Battle of the Bay Rules 

Polo Field Rules:  To keep the Polo Grounds in top form, the City of San Francisco does not allow spectators to be in the field. Only players, coaches and tournament staff will be allowed on the field. All spectators will watch the game from outside the fence which runs around the perimeter of the Polo Grounds. We are planning to set up the fields so they run along the fence for optimal viewing. We will do everything possible to make sure spectators have a great experience watching the games. Coaches, please abide by the following:

• All team “camps” and tent set ups must be set up on the outside of the Polo field. No camps will be allowed on the actual field. 

• Teams are not allowed to warm up on the extra space of the Polo field. 

• Players and club coaches are only allowed on the field during their game time and 10 minutes before game time. Please escort your team back off the field immediately after your game.

* Thank you for your help to make sure we abide by the City of San Francisco’s strict usage rules. With your cooperation, we will be able to enjoy the wonderful space in beautiful Golden Gate Park. 

• We will also have recycle, compost, and landfill bins throughout the tournament venue. Please help us to stay green and keep the venue clean. Thank you! 

Basic Conduct Rules 

 There will be zero tolerance for racist, homophobic, sexist or derogatory language of any kind. This includes on the field, off the field, in the stands, players, coaches and spectator. If this type of language is heard, that person will be asked to leave the tournament immediately. Please make sure this tournament is a hate-free environment and enjoyed by everyone. 

There will be no fighting allowed at any time. If a player punches another player during a game, he will be ejected from the game and/or the tournament. Refs will brief the tournament director after the game. The director will then determine if the ejection is for that game only or the rest of the tournament. 

Sportsmanship: Verbal abuse of referees from players, coaches or spectators will not be tolerated. Flagrant violations may result in a team disqualification at the tournament director’s discretion. 

 All other rules will be called consistent to current CIF high school/ US Lacrosse Youth rules. 

Game Format
All tournament games will follow 2022 NFHS/US Lacrosse Game Rules unless otherwise stated.

No Coin‐Toss or Line‐Up before games. No shaking hands after games.

No counts for crossing midline or box in U14 and below.

AP is determined by the winner of the first face-off. 

Game time will start promptly as scheduled. 

Time will be kept by the referees. 

Penalty time will be kept by the scorekeeper. 

Penalties are running time: 45 seconds for a technical foul and 90 seconds for a personal foul. 

18-minute running halves

3-minute halftime

Pool Games can end in a tie.

Playoff Games

Overtime - Sudden Victory. First goal scored wins the game.

No overtime for consolation games. 

Championship Games Only

One 1-minute time out per team per game that stops the game clock (and penalty time).

Last two minutes of the game are stopped time. 

Playoff Bracket Seeding Order

Seeding Format In the event of a TIE in the standings, the seeding will be settled using the following format. In the event of a 3-way tie, tiebreaker will start with lowest goals against.

Head to Head Record (only two teams)

Lowest Goals Against (Overall) 

Goal Differential (Overall) 

Coin Flip

Battle of the Bay Rules 

Polo Field Rules:  To keep the Polo Grounds in top form, the City of San Francisco does not allow spectators to be in the field. Only players, coaches and tournament staff will be allowed on the field. All spectators will watch the game from outside the fence which runs around the perimeter of the Polo Grounds. We are planning to set up the fields so they run along the fence for optimal viewing. We will do everything possible to make sure spectators have a great experience watching the games. Coaches, please abide by the following:

• All team “camps” and tent set ups must be set up on the outside of the Polo field. No camps will be allowed on the actual field. 

• Teams are not allowed to warm up on the extra space of the Polo field. 

• Players and club coaches are only allowed on the field during their game time and 10 minutes before game time. Please escort your team back off the field immediately after your game.

* Thank you for your help to make sure we abide by the City of San Francisco’s strict usage rules. With your cooperation, we will be able to enjoy the wonderful space in beautiful Golden Gate Park. 

• We will also have recycle, compost, and landfill bins throughout the tournament venue. Please help us to stay green and keep the venue clean. Thank you! 

Basic Conduct Rules 

 There will be zero tolerance for racist, homophobic, sexist or derogatory language of any kind. This includes on the field, off the field, in the stands, players, coaches and spectator. If this type of language is heard, that person will be asked to leave the tournament immediately. Please make sure this tournament is a hate-free environment and enjoyed by everyone. 

There will be no fighting allowed at any time. If a player punches another player during a game, he will be ejected from the game and/or the tournament. Refs will brief the tournament director after the game. The director will then determine if the ejection is for that game only or the rest of the tournament. 

Sportsmanship: Verbal abuse of referees from players, coaches or spectators will not be tolerated. Flagrant violations may result in a team disqualification at the tournament director’s discretion. 

 All other rules will be called consistent to current CIF high school/ US Lacrosse Youth rules. 

Game Format

PLAYERS

All players must wear goggles and mouth guards

Goalies must be in full protective equipment & goalie stick

Regulation Ball will be used

Whichever team is listed 1st on the schedule will get the first AP.
No pregame stick checks- coaches by attending the tournament are certifying that all players are properly and legally equipped.

NFHS and US Lacrosse rules will apply where not specifically noted otherwise.
Any 8m free position can be played out if time expires in the half.

FIELD SET UP & SCORING:

U10: 7 Players will be on the field at a time per side (2A, 2M, 2D, 1G)
After a goal is scored, there is a “Free Clear” - the defending team takes possession of the ball, and cannot be defended until the ball cross the midline, on the possessing teams’ offensive half.

U12: 8 Players will be on the field at a time per side (2A, 3M, 2D, 1G)
USA Lacrosse 12U small sided 8v8 rules will be applied.

U14 and High School:  Standard Full Field rules according to US Lacrosse and NFHS guidelines.

GAME TIMES

18 min running halves games (3 minutes between games)
U10 Girls games will be 18 minutes in length.

No time outs

Overtime only in playoff games: If time expires as an 8m shot is being awarded the shot will be played out. If the player does NOT score and there is still a tie the following procedures will be used: AP carries over, teams do not change ends, team/player cards carry over, teams get a 1 min rest, starts with a draw, no time outs and the first team to score wins

PENALTIES

Two yellow cards for one player will result in that player sitting the remainder of current game but the player is eligible to play in the games following 

A red card will result in that player sitting the remainder of the current game and the head official, field official, and tournament director reviewing the player to determine the players status for the remainder of the tournament.

Playoff Bracket Seeding Order

Seeding Format In the event of a TIE in the standings, the seeding will be settled using the following format. In the event of a 3-way tie, tiebreaker will start with lowest goals against.

Head to Head Record (only two teams)

Lowest Goals Against (Overall) 

Goal Differential (Overall) 

Coin Flip