Is Lacrosse a Spring Sport?
Short answer: yes. But between fall ball, summer club and box, the game runs pretty much all year. Here's how the lacrosse calendar really works.
Field lacrosse is a spring sport. Most high school and college games are played from February through May.
Fall ball, summer club and box lacrosse keep the game going twelve months a year.
Ask most people what comes to mind when they hear the word spring, and you'll get blooming flowers, warmer weather and allergy season. Ask a lacrosse player, and there's only one answer: it's lacrosse season.
So you can imagine how fired up I got when someone asked me, "Is lacrosse a spring sport?" Yes, it is. Field lacrosse is played mostly in the spring, from February through May.
But it isn't a one-season sport anymore. Lacrosse has turned into a year-round game, and figuring out when the "real" season starts can get a little confusing.
Let me walk you through the whole lacrosse calendar and why the game is known as a spring sport, especially here in the States.
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What is a spring sport?
Before we answer whether lacrosse is a spring sport, it helps to know what makes something a spring sport in the first place.
Spring sports start practice in late winter and play their games through the warmer months, roughly February to May. Think track and field, baseball and tennis.
Lacrosse checks every one of those boxes, so it qualifies as a spring sport. Anybody who's stood on a sideline in Buffalo in early March knows the "warmer months" part is optional, but it counts all the same.
Lacrosse season: breaking down the timeline
Lacrosse is played all year, with seasons in the fall, spring and summer. Fall is usually the quietest. It's used for skill development and fall ball tournaments.
Spring is the main season, with regular-season games and playoffs. That's when the focus shifts from development to competing every week. Summer is all about club lacrosse, with teams traveling to out-of-state tournaments.
Spring is when the focus shifts from development to competing every single week.
The season usually kicks off in February or March and runs through May, which lines up perfectly with spring. In warmer states like Florida, practice can start even earlier. Up north, a lot of teams are waiting on the snow to melt before they can get outside.
Where is lacrosse most popular in the spring?
In the United States, spring is when lacrosse is at its biggest. The game has deep roots in the Northeast and a rich cultural history, going all the way back to the Haudenosaunee and other Indigenous nations who first played it.
Maryland is often called the Mecca of lacrosse. It has turned out some of the finest talent in the game through its youth leagues and college programs. Schools like Johns Hopkins and Syracuse University are household names in the sport, and Long Island and upstate New York have been hotbeds for generations.
The game isn't limited to the U.S., either. It's growing worldwide.
Did you know lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport? It holds a special place in Canadian culture. North of the border, minor, junior and senior box lacrosse is a summer tradition, and the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Lacrosse Canada (formerly the Canadian Lacrosse Association) have built a huge lacrosse community.
Plenty of talented Canadian players have gone from local leagues to college and pro teams in the United States, and they bring those box hands with them. The game is also growing fast in Australia, Asia and the U.K.
What influences the lacrosse season?
Weather and climate
Climate plays a big role. Northern leagues, like the ones in New York, often start later than leagues in Texas because of cold and snow. Some leagues in colder states, like Minnesota, move indoors early in the season.
Teams without all-weather turf also get pushed back by rain and snow. If you've ever shoveled off a field before a March practice, you know exactly what I mean.
League rules and equipment requirements
Rule changes can affect the season too. When the NOCSAE shoulder pad standard became required at all levels in 2022, players and programs everywhere had to make sure they had certified pads before they could take the field. If your pads are a few years old, check the label before your first practice.
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The best part about lacrosse is that you can play it all year, across three seasons. Fall runs from late August to November, spring runs from February to May, and summer goes from June to August.
| Level | Practice starts | Games | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth | Feb – Mar | Mar – May | Spring tournaments |
| High school | Feb – Mar | Mar – May | State playoffs in May |
| College (D1) | January | Feb – Apr | Conference tournaments late April, NCAA in May |
| NLL (box) | Fall camps | Late Nov – Apr | Playoffs and Finals in May |
| PLL (field) | Spring | May – Aug | Playoffs into September |
Read more: Is lacrosse hard? A coach's honest answer
Youth and high school lacrosse
Most high school teams play their regular season and playoffs between March and May. The spring schedule keeps a balance between school and sports, while summers are usually saved for camps and club play.
College lacrosse
College seasons run longer than high school. Division I teams start practicing in January, open with preseason games in February, and play the regular season from late February through April.
The postseason stretches it out further, with conference tournaments in late April and the NCAA Tournament in May. For the top teams, the season lasts until late May, ending with the NCAA championships. The men's title game is played on Memorial Day weekend.
Professional lacrosse leagues
The two big men's pro leagues are the PLL and the NLL. The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is an outdoor field league, and the National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a box league.
The two schedules barely overlap, which is why you'll see a lot of guys play box in the winter and field in the summer.
Youth lacrosse and developmental programs
Youth programs follow a lot of the same calendar as high school. Spring is the main season, and many programs add a fall session in the off-season.
Fall ball is all about development and building skills. It gives younger players a chance to sharpen their game without the pressure of a regular season. If you want to make a jump by spring, fall is where it happens.
How lacrosse stands among other spring sports
Now that you know lacrosse is a spring sport, here's how it stacks up against the other spring options.
Lacrosse brings something none of the others do: the speed of hockey and the space of soccer, with a stick in your hands. That's a big reason it keeps pulling in new players and more TV time every year.
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People also ask
Is lacrosse in the spring?
Yes. Lacrosse is mainly a spring sport, with most games and tournaments played between February and May across youth, high school and college leagues.
What type of sport is lacrosse?
Lacrosse is a fast-paced team sport played with a stick and ball, known for its stick skills and physical play. It's played outdoors on a field and indoors in a box, across the spring, summer and fall.
What season do you play lacrosse?
You can play lacrosse year-round, but the main season is spring, typically February to May, especially for high school and college teams.
Is lacrosse a summer sport in Canada?
Yes. Lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport, and most Canadian minor, junior and senior box lacrosse is played during the summer months.
How long is the lacrosse season?
Spring runs from about February to May. Fall ball goes from late August to November and summer club from June to August. Pro leagues run longer: the NLL from late November to May and the PLL from May to September.
So, is lacrosse a spring sport? Yes, it is. Mild spring weather makes it the perfect time to get out on the field. But the game isn't stuck in one season. With fall ball, summer club and box lacrosse to beat the weather, there's always a game somewhere, whether you're in Virginia Beach, upstate New York or a box rink in Ontario.