Ironcross - a New Sport
The new sport of Ironcross was created by Patrick Richard from Ottawa, Canada in 2023. Ironcross is a full-contact Canadian summer sport.
Sport Summary
Ironcross combines elements of Canada's official summer sport' lacrosse' with Canada's most popular summer sport' gridiron football' in a game that emphasizes toughness and athleticism. It's played with a hard rubber lacrosse ball, fully covered in black and white hockey tape for grip. Goals are scored by throwing the ball past the goalie into the other team's net. Players carry the ball by hand and can run with it and pass it around to their teammates freely. But beware, a player with the ball is fair game to be tackled, and if they're brought down, they lose the ball.
Sport Details
Liability. The author of this document waives any liability for any damages caused by participating in any activities described in this document, in whole or in part, including but not limited to injury, illness, death, property damage, and fines or imprisonment.
Gameplay. A game consists of two teams playing against each other. The objective of each team is to win. A team wins by scoring more goals than the other team. A game consists of 4x 13-minute periods, with the game clock only counting down during gameplay. Each period starts with a faceoff stoppage. If the game is tied at the end of the fourth period, overtime is added.
Coin Toss. Immediately prior to the start of the game, the referee shall flip a coin. The ' winner' of the coin toss shall be on the side from which the wind is blowing for the first period, with the other team being given last change for the first period. Sides and last change shall switch after each period.
Playing Field. A game is played on an 80-yard by 30-yard grass playing field, with a sufficient buffer surrounding it. There are also two field lacrosse nets on the playing field, facing inwards (for greater certainty, the opening of a field lacrosse net is six feet by six feet). See diagram for the required markings on the playing field.
Teams. Each team may have a maximum of six players on the playing field at any one time, subject a maximum of one goalie. Each team may also have additional players not on the playing field for substitutions. Each team must submit their lineup of players who are allowed to play in the game for approval beforehand.
Equipment. Players must wear pre-approved equipment. The requirements for equipment must have as their primary objective player safety and as their secondary objective to not adversely affect gameplay. Referees may refuse to allow players to play for inappropriate equipment, and may assess a minor penalty for deliberately wearing inappropriate equipment.
- Players other than goalies are to wear a helmet (with chinstrap and full facemask such that the ball cannot get through), lacrosse shoulder pads (or equivalent' must protect chest), football pants (or equivalent' must have the following pads: tailbone, 2x hip, 2x thigh, and 2x knee), a protective cup, cleats, and a team jersey.
- Goalies are to wear full protective equipment (similar to a lacrosse or hockey goalie), including two catching gloves. Their equipment should not be unnecessarily bulky.
- The ball to be used is a lacrosse ball, fully covered in white hockey tape. On top of the white tape, there are to be two strips of black hockey tape. These two strips each make a great circle around the circumference of the ball, running perpendicular to each other (the effect is that the black tape will form two crosses, one on each side of the ball).
Moving the Ball. A player can carry the ball, throw the ball, or knock the ball when it is on the ground or in the air. When a player is carrying the ball, they are said to be in possession of it. If a player in possession of the ball is brought to the ground or unable to walk forwards as a result of legal contact from the opponent, he must immediately relinquish the ball. If he does not, the referee calls an on-the-spot stoppage, and gives the other team possession where that player had possession of the ball.
Ground Ball. When the ball is on the ground, if a player covers it up' that is, holds onto it so that no other players can take it without having to wrestle it free' then an on-the-spot stoppage is called, and that player is granted possession. However, if a player simply picks it up from the ground and stands up immediately, no stoppage is called. A player who was just forced to relinquish the ball and who put in on the ground cannot gain possession of the ground ball.
Contact. There are two legal kinds of contact: holding and shoving. Contact may only be used against a player with the ball or a player who is screening the goalie. A player shall be assessed a minor penalty for illegal contact, upgraded to a major penalty if it is especially dangerous or if there is intent to injure.
Holding. A player holds another player by wrapping his arms or hands around all or part of the other player. This can involve (but not limited to) tackling a player to the ground, restraining a player in a fixed position, or holding onto a player's arms. Holding is not permitted solely to prevent a player from screening the goalie.
Shoving. A player shoves a player by using one or both hands or other body parts to push on the other player or by getting in that player's path of movement in order to restrict that player's movement. Shoving must be a gradual ' pushing' motion' body checking or any form of hitting is not permitted.
Goal. A goal is scored by getting the ball into the opponent's net with the ball crossing through the opening under the crossbar and between the goalposts. A goal is not counted if it is knocked in off of the ground, if the goalie has been physically impeded from stopping the ball by a player on the scoring team, if it rolls in or bounces in from the ground, or if it is not scored during gameplay.
