Before you enter

Rules, Ages & Refunds

Our divisions and how we run games follow the published national standards for each sport — USA Lacrosse youth rules, US Youth Soccer's players and playing rules policy, and Ripken Baseball and USSSA baseball rules. Anything specific to a single SD Sports Events event is confirmed with your entry.

SD Sports Events runs youth play only — from intro ages for the youngest players through high school. There are no adult divisions.

Age Divisions

Pick the sport to see every division we run — intro play for the youngest ages, then 8U through 14U, then high-school age — who fills each one, and what a game looks like there.

Lacrosse

Follows USA Lacrosse youth rules, and the NFHS rule book at high-school age

Division	Who plays	How it's played
4U – 6U · Intro	Pre-school and kindergarten	First Lacrosse-style play on a half field, four to six a side with no goaltender. Catching, throwing, and ground balls — no scores or standings are kept.
8U	Second grade	Cross-field, six a side with six field players and no goaltender. Long sticks are not permitted.
10U	Third and fourth grade	Reduced field, seven a side including one goaltender. Long sticks are not permitted.
12U	Fifth and sixth grade	Full field, ten a side. Long sticks are permitted with a limit on how many are on the field at once.
14U	Seventh and eighth grade	Full field, ten a side, with the youth modifications USA Lacrosse publishes.
High school · 15U – 18U	Ninth to twelfth grade	Full field, ten a side, played to the high-school rule book USA Lacrosse publishes for boys and girls. Boys' field players wear helmets and gloves; girls' field players wear eye guards and mouthguards.

Soccer

Follows US Youth Soccer players and playing rules policy, and NFHS rules at high-school age

Division	Who plays	How it's played
U4 & U6 · Intro	U6 born Aug 1, 2020 – Jul 31, 2021 · U4 born Aug 1, 2022 or later	Small-sided play with no goalkeepers. Everyone plays, and no scores or standings are published.
8U	Born Aug 1, 2018 – Jul 31, 2019	Small-sided play with a build-out line.
10U	Born Aug 1, 2016 – Jul 31, 2017	Small-sided play; US Soccer's guidelines limit heading at this age.
12U	Born Aug 1, 2014 – Jul 31, 2015	Eleven a side on a full pitch.
14U	Born Aug 1, 2012 – Jul 31, 2013	Eleven a side on a full pitch.
16U	Born Aug 1, 2010 – Jul 31, 2011	Eleven a side on a full pitch.
High school · 18U	Born Aug 1, 2008 – Jul 31, 2009	Eleven a side on a full pitch, played to the NFHS high-school rule book where the event is sanctioned that way.

Baseball

Follows Cal Ripken Baseball divisions and USSSA baseball rules, and NFHS rules at high-school age

Division	Who plays	How it's played
4U – 6U · T-ball & intro	Pre-school and kindergarten	The bat is on a tee or the ball is delivered by a coach, base paths are short, and no standings are published.
8U	Second grade · coach pitch	60-foot base paths.
9U – 10U	Third and fourth grade	46-foot pitching distance, 65-foot base paths.
11U – 12U	Fifth and sixth grade	50-foot pitching distance, 70-foot base paths.
13U – 14U	Seventh and eighth grade	A step up from 12U — 54-foot pitching distance and 80-foot base paths are common at these ages; the set used is published with each event.
High school · 15U – 18U	Ninth to twelfth grade	Full 60-foot-6 pitching distance and 90-foot base paths, BBCOR bats, played to the NFHS high-school rule book.

The terms every team agrees to

Age & Eligibility

A player's division is set by birth date against the chart above, not by the grade they are in. Soccer age groups follow the August 1 to July 31 formation cycle US Youth Soccer adopted from the 2026-27 season. Baseball age groups follow the age a player reaches by April 30 of the season, the date Cal Ripken Baseball uses for spring and summer play. USA Lacrosse requires members 18 and under to complete a one-time age verification before they can play in age-verified events. Bring a birth certificate, passport, or school ID to every event — a team that fields an ineligible player forfeits the games affected. A player may move up one division with our written approval, but may not move down.

Rosters & Guest Players

Roster limits and the number of players needed to start are published with each event. In soccer, a team's age group is set by the oldest player on the roster. Lacrosse and baseball teams must name a full roster before their first game. Guest and club-pass players need our approval in advance and must be registered with the team before the first pitch or first whistle.

Equipment & Safety

Boys' lacrosse field players wear a helmet, gloves, arm protection and a mouthguard; girls' field players wear eye guards and a mouthguard; goalkeepers in both wear full protective gear. Baseball and softball bats must carry the USA Baseball, USSSA BPF 1.15, or BBCOR mark for the division, and we enforce the current banned-bat list. Soccer players must wear shinguards, and goalkeepers' jerseys must contrast with both teams. Any player showing concussion signs is removed for the rest of the day and needs medical clearance to return.

Conduct, Protests & Appeals

Coaches, players, and spectators are held to a zero-tolerance standard for abusive, discriminatory, or threatening language or behaviour — officials can eject anyone on the spot and we can remove a team from the event. Protests are filed in writing to the tournament director before the next game involving the protesting team; the deposit and the exact cut-off are published with each event. An umpire's or referee's judgement call is not protestable; player eligibility, misapplied rules, and equipment are.

Fees, refunds & weather

These are the parts we set ourselves for each event, and they are posted with the tournament once it is confirmed.