GYL Sixes for boy’s House League

WHAT IS GYL SIXES?

In 2022 we formalized a new way to play boy’s games each Sunday at House League. GYL was a pioneer of small-sided play for our House League program. Now we are looking to evolve the model and leverage the work World Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse is doing to make the game fast, exciting, and focuses on core skill development.

This video will show you how World Lacrosse markets the game. This format was first used on the world stage at the Birmingham 2022 World Games. It will be the format for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

 

How does it work for gyl? what are rules?

Don’t worry, we will go over this with the kids and will have to tweak the rules/flow as we progress through the season. But below will give you a sense of what we are doing.

Field of Play

  • The field will be divided in to 4 mini fields

  • Mini field length is approx. 50 yards long and 25 yards wide

  • There will be a small players box/substitution area in the “end zones” for field 1 & 4; fields 2 & 3 will have a box at the 50 yard line.

Game Play

  • 6v6 (5 Field players, 1 goalie)

    • For K-2 we will may use “shooter tutors” and may have 5 or 6 field players

    • There are no offsides, each field player plays on the offensive and defensive sides of the traditional midfield line

    • All substitutions are on the fly (there is no horn)

    • The only whistles are at the end of the halves or for injuries, out of bounds, penalties

  • Two 20-minute halves

    • 5 minute break at halftime

    • (it takes 45 minutes to play a game from first whistle to last whistle)

    • There will be a 10 minute warm up and 5 minutes to shake hands at the conclusion of the game

    • Warm ups start on the hour and the game start promptly at 10 minutes past the hour to fit the entire event in to 60 minutes

  • On shots, closest team to where the ball exits the play is awarded possession

  • After a goal, the team scoring has to immediately start towards the midfield line; at any point the goalie may resume play but the ball is live as soon as the ball leaves the crease - the team that just got scored against clears the ball and there is no face-off

  • There is no overtime – games can end in a tie score

  • There is a 2 pass rule (attempted passes in K-2) in the offensive side of the field

Rules

  • This is house league - it is not PLL, collegiate, or high school lacrosse

  • Per USA Lacrosse:

    • Slashing is not permitted at this age level

    • Checking: limited stick checking, with only lift checks, poke checks and stick checks below both players’ shoulders

    • One-handed checks: any contact, regardless of intent, is considered a foul at the U8/U10 level

    • There are no “take out body checks” - limited body contact is permitted but body checking is not allowed for U8, U10, or U12 play

    • Body contact is defined as legal holds, legal pushes, boxing out, riding, incidental contact

    • GYL is modifying traditional USA Lacrosse game play for House league but we are following the rules around checking/slashing/body contact, etc. See a comparison of levels of play here.

    • Click here to see USA Lacrosse’s Boys Youth Guidebook

Boys Penalties

  • We aim to use our high school coaches as referees on Sundays for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade; House League coaches will share referee duty for the K & 1 age groups

  • When a penalty is called:

    • For K & 1 the player is substituted (or has to run to his bench and can rejoin the play once he high fives with the coach on the sidelines)

    • For 2, 3, & 4th grade players, 10 real push-ups are completed before re-joining the play

What is it going to look like?

See field layout below. Each field will have cones marking the corners, creases, and goalie equipment.

This is all part of the long standing GYL Small-Sided Play Strategy, right?

Yes! GYL is a long-time advocate of small-sided play. We have been using small sided fields to play House League since almost the beginning. GYL was the major force behind bringing small-sided play to the CONNY level of play.

What exactly is small sided play?  It means you play a game with fewer players competing on a smaller field. GYL’s House League was an early adopter of this concept and our House League has been a model for other programs.

What are the benefits?  Small sided play provides a competitive environment where players have a greater opportunity to touch the ball and be involved in the game. The kids gain confidence as they maximize time with the ball in their stick (touches), field time, and overall development.

Seriously? Why mess with the game? Lacrosse and youth sports are changing. It’s about development and not one alpha kid running through a team to score a goal. Below are some additional material that highlight the merits of small-sided play.

So my child will experience small-sided play? Yes! All of GYL House League is based on small sided-play. Our Girls Intro program and CONNY Lacrosse play all 3rd and 4th games on modified fields. Our Boys Intro program and CONNY Lacrosse play a hybrid system with many programs opting for full field play.

World Lacrosse

the Games you’ve always loved just found a new gear

READ article

But wait, other sports aren’t doing this!

Think again.  Most sports have adopted a similar mindset and it is changing the way young athletes learn their sport and learn how to compete.