MBYLL LEAGUE RULES for U15, U13, U11 & U9 age groups
 
1.  Competition Committee Decisions
2.  Rules Of Play
3.  Age and Eligibility
4.  Complaint Procedure
5.  U9 Rules

1.  Competition Committee Decisions

• Eligibility of players not falling within league parameters.
• Grievances that cannot be resolved between coaches of the member towns' leadership.
• Referee complaints that cannot be handled by the leagues' head official.
• Violations of league rules.

2.  Rules of Play for U15, U13 & U11 Age Levels

1. All Age Levels:  Games will be played in four (4) - (10) minute start/stop quarters for the U15, U13 and U11 age groups.  Game time EXCEPTION - 15 minute running time quarters could be an option, however ONLY IF BOTH head coaches agree before the start of the game. (MBYLL)  The Home Town/Program team is expected to have a dedicated person as time keeper/scorekeeper/bench official for game who is stationed at midfield between both team benches.
2. All Age Levels:  There will be two timeouts per half per team. (USLYC)
3. All Age Levels:  Overtime will be played upon unanimous agreement of both coaches & referee, and will only be played as one (4) minute sudden-death period. (MBYLL)
4. All Age Levels:  All helmets AND balls must be NOCSAE approved & stamped. Any offending helmet OR ball must be removed from play, and the referee has the final say on all helmets. (MBYLL/USLYC)
5. All Age Levels:  If any team gains a 6+ goal lead; the trailing team MUST receive the ball at midfield without a face off (unless waived by trailing team). Face offs resume when the margin returns to four goals or less. (MBYLL)
6. All Age Levels:  If any team gains a 12+goal lead, then Game clock goes to running time and Coach of lead team should make discrete adjustments (i.e. STRONGLY encourage his players to use their off hand, 3-passes before any shot, play new position, etc.  Always Honor the Game. (MBYLL)
7. All Age Levels:  The home team will confirm a EMLOA USL certified referee has been scheduled for all MBYLL games.  If a scheduled referee fails to show, the coaches will both agree on how to proceed or game will be rescheduled if possible. Coaches should consider the potential liability issues of proceeding to play a game without a certified official. Towns are also encouraged to enlist parents or high-school age students to become certified as a certified Associate Official (AO) by attending a pre-season MBYLL EMLOA AO Certification Clinic.
8. All Age Levels:  NO take out checks at any age level.  Example: Any hit with or without possession that has the intent--in the Ref Officials opinion--of injuring or putting the opponent on the ground. (USLYC)  On 1st offense player will be called for an unsportsmanlike personal foul with an automatic unreleasable 2 or 3 minutes time-serving penalty (Ref Officials discretion).  If same player is called for a 2nd offense, player is automatically ejected from game and will stay on the sideline for the remainder of the game. (MBYLL rule)
9. All Age Levels:  All other rules & guidelines not otherwise noted here, will be played according to USL Youth Rules and the National Federation of High School Boys Rule Book.
10. U15 Age Level specifically:
11. U15:  Two (2) Referee Officials will be assigned to officiate all MBYLL U15 games.  It is recommended that one of the two Ref's come from the MBYLL Associate Official's program, however if an AO is not available then two (2) EMLOA Referee's can be assigned.  EXCEPTION:  if only one EMOLA Referee shows up or if no AO is available, coaches can agree to play game with only one EMLOA Referee. (MBYLL rule)
12. U15:  The 2-minute stalling rule will only apply to U15 teams. Exception: The 2 minute rule will be used in the fourth quarter for the U15 age group. The offensive team in possession must keep the ball in the offensive box during the last two minutes of the game if they are ahead of the opponent. (MBYLL & USYLC rule)
13. U15:  U15 teams will apply the 20 second count to clear the ball over the half field line and will apply the 10 second count to get the ball in to the offensive box. This rule would be suspended if one team any team has a 6 or more goal lead at any point in the game. It would be reinstated if the lead goes back under 6 goals. (MBYLL & USYLC rule)
14. U15 only:   Up to four (4) long poles, each measuring up to 72" (including stick head & shaft), are permitted on the field at any one time.
15. U15:  substitutions are allowed on all sideline out of bounds (sideline only) for the all U15 games. (MBYLL)
16. U13 Age Level specifically:
17. U13 only:  Four long sticks, each measuring up to 60" (including stick head & shaft), are permitted on the field at any one time during MBYLL games. (MBYLL rule)
18. U13 teams will apply the 20 second count to clear the ball over the half field line and will apply the 10 second count to get the ball in to the offensive box. This rule would be suspended if one team any team has a 6 or more goal lead at any point in the game. It would be reinstated if the lead goes back under 6 goals. (MBYLL & USYLC rule)
19. U13 only:  Substitutions are allowed on all sideline out of bounds (sideline only) for the all U13 games. (MBYLL)
20. U11 Age Level specifically:
21. U11 only:  NO body checking at the U11 age level per the US Lacrosse Youth Council Rules for U11 play.  U11 players are expected to play the ball and NOT the man when the ball is loose.  When defending a player in possession with the ball, the U11 & U9 defender should use no more than equal pressure to prevent progress. (USLYC rule)
22. U11 only:  One coach from each team is allowed and encouraged to be on the field at all times during U11 (& U9) games as long as they remain within 5 yards of the side or end lines at all times. The purpose is to enable coaches to provide positive instruction to their players without having to yell from the sidelines--OR when they are on the field. (MBYLL rule)
23. U11 only:  Substitutions will be allowed on all out of bounds (sideline/ end line) for the all U11 games. (MBYLL rule)
24. U11 only:  Long sticks are NOT permitted at U11 or U9. (MBYLL rule)
25. U11: Games are 8v8 players. Teams are expected to play with 2 Attack, 3 Middies, 2 Defense and a Goalie.
26. U11 only: one pass rule:
    1. A team must make one attempted pass (they do not need to be complete) in the offensive side of the field prior to being able to shoot. (West Central Region it is one completed pass).
    2. This includes a face off man winning the draw, he must make one pass attempt.
    3. This also includes a player awarded possession at the face off X after a penalty or a goal, or when using the fast break rule.
    4. On any restart of game in offensive end after a whistle or timeout.
    5. If one pass attempt has occurred in the offensive end and the defensive team gains possession of the ball but does not successfully clear the ball before losing possession, the original offensive team does NOT have to attempt any additional passes prior to shooting.
        

