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Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively modified by European colonist, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form. Current lacrosse is a fast, tactical and technical team sport. The sport is a combination of well-known sports such as basketball, hockey and American football.

 

The Game

All players have a stick, the “crosse”, with a net on the end with which a ball is being thrown. This ball is made of hard rubber and is the size of a baseball. The object of the game is for all versions of lacrosse the same: get the ball with the stick and score in the opponent’s goal. Each goal provides a point. On the field a team consists out of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders, 3 attackers and a goalie. During a match it’s allowed to substitute in and out as many times as you like, as lacrosse is quite a tiring sport. The game continuous however, so substituting has to happen at a smart moment, this usually happens when the team is attacking.
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Women’s lacrosse

In women’s lacrosse the emphasis is on tactics and technique. There is low to no physical contact allowed, though women have to wear a mouthguard and, depending on the player’s preference, protective glasses (lacrosse goggles). In women’s lacrosse, you are only allowed to hit your opponent’s stick with your stick (“a check”) if there is a ball in the net. In this way possession can be taken from the other team. The match consists out of four quarters with short breaks in between. The quarters last 15 minutes. 
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Men’s lacrosse

In the men’s version of lacrosse physical contact is allowed. Men wear a helmet and protective gear to protect their upper body and arms. This because bodychecks and checks on the arms are allowed. Defenders also have longer sticks, as it makes it easier for them to defend.
The match consists of four times twenty minutes with between each quarter a short break.  

 

Surface

The game is played on grass or artificial turf on the size of a hockey field. In the absence of more formal lacrosse fields all the games are played on hockey (turf) and football fields in The Netherlands.