Stoppages. There are three kinds of stoppages: on-the-spot stoppage, field stoppage, and faceoff stoppage. As soon as the referee calls the stoppage, gameplay stops with the referee blowing his whistle. Gameplay then resumes with the referee blowing his whistle when ready.
On-the-Spot Stoppage. After calling an on-the-spot stoppage, the referee must declare the location of the stoppage and which player or team is given possession. The player (or a player from the team) given possession takes possession of the ball at the point of the stoppage, and all other players must move to at least six feet away from that player. Once this has happened, the referee blows his whistle to signal the resumption of gameplay.
- Contact against the player given possession cannot be made from behind until the player has moved six feet or released the ball (behind is interpreted in reference to the direction that the player given possession is facing at the resumption of gameplay).
- If the point of the stoppage is within the outer goal circle, it is moved to the closest point immediately outside the outer goal circle.
Field Stoppage. After calling a field stoppage, the referee must declare which team is given possession. All players from the team given possession must retire to their side of the centre line with one player holding the ball, while all players on the other team must retire to behind their goal line (with the exception that the goalie may be anywhere within his crease). Once this has happened, the referee blows his whistle to signal the resumption of gameplay.
Faceoff Stoppage. During a faceoff stoppage, the ball begins on the faceoff dot with one player from each team with the toes of one foot against the ball and their other foot on their side of the centre line. All other players must be on their side of the centre line outside of the faceoff circle. Once these conditions are satisfied, the referee blows his whistle to signal the start of gameplay.
Length of Stoppage. A stoppage can be either a short stoppage or a long stoppage. An on-the-spot stoppage is a short stoppage unless there is a condition that requires it to last for a prolonged length of time, in which case the referee can make it a long stoppage. All other stoppages are long stoppages. During short stoppages, gameplay must resume as quickly as possible. During long stoppages, both teams shall be given enough time to substitute all players on the playing field for players off of the playing field, if desired. For a field stoppage or long on-the-spot stoppage, the team given possession shall be allowed to see which players the other team is putting on the field prior to making their substitutions, while for a faceoff stoppage, the team with last change shall have that right.
Substitutions. In addition to making substitutions during long stoppages, a team may make substitutions at any time during gameplay, or during short stoppages if it does not impede the return to gameplay. A player must leave through their side of the substitution line segment in order to be deemed off the playing field (unless they are injured). If a player enters the playing field not through the substitution line segment, they are assessed a minor penalty (unless they were temporarily out of bounds and returning). If a team has more than the maximum number of allowed players on the playing field, they are assessed a minor penalty.
Penalty. Upon a penalty being called, gameplay stops as soon as the team against which the penalty is called gains possession of the ball. A minor penalty lasts for two minutes of gameplay, while a major penalty lasts for five minutes of gameplay. The player receiving the penalty (or, if the penalty is against the team as a whole or against a goaltender, a player of the team's choosing) is not permitted on the playing field for the duration of the penalty, and the maximum number of players that his team is allowed on the playing field is reduced by one for the duration of the penalty.
- If two penalties for opposing teams offset, the maximum is not reduced.
- If one team has more ongoing minor penalties than the other team and lets in a goal, then their minor penalty with the least amount of time left is immediately ended.
- If a penalty would cause a team to be allowed no players on the playing field, then rather than their own maximum being decreased by one, the other team's maximum shall be increased by one.
Penalty Shot. If a player receives a penalty for an action that prevents an opposing player from running towards the net with the ball unobstructed, then the player with the lost scoring chance is given a penalty shot. For the penalty shot, the player awarded the penalty shot starts on their side of the centre line, the opposing goalie starts in their own crease, and all other players remain off of the playing field. The referee blows his whistle, and the player runs towards the opponent's net in an attempt to score a goal. If a goal is scored, it is added to his team's goal count. The penalty shot ends once a goal is scored, once the player ends his forwards momentum if he is still holding the ball, or once he releases the ball and the ball either stops moving or again makes contact with him.
- The game clock does not count down during a penalty shot.
- After a penalty shot, if a goal is scored, a faceoff stoppage is called, or if no goal is scored, a field stoppage is called with the team granted the shot given possession.
- The penalty shot is supplemental to the penalty and does not replace the penalty.
Remedial Measures
- The referee may call a penalty for delay of game, unsportsmanlike conduct, or similar reasons.
- For egregious conduct, as a supplement to a penalty, the referee may eject a player from part or the remainder of the game or assess one team a forfeit.
- The referee may prohibit a player from playing for part or the remainder of the game for safety reasons.
