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 (including new, discounted, and used equipment options and more), as well as some additional tips to help you find the equipment you need for your player. Let’s get started...

What Lacrosse Gear Is Required?

Boys and girls lacrosse gear requirements vary. Following is a summary list of the mandatory items required to play “fully-equipped” boys or girls lacrosse – we have included more detailed information about these items below (along with our recommendations on what to look for). We’ve also summarized different lacrosse gear purchase options available – there should be an option that works for your needs or situation. As always, 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
• Athletic Cup
• Lacrosse Cleats (soccer/football cleats are fine if you have them)

Mandatory Gear for Girls Lacrosse

• Stick
• Mouthguard
• Girls Lacrosse Goggles
• Cleats

NOTE: this lacrosse gear guide primarily a resource for boys lacrosse. There is less gear required for girls lacrosse and your coaches will discuss what you need when you get together for the first time. 

What Are My Options for Getting Youth Lacrosse Gear for My Player?

Henry Youth Lacrosse tries to reduce participation costs wherever possible. We recently reorganized our youth lacrosse program as a non-profit and are now officially a 501(c)(3) charity. One of several efforts we are working on is to pursue grants, sponsorships, and donations to help us reduce the financial burden required for families who participate in our programs. While we are still in the early stages of working on these efforts, there are several options to reduce your costs for equipping your child to play lacrosse:

• Purchase New Equipment From a Retail Store or Online Retailer: if you have the means to purchase new equipment for your player, we would still prefer you don’t pay the full retail price for any items. We’ve provided information below on various options to help you save when purchasing new equipment for your player. This includes information on “Starter Kits” most resellers offer for new players, discounts we have in place with vendors, and options for purchasing new equipment from our program or from discount online retailers we recommend.
• Purchase Discounted New Equipment From Us (If Available): we regularly purchase equipment during “clearance sales” or similar opportunities to purchase gear at significantly reduced prices. Our inventory of discounted equipment varies, but if we have equipment available in your player’s sizes, you can purchase these items at cost (the price we paid for the item). In most cases, this equipment is priced at least 30-50% below retail pricing. We are planning to host a lacrosse “Yard Sale” at our field pre-season to give you an opportunity to check out the equipment that has been taking up space in Coach Jeremy’s garage during the offseason – stay tuned for more details. 
• 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 the option to purchase used equipment from us and from used equipment retailers we recommend. 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 (or coach Jeremy) to see if it’s actually a good deal and the right kind of equipment your player needs.
• 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.

In summary, 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. 

What Do We Need to Look For When Buying Lacrosse Gear?

In this section we share recommendations for the ‘best’ option (our recommendation) for beginner boys lacrosse equipment for each mandatory item. Girls lacrosse players will get additional information on sticks, goggles, etc. at their first practice. Here are our recommendations for boys lacrosse equipment:

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. We have a 20% discount with StringKing – if you create an account with the email you registered with, the discount should be applied. If not, email Coach Jeremy at jeremy@henryyouthlax.org from the email you would like him to add for your discount. 

Boys Lacrosse Helmets

We recommend any Cascade-brand youth helmet. The Cascade CS-R Youth helmet we are linking to here is a good option for new, beginner youth players. 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. Please consult the list of ‘purchase options’ available above (as a reminder) – helmets are expensive. While we may not have Cascade helmets available, we may have used or discounted helmet options available for less than the cost of the Cascade CS-R option (typically the lowest-priced helmet you will find at most lacrosse retailers). 

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 (or try on lacrosse equipment if you are unsure about sizing). You should also check out websites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Mercari, and others to see if there is used gear that may be available at a lower price.

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. 

How Do I Save Money on Lacrosse Gear Purchases?

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:

• Check out Play-It-Again Sports in Fayetteville – this area has more lacrosse players (players who sell their used gear to Play-It-Again. The manager has offered 25% discounts to our players – just tell them you’re with Henry Youth Lacrosse.
• 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 arms you with a bit more information on what you need, what to buy, where to buy, and more. Again, please reach out if you have questions or need help with any of your gear purchase decisions. Good luck!