. A head coach may request one opponent stick check during a timeout or normal stoppage. If the stick is legal, the requesting team may be assessed a major foul if the officials determine the request was tactical or improper. An illegal stick shall be removed from play until corrected or until the end of the game, as directed by the officials.

Rule 4.1

Stick

Players shall use a legal lacrosse stick appropriate for their division, gender discipline, and event classification. The stick must not have sharp or protruding parts, trick construction, illegal pocket depth, illegal stringing, or any modification that withholds the ball from play or creates danger. A goalkeeper stick may be used only by a designated goalkeeper in divisions that use goalkeepers.

Rule 4.2

Ball

The game ball shall be a regulation lacrosse ball that is solid, smooth, and elastomeric. White, yellow, or another high-visibility event-approved color may be used. Both teams must use the game balls supplied or approved by the event operator. The event operator or home team shall provide an adequate supply of extra balls for efficient restart and continuous play.

Rule 4.3

Personal Equipment

All players must wear mandatory protective equipment required by their division, gender discipline, event classification, and governing safety standards. Mouth guards are required unless an event division expressly publishes a different standard under an applicable governing body. Goalkeepers in goalkeeper divisions must wear goalkeeper-specific protective equipment, including helmet, facemask, chin strap, throat protection, chest or body pad, and padded gloves.

Rule 4.4

Uniforms and Numbers

Players on the same team shall wear matching jerseys or pinnies of the same dominant color. Opposing teams must wear clearly contrasting colors. Each player shall display a unique number when the event requires scoring, penalties, statistics, or player identification. The officials may require a player to correct, replace, or remove any uniform item that creates confusion, danger, or unfair advantage.

Rule 4.5

Illegal or Dangerous Equipment

No player may wear jewelry, body-piercings, cameras, accessories, or equipment that the officials judge to be dangerous or inconsistent with the rules. Medical or religious items may be worn only if secured in a manner approved by the officials. Play shall be stopped immediately when required equipment becomes dislodged in a way that compromises safety or materially increases the risk of injury.

Rule 4.6

Equipment Checks

Officials may inspect any player’s equipment when necessary for safety, legality, or rules administration. A head coach may request one opponent stick check during a timeout or normal stoppage. If the stick is legal, the requesting team may be assessed a major foul if the officials determine the request was tactical or improper. An illegal stick shall be removed from play until corrected or until the end of the game, as directed by the officials.

Rule 5.1

Eligible Players

Only eligible players listed for the game may enter the playing field. A player becomes ineligible after expulsion, fouling out, or removal by officials or event administration. The event director may verify eligibility and may remove a player from participation if required by event policy, safety policy, or roster compliance.

Rule 5.2

Captains

Each team may designate one captain to communicate with officials about rule interpretation when invited to do so. A captain may not argue judgment calls, protest foul decisions, or delay play. Complaints about fouls are not rule-interpretation discussions.

Rule 5.3

Coaches and Team Representatives

The head coach or team representative is responsible for roster submission, player equipment compliance, sideline behavior, and cooperation with officials and event staff. Coaches and non-playing personnel must remain in the bench area during live play unless an official grants permission to enter the field for injury, safety, or administrative reasons. Technology may be used for coaching and event operations but may not be used to dispute officials’ decisions during the game.

Rule 5.4

In-Home Player

Before the game, each team shall designate an in-home player when the scoring format requires penalty administration. The in-home may serve non-designated team penalties, coach penalties, goalkeeper penalties in goalkeeper divisions, and other penalties assigned to the team rather than a specific player.

Rule 6.1

Officials

The game shall be controlled by officials assigned by the event operator. One official may be designated as Head Official. Officials have authority over play, players, substitutes, coaches, bench personnel, table personnel, and any person whose conduct affects the game. Officials may suspend play for safety, rule enforcement, timing correction, equipment correction, injury, weather, or game administration.

Rule 6.2

Table Personnel

Table personnel may include a timekeeper, scorer, penalty timekeeper, shot-clock operator, and event assistants. The timekeeper maintains the game clock and intervals. The scorer records goals, assists if tracked, timeouts, penalties, player numbers, and final score. Penalty timekeepers shall time penalties and release players only when authorized by the applicable penalty rule and game timing. 

Rule 6.3

Correctable Errors

If an official or table personnel discovers an inadvertent error that would improperly penalize or benefit a team, the error shall be corrected as soon as practical. If a goal is scored before the error is corrected and the error is brought to the officials before play resumes, the officials may allow or disallow the goal depending on the nature of the error.

Rule 6.4

Inadvertent Whistle or Signal

At an inadvertent whistle, play stops immediately unless a delayed-foul or imminent scoring situation requires officials to allow the immediate action to complete. Possession is awarded to the team with possession or entitled to possession at the time of the whistle. If neither team had or was entitled to possession, alternate possession applies. If play continues after an inadvertent delayed-foul signal and a goal is scored, the goal counts and play restarts under the normal restart after goal procedure. 

Rule 6.5

Incident Reporting

Officials shall report expulsions, fighting, discriminatory or abusive language, spectator altercations, and other serious incidents to the event director or governing body. Reports shall be made on the game sheet, incident report, or other event-approved reporting form.

Rule 7.1

Clock Operation

Regulation play uses running time unless the officials stop the clock for a timeout, penalty administration, injury, safety, correction, or another necessary reason. The clock stops at halftime and at the end of regulation. When a central tournament clock is used, officials and table personnel shall coordinate restarts with the event operator to preserve schedule integrity and fairness.

Rule 7.2

Shot Clock

Events may use a thirty-second shot clock. If the shot clock expires before a valid shot on goal, possession is awarded to the defensive team. If no visible shot clock is available, the event director may use an official count, modified count, or no shot clock for that division. The timing procedure must be announced before play. The shot clock resets on change of possession, goal, restart after a time-serving penalty, qualifying shot that contacts the goal frame or goalkeeper in the crease, and other situations directed by officials. The shot clock does not reset on a timeout, offensive injury, inadvertent whistle, delayed penalty signal, or shot that does not meet the event’s shot-on-goal standard.

Rule 7.3

Overtime

If a game requiring a winner is tied at the end of regulation, the event director shall use the published overtime procedure for that competition. The default ILS overtime is sudden-victory. Overtime periods are four minutes unless the event director publishes a different duration. If no goal is scored in an overtime period, additional sudden-victory periods continue after a two-minute interval unless the event format uses a standings or tiebreaker procedure.

Rule 7.4

Interrupted or Incomplete Game

Officials may suspend play for lightning, severe weather, darkness, field conditions, facility emergency, medical emergency, or any condition that threatens player safety. If play can resume, teams may receive a warm-up period as determined by officials and the event director. If a game cannot be completed, the event director shall determine whether the score stands, the game is resumed later, the game is replayed, or another event-approved result is applied.

Rule 7.5

Forfeit

A team may forfeit by failing to appear, failing to provide the required minimum players, refusing to continue, using ineligible players, or failing to comply with officials’ directions. Unless event rules state otherwise, a forfeit score is recorded as 1-0 against the forfeiting team.

Rule 8.1

Live Ball and Dead Ball

The ball is live when the official’s whistle starts or restarts play. The ball is dead when an official’s whistle stops play, a goal is scored, a period ends, the ball goes out of bounds, a foul stops play, or officials suspend play for any reason.

Rule 8.2

Player and Team Possession

A player has possession when the player controls the ball and can carry, cradle, pass, or shoot. A team has possession when one of its players has possession or when the ball is being passed, bounced, or rolled from one teammate to another. A ball that is not in player or team possession is a loose ball.