U This & That, What It Really Means in Lacrosse

Are you and your child new to lacrosse? Or, like me, have a couple years under your belt, but still aren't 100% positive what it means when a program lists something like "14U" or "2023." I did a little research and found a couple articles on the US Lacrosse site that explains the breakdown and the logic behind it. I'm going to share that with you below in the hopes it'll help everyone.

The break-down of lacrosse groups by age is called player segmentation. Knowing which group your child should play in can be confusing at times, especially when programs combine age levels on one team or list one age level, but include multiple grades in that group. For most programs you will see something like "14U" - the 14 is the maximum age for that group, the U meaning under that maximum age. As we all know your child may be a young 7th grader or an olders 1st grader. In that situation, look to the year your child was born as the determining factor in conjunction with how US Lacrosse defines a playing year (September 1 - August 31). 

Now...many areas don't have enough players to field one team at each level. I know the Erie, PA area is like this. So levels are combined on one team. You may see a grouping like 13U / 14U or 11U / 12U. In those situations look to the highest number, that is the maximum age that can be on the team. Some teams may not list out 13U / 14U but are a combined age range. Same rule applies regarding maximum age allowed on the team. If you aren't sure, simply contact the program administrator for details. US Lacrosse typically doesn't like age groups spanning greater than 24 months due to a variety of reasons.

Next question you may ask is, "Why do I see graduation year listed for some programs?" Great question and can lead to some confusion when looking a programs. Graduation year is the year your child will graduate from high school. Typically you see this listed when looking at programs for high school aged players. You will also see graduation year listed for many lacrosse camps, tournaments & recruiting events, even for ages younger than high school. You can use the chart below as a loose reference and when in doubt, check with your program administrator for clarification. 

Max Age / Grade / Graduation Year
7U / 1st grade / 2029	13U / 7th grade / 2023
8U / 2nd grade / 2028	14U / 8th grade / 2022
9U / 3rd grade / 2027	15U / 9th grade / 2021
10U / 4th grade / 2026	16U / 10th grade / 2020
11U / 5th grade / 2025	17U / 11th grade / 2019
12U / 6th grade / 2024	18U / 12th grade / 2018

I hope this helps clarify program ages & guidelines. If you would like additional information, please check out:

• US Lacrosse
• US Lacrosse Player Segmentation
• Detailed Player Segmentation Information
• US Lacrosse Player Segmentation Policy and FAQ

Thank you and enjoy your time on the field.