Lacrosse Referee Guide: Roles, Penalties, Flags & Procedures
The Complete Officiating Handbook for Field Lacrosse — Crew Structure, Penalty Enforcement, and Game Management
Last updated: April 6, 2026
A lacrosse match is officiated by a 3-person on-field crew: one referee (chief official) and two umpires. The referee has primary authority over game management, penalties, and goal decisions. Penalties are enforced using a flag system — the official throws a yellow flag to signal a foul, and play continues until possession changes or a scoring opportunity ends. Fouls are categorized as technical (30-second releasable) or personal (1–3 minute non-releasable), and enforcement depends on whether the offending team or the fouled team had possession.
The 3-Person Crew: Referee and Umpires
Men's field lacrosse uses a 3-person on-field officiating crew consisting of one referee and two umpires. Each official has specific responsibilities and field positioning.
The Referee (Chief Official)
The referee is the senior official on the field and has final authority on all decisions. Responsibilities include:
- Game management: Starting and stopping play, managing the game clock, and ensuring the match runs smoothly
- Penalty enforcement: Calling fouls, determining penalty severity, and managing the penalty area
- Goal decisions: Confirming or disallowing goals based on crease violations, shot clock expiry, or other infractions
- Coin toss and pre-game: Conducting the pre-game meeting with captains and managing alternating possession
- Positioning: Typically trails the play, providing a wide-angle view of the action
The Two Umpires
The two umpires assist the referee and are responsible for their respective halves of the field:
- Lead umpire: Positions ahead of the play near the goal being attacked, responsible for crease violations, goal-line decisions, and close-range fouls
- Trail umpire: Follows the play from behind, covering midfield action, offsides, and substitution violations
- Both umpires can call fouls independently and signal penalties by throwing their flag
- Umpires manage the sideline and endline areas in their zones
Communication
The crew communicates through hand signals, whistle sequences, and verbal calls. Before and after each play, officials make eye contact and use positioning cues to ensure all areas of the field are covered. During stoppages, the crew convenes briefly to confirm penalty decisions and next actions.
Professional and International Variations
The PLL uses a 3-person crew supplemented by a shot clock operator and replay official. International play under World Lacrosse rules uses a similar 3-person structure. Women's field lacrosse also uses a 3-person crew but with some differences in flag mechanics due to the game's different contact rules.
Penalty System: Calling, Categorizing & Enforcing Fouls
The penalty system is the most complex aspect of lacrosse officiating. Officials must quickly assess the severity of a foul, determine the correct penalty type, and enforce it while maintaining game flow.
Technical Fouls (30-Second Releasable)
Technical fouls are less severe infractions that typically involve positional or procedural violations:
- Offsides: A team has too many players on one half of the field (must maintain at least 3 players in each half plus the goalie)
- Pushing: Illegal push from behind or when the opponent does not have the ball
- Holding: Impeding an opponent's movement with the body or stick while not playing the ball
- Stalling/failure to advance: Not moving the ball toward the goal or not keeping the ball in the attack area
- Warding off: An offensive player uses a free hand or arm to push away a defender's stick
- Withholding the ball from play: Trapping the ball under the stick or body
Technical fouls result in a 30-second penalty that is releasable — if the man-up team scores, the penalty ends immediately.
Personal Fouls (1–3 Minutes Non-Releasable)
Personal fouls are more severe infractions involving dangerous or unsportsmanlike play:
- Illegal body check (1 min): Hitting an opponent who does not have the ball or is in a defenseless position
- Tripping (1 min): Using the legs or stick to trip an opponent
- Slashing (1–2 min): Swinging the stick at an opponent with force to a non-stick area (arms, legs, body)
- Cross-checking (1–2 min): Pushing an opponent with the shaft of the stick held horizontally between both hands
- Unnecessary roughness (2–3 min): Excessive force beyond what is needed to play the ball or player
- Unsportsmanlike conduct (1–3 min): Arguing with officials, taunting, or any behavior deemed unsportsmanlike
Personal fouls are non-releasable — the penalized player must serve the full duration regardless of goals scored.
Enforcement Decision Tree
- Identify the foul — technical or personal?
- Determine possession — which team had the ball?
- Apply the advantage rule — if the fouled team has possession, the flag is thrown but play continues (slow whistle)
- Assess the penalty — duration and whether releasable
- Manage the penalty area — direct the player to the box, communicate with the scorer's table
Flag Mechanics: The Slow Whistle and Play-On
Lacrosse uses a distinctive flag-and-whistle system for penalty enforcement that is unique among team sports. Understanding flag mechanics is essential for both officials and spectators.
The Flag Throw
When an official observes a foul, they throw a yellow penalty flag onto the field. The flag is a weighted yellow cloth that officials carry in their belt or pocket. The throw should be visible and decisive — high enough to be seen by players, coaches, and the table crew.
The Slow Whistle (Advantage Rule)
The most distinctive aspect of lacrosse officiating is the slow whistle (also called the flag-down situation):
- When a foul is committed against the team with possession, the flag is thrown but play continues
- The fouled team retains possession and can attempt to score
- Play is stopped (whistle blown) when:
- The fouled team scores a goal (goal counts, penalty still assessed)
- The fouled team loses possession (turnover, shot misses, ball goes out of bounds)
- The fouled team commits a foul of their own
- The period ends
This advantage rule ensures that the fouled team is not punished for being fouled — they get a chance to finish their offensive possession before the penalty is enforced.
