Youth Lacrosse Gear Guide

If you just registered for lacrosse, but have no idea what your player needs for equipment or what options are available, you’ve come to the right place. We created this Youth Lacrosse Gear Guide to make it easier for new parents and players to get the right equipment, at the right price the first time around. Please do not purchase lacrosse equipment for the first time without consulting this guide or asking your coach if the equipment you intend to purchase is a good fit for your player (and a good price). This guide covers the gear required for boys or girls lacrosse, additional details on each type of equipment, available purchase options, as well as some valuable tips to help you find the equipment you need for your player.

Boys and girls lacrosse gear requirements vary. The following is a summary of the mandatory items required to play “fully-equipped” boys or girls lacrosse. Our coaches are available to help you through this process – this does not have to be a stressful or frustrating experience for you...we are here to help.

Mandatory Gear for Boys Lacrosse

• Stick
• Gloves
• Mouthguard
• Helmet
• Arm Guards (NOT Arm Pads or Elbow Pads – “Arm Guards” cover more of the arm for players)
• Shoulder Pads

Mandatory Gear for Girls Lacrosse

• Stick
• Mouthguard
• Girls Lacrosse Goggles 

• Purchase New Equipment From a Retail Store or Online Retailer: if you have the means to purchase new equipment for your player, we still want to help you avoid paying full retail price. Many retailers offer youth “Starter Kits” for new players. The cheapest option is at Sport Stop. 
• Purchase Used Equipment: used lacrosse equipment is easy to find and available at a much lower cost compared to new equipment costs. There are many options for purchasing used equipment – including Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, etc. Purchasing used equipment is easier when you know what you are looking for and are able to identify what a ‘good deal’ looks like. We realize most of our new parents don’t have this knowledge yet – so we’ve done our best to provide some ‘tips and tricks’ to help you through this process. As a general rule, before you purchase any equipment, share a link with your coach to see if it’s actually a good deal and the right kind of equipment your player needs. One thing to be aware of when purchasing used equipment is the shoulder pad. The shoulder pad requirements changed a couple years ago to include a hard plastic plate over the players heart. Many of the used shoulder pads for sale may not meet this standard.
• Donated Equipment or “Hand Me Downs”: We frequently request and receive used equipment donations from current and former players who have gear they are no longer using. If we have used equipment available in your player’s size, we will either give it to you or loan it to you until your player has other options available. All we ask is you ‘pay it forward’ by giving the gear back to us when your player no longer needs it, so we can continue to provide this option for players.

We want to provide you with an option that works best for your situation. We don’t want equipment costs to keep you or your child from participating in our lacrosse programs. 

In this section we share recommendations for the ‘best’ option (our recommendation) for beginner boys lacrosse equipment for each mandatory item. 

Boys Lacrosse Sticks

We recommend new boys lacrosse players start with either a StringKing Junior or StringKing Intermediate stick. This manufacturer sells age-appropriate sticks that “just work” out-of-the-box and require little-to-no maintenance over the course of the season. More importantly, StringKing sticks are made to make it easier for beginner players to learn how to pass and catch (the “catching area” of the stick is wider, the stick throws “the same way” every time, and the handle or shaft of the stick is the right thickness and length for the player’s age). Visit the StringKing website and follow their recommendations for which stick to buy based on the age and experience level of your player. 

Boys Lacrosse Helmets

We recommend any Cascade-brand youth helmet. As with any lacrosse gear, please consult the manufacturer’s size recommendations to confirm the item will fit your child. If your child is older or bigger than most kids their age, you may need a one-size-fits-all adult helmet. 

Lacrosse Pads

Lacrosse pads consist of shoulder pads, arm guards, and gloves (these are mandatory items). You can either purchase these items individually or as a “starter set” – which retailers sell specifically for beginners. This is an example of a lacrosse starter set from one retailer that would be appropriate for a beginner youth player. In addition to SportStop, you may also want to check out websites like Lax.com, LacrosseMonkey.com, and LacrosseUnlimited.com to see what starter sets they have in stock if you are purchasing new equipment. Of course, you can always visit Dick’s Sporting Goods to purchase a lacrosse starter set but it will cost quite a bit more. If you are unsure of sizing you may want to visit Dick’s to try on lacrosse equipment before ordering. 

Mouth Guards

Shock Doctor makes mouth guards for lacrosse that attach to the helmet (this will save you money – they will lose their mouth guard if it’s not attached). A mouthguard is required to play (officials check before games) – we don’t want players to miss a game for not having a mouthguard. While mouthguards that attach to the helmet are a good idea for loss prevention, many kids do not like wearing them. There is an alternative type of mouthguard made by Sisu that takes up less space in their mouth, is more comfortable, and might make it easier for your player to breathe. Go with the option that works best for your player and your budget. Here is an example of youth mouthguards from both Shock Doctor and Sisu.

Athletic Cup

No specific type is required, but we do recommend boys wear one (it hurts to get hit with a lacrosse ball...it hurts more to get hit with one in certain areas if not properly equipped). If you aren’t sure what type to get, something like this is a good option. 

Lacrosse Cleats

You don’t need lacrosse cleats if you already have football cleats (or even soccer cleats). If you don’t have either, then go with lacrosse cleats. You can find these with a basic Google Search or at any of the retailers we listed above for ‘starter sets.’ Cleats are a player preference, but there is a lot of ‘cutting’ (running at sharp angles) in lacrosse – some players may want more ankle support for added stabilization, but at the youth level, there isn’t much of a benefit from one type of cleats to the next. Online retailers like LacrosseMonkey.com regularly have cleats on clearance. If you can find a pair in your child’s size, this could be a good option for you. Here are some of the cleats they currently have available. 

While the purchase options we listed at the beginning of this guide are probably your best option for saving money on lacrosse gear, we wanted to leave you with a few more tips we’ve used to find good deals on lacrosse gear in the past:

• Search Amazon Warehouse - go to Amazon.com like you normally would, but select “Amazon Warehouse” from the pull-down menu in the search bar and limit your search to “Amazon Warehouse” and search “lacrosse” or the specific item you’re looking for. These are technically “used” items, but are often just items other customers have returned to Amazon because the packaging was damaged during shipping. There are good deals to be had here.
• See if there are any items on ShopGoodwill.com - you may be able to find equipment at a significant discount (just keep in mind that shipping costs can often be $10 or more for items). It’s still worth trying to win an item with a low bid.
• Sign-up for the Lax.com ‘loyalty’ program - if you do make a purchase from Lax.com, be sure to join their loyalty program – you’ll quickly accumulate points that can be applied towards future purchases. Other retailers offer similar programs – sign up for any of them if you do make a purchase there.

We hope this information has left you feeling a bit more confident knowing, what to buy and where to buy it. Again, please reach out if you have questions or need help with any of your gear purchase decisions.