The Best Lacrosse Gift Is Usually the Boring One
There’s a version of this list that recommends a gadget. Resist it. The equipment that lacrosse players genuinely use every week is unglamorous, and the flashy alternative tends to get opened, admired and then left in the garage until it’s donated.
The most reliable lacrosse gifts are, in rough order: more balls than they currently own, a shooting target matched honestly to their level, and — for a household that’s committed — an official-size goal. The reason is simple. Those are the things that increase how many repetitions a player gets at home, and repetitions are the only variable anyone actually controls.
Here’s the honest version, sorted by what you want to spend and who you’re buying for.
Stocking-filler territory
Balls. Always balls. This is the single most underrated gift in the sport and it’s almost embarrassing how well it works. A player with two balls spends a practice session walking; a player with a dozen spends it practising. Certified lacrosse balls come in packs of three and six and boxes of twelve, and nobody has ever had too many.
One buying note that saves an awkward moment: if you’re buying for a girl, buy yellow. NCAA women’s rules allow only yellow or bright orange, while the men’s game allows white, orange, pink and lime green as well. Yellow is the only colour legal in every rule set at every level, which is covered in full in the ball colours guide.
Something to carry them in. A ball bag sounds like a non-gift right up until the first time someone tries to carry two dozen balls in their arms across a car park.
The mid-range gift that changes a player’s week
A shooting target. The most underrated purchase in the sport, because it converts aimless shooting into something a player can measure themselves against, and it does it in a backyard.
The important thing is matching the target to the player rather than to your ambitions for them. A beginner-level target that blocks the middle of the goal and leaves the four corners open gives a young player a realistic hit rate and a reason to come back tomorrow. An advanced target, which blocks nearly everything and leaves small triangular windows, is genuinely hard, and handing one to a nine-year-old produces a demoralising afternoon. There are also corner targets for players working on a specific spot. The targets guide explains the progression properly, and it’s worth two minutes before you buy.
A replacement net for a goal that’s seen better days. Unromantic and enormously appreciated by anyone whose backyard goal has a net that balls now trickle through. If the family already owns a goal, a fresh net from the replacement net range is a better gift than another accessory — just check the frame’s corner shape first, because round-corner and square-corner frames take differently cut nets.
The big one
An official-size goal, if this is a serious gift and there’s somewhere to put it.
Worth understanding what you’re actually buying. A regulation goal is 6 feet by 6 feet, and that size doesn’t change from 10U all the way through high school, college and professional play. It is genuinely the last goal the household buys, which reframes the cost considerably.
The Gladiator Lacrosse® Official Lacrosse Goal with 6mm Net is the standard backyard choice — official 72″ x 72″, 1.5″ all-steel frame, 6.0 mm braided polyester net, and it snaps together rather than requiring a toolbox and an afternoon. For something different, the Casey Powell Signature Edition Lacrosse Goal is the same backyard class of goal in an all-black colourway with a black net, which some players much prefer to look at.
Before you commit, two practical checks: is there space, and is there something behind it to stop the shots that miss? The backyard setup guide covers both, and it’s better read before the purchase than after the first broken window.
If you’re buying for a program rather than a person, the Gladiator Lacrosse® Professional Goal with 6 mm White Net is a different animal — 2-inch all-steel pipe, welded lacing bars, stated to meet NCAA and NFHS specifications, sold singly or as a pair. Note that it ships as freight rather than as a parcel, with additional freight charges arranged after checkout, so it is not a last-minute December purchase.
What to buy for each kind of player
| Who you’re buying for | The gift that lands |
|---|---|
| A child trying lacrosse for the first time | Balls, and a soft training ball if they’re very young |
| A player who’s committed after a season or two | A shooting target matched to their real level |
| A player with no wall and a small yard | Balls plus a target — space matters less than reps |
| A goalie | Balls, in volume. Their sessions are limited by how many shots are available |
| A family with a goal that’s aged badly | A replacement net and fresh lacing cord |
| A household going all in | An official-size 6×6 goal |
| A coach or program | Balls by the case, and goals by the pair |
What not to buy
Said plainly, because it saves money.
