Intercrosse (also called soft stick lacrosse, softcrosse, modcrosse, or pop lacrosse) is a non-contact form of

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

using modified lacrosse equipment. An intercrosse stick is different from a normal

lacrosse stick A lacrosse stick or crosse is used to play the sport of lacrosse. Players use the lacrosse stick to handle the ball and to strike or "check" opposing players' sticks, causing them to drop the ball. The head of a lacrosse stick is roughly triangular ...

: the head is completely plastic while the head of a traditional stick has a pocket of synthetic mesh or leather and nylon string. The ball is larger, softer, and hollow, unlike a lacrosse ball, which is solid rubber.

Intercrosse as a competitive adult sport is popular in many continental European countries, particularly in the Czech Republic, as well as in Quebec, Canada. Generally teams consist of five players per side, and the field size is 20 m wide and 40 m long. Goals are the same size as

box lacrosse Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...

, 4 feet in height and width (1.2 x 1.2 m). As there is no contact allowed in the game, a player is not allowed to carry the ball for more than 5 seconds. Once it has obtained the ball a team must shoot on the goal within 30 seconds or lose possession. The international governing body is the Fédération Internationale d'Inter-Crosse (FIIC), it was formed in Paris in 1985. The FIIC hosts three international intercrosse competitions. The World Games was the first to be created in 1987. The World Games are an annual event where players from different countries come to compete and celebrate the sport of intercrosse. Players are divided randomly into mixed-gender teams to provide a focus on fair play and community. The

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

started in 1999 and has been held bi-annually since 2006. The World Championship is for national teams and is meant to develop the sport at the elite level. Started in 2010, the European Cup is given to the club team earning the most points accumulated each year in approved tournaments across Europe. Soft stick lacrosse is also a popular way to introduce youth to lacrosse. It can be played outdoors or indoors and has a developed curriculum for

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

classes. Generally, the goals are small, semi-circular, portable nets and there is no goalie. Since 1992, a National Pop Lacrosse Championships has been held in the UK for primary school children. The title was won by Strathblane Primary School in 2019.

References

External links

Fédération Internationale d’Inter-Crosse

Rules for Inter-Crosse
Team sports Variations of lacrosse {{Lacrosse-stub