Order a lacrosse uniform for the first time and it's easy to assume boys' and girls' programs need roughly the same gear in different colors. They don't. NFHS treats boys' and girls' lacrosse as separate rule books with different required equipment, and the differences show up on the order form, not just on the field. Here's what actually goes into a lacrosse uniform order for California high school, club, and college programs — and where the boys'/girls' split matters most.
Two rule books, two different orders
Boys' and girls' lacrosse compete under separate NFHS rule sets, and the equipment lists reflect two different levels of contact allowed on the field. Girls' lacrosse is a limited-contact game built around stick checking, so the required protective gear is comparatively light. Boys' lacrosse allows body checking, so players wear a far heavier equipment set. Treat the two as separate purchase decisions even for one program running both — sizing, protective gear, and even jersey cut diverge well past the team colors.
Girls' lacrosse: eye protection is the rule that surprises people
Every girls' lacrosse field player must wear eye protection meeting the current ASTM F3077 standard for women's lacrosse — a wraparound cage, not a full helmet. It's the one required piece of protective gear that catches first-time buyers off guard, especially coming from a sport where a helmet is standard or optional. Goalkeepers wear a helmet with a full face mask instead, plus chest protection meeting the NOCSAE ND200 standard. Equipment specifics move year to year, so confirm the current season's requirements with your section before finalizing an order — this is exactly the kind of detail a team dealer should flag, not assume.
Quick take: don't reuse a boys' equipment list for a girls' program, or the other way around. The two orders share a stick and a ball and not much else on the protective-gear side.
Boys' lacrosse: full-shell protection changes the whole order
Boys' lacrosse players wear a NOCSAE-certified helmet with a facemask, shoulder pads, arm pads, gloves, and chest protection meeting the same ND200 standard used on the girls' side — all mandatory, all sized separately from the jersey. That's a substantially bigger protective-gear order than girls' lacrosse requires, and it's not a later add-on: a program outfitting boys' lacrosse for the first time should budget pads and a helmet alongside the uniform from the start, not treat them as optional extras once the jersey order is placed.
Jerseys, pinnies, and decoration
Game jerseys use the same decoration choices as any other sport in our catalog: sublimated print buys unlimited color and pattern — mesh side panels, gradient number treatments, sponsor logos — while screen-printed or tackle-twill numbering keeps cost down on a JV or practice set. Reversible pinnies are the lacrosse-specific piece worth planning for early: most programs run a light/dark reversible practice pinnie alongside the game jersey so scrimmages and split-squad drills don't require a second full uniform order. Our sublimated vs. tackle-twill comparison covers the durability-versus-cost tradeoff in more depth — the same logic applies to a lacrosse jersey.
Sizing a lacrosse roster
Sizing a lacrosse program has one wrinkle most other sports don't: protective gear and jerseys fit differently, and a boys'-side roster has more of it. A few practices that keep it clean:
- Measure boys' and girls' rosters on separate size charts — body types and pad fit don't translate between the two games.
- Size protective gear (helmets, pads, gloves) to the player's actual measurements, not jersey size. An oversized helmet or pad set is a safety issue, not just a fit issue.
- Hold a small buffer of jerseys and pads for late roster additions once tryouts finish — shells and pads often can't be reordered as fast as a jersey.
Our team uniform sizing hub has charts and a measuring guide, and the sport-by-sport equipment checklists are a fast way to confirm pinnies, gloves, and protective gear are on the order alongside the jersey.
Brands and the lacrosse catalog
Our lacrosse catalog runs uniforms and reversible pinnies from Adidas, Under Armour, and New Balance, with sticks, helmets, gloves, and pads from STX, Warrior, and Cascade. Non-branded uniform options keep JV and freshman budgets down without giving up fit or durability. Because we carry branded and non-branded lines side by side, we quote them together against your roster and budget — see the full lineup on our lacrosse catalog page.
The ordering calendar
California lacrosse runs on the same spring CIF calendar as baseball and softball. CIF Southern Section's published 2026-27 calendar lists a February 8, 2027 first contest for boys' lacrosse, with girls' section calendars running on a similar spring window. Working back a 6-to-10-week production lead time plus the typical December production backlog, an order placed in October or November lands well ahead of the season instead of racing a rushed winter queue. Confirm your own section's exact practice, acclimatization, and first-contest dates before locking a final order date — they vary by section and can shift year to year.
| Milestone | Typical timing | What it means for ordering |
|---|---|---|
| Fall conditioning | Sept–Nov | Good window to finalize design and place the order |
| Preseason practice opens | Dec–Jan (section-dependent) | Uniforms and pads should be delivered by now |
| First contests | Early Feb (many sections) | Rush orders on pads and helmets get expensive and risky here |
Working with a team dealer
Lacrosse is one of the few sports where "get a quote" actually means two different orders under one program name — jerseys and pinnies from one part of the catalog, protective gear from another, on two different rule books if a school runs both boys' and girls' teams. A dealer who treats it as one line item is going to miss something. At National Sports Apparel we've outfitted California high school, club, and college lacrosse programs since 2009, with no order minimums across varsity and JV rosters.