3.  Age and Eligibility (for Spring Season)

Teams will be based on grade level, providing that current age eligibility requirements are met.

• Grade levels are defined as follows:
  • U 15 8th and 7th grades
  • U 13 6th and 5th grades
  • U 11 4th and 3rd grades
• Waivers for age eligible players to play down can be requested following MBYLL's waiver process.
  • U11 - Player is Under 11 years of age as of January 1st prior to start of season
  • U13 - Player is Under 13 years of age as of January 1st prior to start of season
    •  Waiver required if age eligibility is not met
  • U15 Player is Under 15 years of age as of January 1st prior to start of season
    • Waiver Requirements:
    • I) Must be age eligible.
    • II) Must have NO high school program at town or school they attend.
    • III) Any 9th grader who meets all the above requirements MUST apply for a waiver to be eligible to play.  Waivers for 9th graders are only for programs in their First, Second or Third years.
  • All waiver requests must include accurate details regarding date of birth, height, weight and level of experience.  They must be submitted by February 1st prior to the start of the spring season to the chair of your regional competition committee.
  • Age Certification - All teams must submit a roster with name, grade and date of birth to the designated regional director at least one month prior to the beginning of the season.

• Participation in a Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse town program
  • Any player who wishes to participate in the Massachusetts Bay Youth Lacrosse League (MBYLL) is required to play in his resident town program if that town has a program and it is not at full capacity.
  • If there is not a town program in that players resident town or his resident town program is full then he will be allowed to sign-up in a neighboring town in order to play. The rule of thumb is that the town should be an adjacent one.
  • For clarification, the resident town program for a divorced family allows the boy to play in either town where their parents live.
    Players who go to school in a town they do not live in are eligible to play in the town where they go to school, although this rule will be reviewed by the competition committee this off season.
  • This rule is not eligible for waivers, as it is in the best interests of the boy and the program to grow the resident town programs and not allow regionalization or recruiting of players across program borders.

4.  Complaint Procedure

Step I:

Report to Regional Competition Committee - 
A) Regional competition committee will notify competition committee chairman.
B) Regional competition committee head will contact the following week's opposing coaches and scheduled referee, asking them to observe if the action in the complaint repeats itself.

Step II:

Report received from coach & referee - 
A) If no problem is detected, no further action is required.
B) If a problem is detected, the Regional Competition Committee contacts town representative to address the issue and the necessary corrections.
C) Opposing coaches & the assigned referee for the next game are again notified. If the problem is not detected, no further action is required.
D) If a problem is detected, MBYLL Competition Committee Chairman is notified.

Step III:

MBYLL Competition Committee will determine necessary sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion from the league or a team.

5. U9 Rules
 

1. Adopt U-9 (1st and 2nd grade players, no 3rd graders are allowed at U-9, all 3rd graders must be placed at the U-11 age group) into MBYLL
2. Field Size for 8 v. 8 would use the approximate dimensions of 60 yards long by 35 yards wide (Diagram Attached on how to turn a full field into a short sided field.
3. Equipment:  All players would conform to current USL lacrosse equipment rules requirements (i.e. No Hockey Helmets)
4. All rules used by U-11 will be followed with the following exceptions/additions
   1. No aggressive stick checks are allowed.  Lifts checks are the preferred stick checks for all players.
   2. A team must make two attempted passes (they do not need to be completed) in the offensive side of the field prior to being able to shoot.
   3. If two pass attempts have occurred in the offensive end and the defensive team gains procession of the ball but does not successfully clear the ball before losing procession, the original offensive team does NOT have to attempt any additional passes prior to shooting.
   4. Regardless of meeting the shooting criteria, AFTER every whistle, at least 1 pass must be attempted prior to shooting (example: Team A attempts their two passes in the offensive end and then takes a shot.  Team A backed up the shot for procession.  Even though they have attempted their two passes, they still need another pass attempt prior to shooting.)
   5. Teams can have up to 2 coaches on the field (4 total between the two teams) with the players as long as they remain within 5 yards of side or end lines at all times.  If there are two coaches, one must stay on the offensive end and one on the defensive end.
   6. No time-served penalties.  No fast breaks on penalties.  Ref will explain reason for penalty to all players during stoppage, substitute offending players & change possession of ball.  c
   7. Games are played in (2) 25 minute running-timed halves with a 5 minute halftime period and are officiated by an Associate Official (AO) from the pool of certified MBYLL AO's.
   8. There will be a 6 game schedule for the U-9 level with their first game scheduled for week 3 of the MBYLL schedule.
   9. EACH PROGRAM WHO ENTERS A TEAM INTO U-9 MUST HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL AGED OR OLDER INDIVIDUAL BECOME AN ASSOCIATE REFEREE THROUGH THE ASSOCIATE REFEREE PROGRAM OFFERED THROUGH THE EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS LACROSSE OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION AND MBYLL.
   10.