Field lacrosse

Field lacrosse

Kyle Harrison advancing, pursued by an opponent
Highest governing body	Federation of International Lacrosse
First played	As early as the 12th century C.E., North America Codified in 1867
Characteristics
Contact	Full contact
Team members	10 at a time, including goaltenders.
Equipment	Lacrosse stick, helmet, shoulder pads, arm pads, kidney pads, gloves
Presence
Olympic	1904–1908; (1928, 1932, & 1948 Demonstration only)

Field lacrosse is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867. Field lacrosse is one of three major versions of lacrosse played internationally. The other versions, women's lacrosse (established in the 1890s) and box lacrosse (which originated in the 1930s), are played under significantly different rules.

The object of the game is to use a long handled racket, known as a lacrosse stick or crosse, to catch, carry, and pass a solid rubber ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling the ball into an opponent's goal. The triangular head of the lacrosse stick has a loose net strung into it that allows the player to hold the lacrosse ball. In addition to the lacrosse stick, players are required to wear a certain amount of protective equipment. Defensively the object is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact. The rules limit the number of players in each part of the field and require the ball to be moved continuously towards the opposing goal. It is sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet".

Lacrosse is governed internationally by the 52-member Federation of International Lacrosse, which sponsors the World Lacrosse Championships once every four years. A former Olympic sport, attempts by the international governing body to reinstate it to the Games have been hampered by insufficient international participation and by the existence of separate governing bodies for the men's and women's versions of the sport until 2008. Field lacrosse is played professionally in North America by Major League Lacrosse. It is also played on a high amateur level by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States, the Australian Senior Lacrosse Championship series, and the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association.