The NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rule Committee has proposed some rule changes for the upcoming year. The committee is proposing changes to the amount of time to clear the ball, issuing stall warnings, face-offs, and contact with the head and neck.
The rules committee is suggesting to allow for a single 30 seconds time allotment after a team gains possession to clear the ball into the attack area. As the rule currently stands, a team has 20 seconds to clear the ball to mid-field. There is a 10 seconds get the ball from the mid-field line to get the ball in the attack area. If the proposed rule is put into affect, The 20 seconds and 10 second rules would be eliminated.
The committee is also considering changes for officials by adding a mechanic to that stall warning. The new rule will allow the official to call "get it in" in addition the current "keep it in" call. The previous rule states that when the ball is outside the attack area, and the attacking team is not making an attempt to attack the goal, the "keep it in" call is called. By adding the "get it in" call, the committee hopes to improve the flow of the game.
In the past few years face-offs rules have been altered to reduce the use of illegal hands. This year the committee is suggesting rules to get the ball in play faster. When a player uses the clap technique, he must get the ball in play quicker. In addition to the proposed face-off rule, the player who pins down or holds the opponents cross with receive a technical foul. The opposing team will then get possession of the ball. The committee has voted to propose a new officiating mechanic, the "set" call to eliminate the "rolling starts."
The last issue the committee proposed to change dealt with student-athlete safety concerns. The committee suggested to that a separate rule be implemented to deal with the targeting of the head and the neck. A penalty for a violation would be a one-, two-, or three-minute non-releasable penalty for contact with the head or the neck.
In September, the committees proposed changes will be sent to the membership for comment and to be reviewed by the Playing Rule Oversight Panel via a conference call.
Read more at NCAA.com - Men's Lacrosse
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