Out of Bounds. If the ball partially leaves the playing field or a player holding the ball partially leaves the playing field, an on-the-spot stoppage is called at the point where the ball or player holding the ball exited. If it is as a result of the ball being thrown towards the net in an attempt to score a goal, the team that threw it is given possession. Otherwise, the team that was not the last to touch the ball before it went out of bounds is given possession.
Offside
- If a player moves the ball into the other team's half of the playing field other than by carrying it across the centre line, an on-the-spot stoppage is called and the other team is given possession immediately next to the point at which it crossed the line, in the half of the team that moved it across the line.
- If a team moves the ball across the centre line into the other team's half of the playing field when they have a player in the other team's half, a field stoppage is called with the other team given possession.
- This rule does not after a faceoff stoppage until one team has gained possession.
Crease
- If a player (including a goalie) has possession of the ball in a crease, an on-the-spot stoppage is immediately called with possession being given to the other team immediately outside the outer goal circle at the point furthest from the centre line.
- If the ball is motionless on the ground in a crease, then an on-the-spot stoppage is immediately called with possession being given to the team whose crease it is not immediately outside the outer goal circle at the point furthest from the centre line.
- If a goalie has possession of the ball outside of his crease, a field stoppage is called with the other team being given possession at the point in which the goalie had possession.
- If a defender other than the goalie blocks the ball from entering the net while in the crease, a goal is granted to the team that would have otherwise scored. If there is a chance that the goalie would have stopped it, then a penalty shot (with no corresponding penalty) is granted instead. This does not apply if the defender blocked it incidentally while in the crease for the purpose of moving an opposing player out of a screening position in front of the goalie.
Disengagement. If, in the referee's judgement, it is clear that players from one team are trying to maintain the team's possession of the ball without making any attempt to score a goal, the referee may call a field stoppage and give the other team possession. If a team moves the ball across the centre line into their own half, a field stoppage is automatically called with the other team granted possession.
Overtime. Overtime consists of 2x 4-minute periods played consecutively with the maximum number of players per team allowed reduced by one, followed by as many 30-second periods as necessary with the maximum number of players allowed per team at 1.
- If a goal is scored in the first overtime period, then the second overtime period is reduced in length to the amount of time that elapsed in the first overtime period (otherwise it remains 4-minutes long).
- If a goal is scored in the second overtime period, the team that scored the goal wins (regardless of whether a goal was scored in the first overtime period).
- If a goal is scored in the first overtime period but not in the second, then the team that scored the goal in the first overtime period wins.
- If no goal is scored in the first two overtime periods, then whichever team scores first in one of the 30-second overtime periods wins immediately.
- For the first overtime period, sides and last-change remain the same as for the fourth period. They switch after the first overtime period, and then remain the same for the rest of overtime.
- If a game goes to overtime, the final score shall be recorded as the score at the end
- An overtime win shall be considered to be exactly the same as a non-overtime win, and an overtime loss shall be considered to be exactly the same as a non-overtime loss.
Additional Contact Rules
- Holding another player above the shoulders is not permitted.
- Holding of the groin area with the hand is not permitted.
- Holding of the arm with the hand in order to throw the other player to the ground, to move the arm towards an unnatural position in order to manipulate the body, or to restrain the player from running, is not permitted.
- Hitting another player with the shoulder without simultaneously wrapping the arm connected to that shoulder around the opposing player is not permitted.
- Hitting the knee area of another player, even for the purpose of initiating a hold, is not permitted.
- Lifting another player's waist above his head is not permitted.
- Throwing another player head-first towards the ground is not permitted.
- Grabbing another player's equipment by the hand without also wrapping the hand around one of the player's body parts is not permitted.
- Grabbing of a player's hair is not permitted.
- Shoving a player above the shoulders or below the waist is not permitted.
- Shoving a player's back is not permitted.
- If a player is not standing up straight, such as if he is bent over to pick up the ball, or has body parts other than his feet against the ground, shoving that player towards the ground is not permitted.
- Shoving with the head or with a body part below the waist is not permitted.
- A player may make contact with another player unintentionally, and may use his hands to protect himself in the case of unintentional contact.
- A player may not initiate contact against a player on the other team when gameplay is paused.
' ¢ If a player initiates legal contact and conditions change to make that contact illegal, the player may follow through with the contact to the extent that he cannot reasonably prevent the contact from occurring or continuing.
- A goalie is not permitted to initiate contact except against a player that is screening him.
- Any form of contact not explicitly permitted is prohibited, subject to a standard of reasonability.
- Excessive contact is not permitted.
- If a player is suspected of incurring or possibly incurring a concussion during the game, that player may not enter the playing field until he has been cleared to do so by a medical doctor.
Note
Related Pages
- See our large list of other New Sports
- How to Submit a New Sport
- Complete list of unusual sports
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