A stick, unless you know exactly what they need. Stick length is regulated by age bracket and position, pockets are personal, and a player with a stick they didn’t choose usually goes back to their old one. If you want to fund a stick, fund a stick — let them pick it.
Protective equipment as a surprise. Helmets and chest protectors have to fit, and goalie chest protectors and boys’ shoulder pads must meet the NOCSAE ND200 standard with the logo and SEI mark visible on the product. Sizing this as a gift is a returns exercise waiting to happen.
A smaller “starter” goal for a young child. Tempting, and usually a waste. USA Lacrosse’s youth rules allow a full-size high school goal even at the 6U and 8U brackets, and from 10U up the 6×6 is the only size used. A 3×3 gets outgrown in two seasons.
Anything that needs assembly on the day, unless you enjoy that. Snap-together is a real feature in late December.
A timing note
If you’re ordering for a specific date, order earlier than feels necessary. The site states same-day shipping on orders placed Monday to Friday before 12pm, which helps — but the Professional goal ships LTL freight with charges arranged after checkout, which is a different timeline entirely. Balls, targets and nets are the safe late purchases. Large goals are not.
Bottom line
Buy balls. Buy more than seems reasonable, and buy yellow if there’s any chance they’re used in the girls’ game. If you want to spend more, buy a shooting target matched to the player’s actual level rather than their aspirational one. If this is the big gift and there’s space in the yard, buy the official-size 6×6 — it’s the last goal the family will need to buy. And leave the stick and the protective equipment to the people who have to wear them.
A Word on Gladiator Lacrosse
Gladiator Lacrosse started as a gift problem, more or less. Rachel Zietz founded the company in Boca Raton in 2012, aged 13, because the backyard equipment available to her was either too expensive or fell apart after a season outside. Building gear that survives being left in a yard is the entire premise.
The lacrosse balls meet NOCSAE standards and are SEI certified, in singles through cases of 120. The targets come in beginner, advanced and corner versions, so you can match one to a real player rather than a generic one. And the Gladiator Lacrosse® Official Lacrosse Goal with 6mm Net is official size, all-steel and snap-together — the same 6×6 they’ll be shooting at for the rest of their playing life.
You Might Also Like
- Which shooting target to buy — beginner, advanced or corner
- Setting up a backyard for lacrosse — read before buying a goal
- Which ball colour is legal where — a two-minute read that avoids a mistake
FAQ
What is the best gift for a lacrosse player? Lacrosse balls, in more quantity than they currently own. A player with only a couple of balls spends most of a backyard session retrieving rather than practising, so volume directly increases the number of repetitions they get. After that, a shooting target matched to their actual skill level.
What colour lacrosse balls should I buy as a gift? Yellow. It’s the only colour legal in every rule set — NCAA women’s rules allow only yellow or bright orange, while the men’s game also permits white, orange, pink and lime green. Yellow works for any player at any level.
Is a lacrosse goal a good gift? If there’s space for it and the player is committed, yes — and it’s a longer-term purchase than it looks. A regulation 6-foot by 6-foot goal is used from the 10U bracket all the way through high school, college and professional play, so it doesn’t get outgrown.
Should I buy a smaller goal for a young child? Usually not. USA Lacrosse’s youth rules permit a full-size high school goal even at 6U and 8U, and from 10U upward the 6×6 is the only size used. A smaller starter goal tends to be outgrown within two seasons.
What lacrosse gifts should I avoid? Sticks, unless you know exactly what the player wants, since length is regulated by age and position and pockets are personal. Also avoid protective equipment as a surprise — helmets and chest protectors must fit correctly, and goalie chest protectors must meet the NOCSAE ND200 standard.