Play-On (No Whistle)
In some situations, the official may call "play on" or "flag down" verbally while throwing the flag. This communicates to all players that a foul has been called but play will continue. The flag-down period can last several seconds to over a minute as the offensive team works for a goal.
Immediate Whistle Situations
Some fouls require an immediate whistle (no advantage):
- Fouls committed by the team in possession — play stops immediately
- Extremely dangerous fouls (e.g., flagrant body checks) that risk player safety
- Fouls during a dead ball or during a face-off
- Fouls where no clear possession exists (loose ball fouls)
Multiple Flags
When multiple fouls occur during a single play, officials manage them sequentially. If fouls are committed by both teams, they may offset (coincidental penalties), or they may be stacked with different penalty durations served consecutively.
Crease Rules: The Protected Zone Around the Goal
The crease is one of the most tightly regulated areas on a lacrosse field. Officials must constantly monitor crease activity, as violations directly affect goal decisions.
Crease Dimensions
- Men's field lacrosse: A circle with a 9-foot radius (2.74 meters) centered on the goal line midpoint
- Box lacrosse: A half-circle crease in front of each goal, similar to an ice hockey crease
- Women's field lacrosse: An 8-meter arc surrounding the goal area
Offensive Crease Violations
The fundamental crease rule is clear: no offensive player may enter the crease at any time. Violations include:
- Stepping into the crease: If any part of an attacker's body enters the crease, a goal is disallowed if scored during or immediately after the violation
- Breaking the crease plane: An attacker's stick may legally enter the crease area above the ground to play the ball, but the body must remain outside
- Diving through the crease: An offensive player who leaves their feet and enters the crease airspace while scoring — the goal is disallowed (unlike box lacrosse, where certain acrobatic goals through the crease are legal under specific conditions)
Goalkeeper Privileges
The goalkeeper has special rights within the crease:
- Protection from contact: Defenders can clear attackers from the crease, and the goalkeeper cannot be body-checked while in the crease
- 4-second rule: After gaining possession of the ball inside the crease, the goalkeeper has 4 seconds to either pass the ball or exit the crease. Failure to do so results in a turnover
- Re-entry: Once the goalkeeper leaves the crease with the ball, they cannot re-enter the crease while still possessing the ball
Defensive Crease Play
Defenders can move freely through the crease. The crease restriction applies exclusively to offensive players. However, a defender who deliberately pulls or pushes an offensive player into the crease to cause a violation may be penalized for a technical foul.
Official Positioning for Crease Calls
The lead official (positioned near the goal being attacked) is primarily responsible for crease calls. They must maintain a clear sightline to the crease at all times, typically positioning themselves at a 45-degree angle behind the goal. On close plays, the lead official may also check with the trail official for confirmation.
Face-Off Procedures: Setup, Execution & Violations
Face-offs are the engine of possession in lacrosse — they occur at the start of every quarter and after every goal. Officiating face-offs requires precision, consistency, and quick decision-making.
When Face-Offs Occur
- Start of each quarter: All four quarters begin with a face-off at center field
- After every goal: Immediately following a confirmed goal, play restarts with a face-off
- Alternate possession: In some situations (e.g., simultaneous fouls), possession is determined by an alternating possession rule rather than a face-off
Face-Off Setup
- Two face-off specialists (FOGOs — Face Off Get Off) position themselves at the center line
- Both players must crouch down with their sticks flat on the ground, parallel to the midfield line
- The ball is placed between the two stick heads on the ground
- Both players' hands must be on the shaft of their stick, not the head
- Wing players (2 per team) position at the restraining lines on each side of the field
- All other players must remain behind the restraining line until possession is gained
The Official's Role
The referee or umpire conducting the face-off:
- Verifies positioning: Checks that both players are set correctly — sticks flat, hands on shaft, ball centered
- Commands: "Down" (get set), then "Set" (hold position)
- Blows the whistle: Players may compete for the ball
- Monitors for violations: Watches for early movement, illegal techniques, or body fouls during the scramble
Common Face-Off Violations
- False start: Moving before the whistle — results in a face-off restart with a warning, then a technical foul on repeat offenses
- Illegal procedure: Incorrect hand placement, stick position, or body position — penalty or restart
- Withholding the ball: Trapping the ball under the stick or body for too long — turnover
- Body check during face-off: Contact before the whistle or illegal body contact during the scramble — personal foul
Wing Play
Wing players stationed at the restraining lines must wait until possession is clearly established before crossing the line. Early crossing results in an offsides call. Wing players are critical in face-off situations — they must be ready to scoop loose balls and transition quickly to offense or defense based on who wins the clamp.
Post-Face-Off Transition
Once possession is established, the face-off specialist (FOGO) typically exits the field immediately, replaced by a midfielder — hence the name "Face Off Get Off." The official must track the transition and ensure substitutions are legal (through the designated substitution area).
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