Website Manager

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can enter an NDP tournament?

Any team can play in an NDP tournament. In general, our tournaments are made up of club/select teams.

What is the structure of an NDP tournament?

All teams in a division will start out in the same pool for pool play games, which are only 25 minutes in length. At the end of pool play each division will be seeded out based on record (any teams with the same record will be ranked according to tiebreakers). Teams will be placed into a playoff bracket based on their seeding. If a division consists of 16 or more teams, there will be two playoff brackets, an A and a B playoff bracket. From there, the teams will compete to become champion of their respective division. Each team is guaranteed five completed games (games played to a victor, or a tie if in pool play).

What age groups can participate?

Each tournament's page on this website lists the individual age divisions offered. In general, they are high school (Elite and Rising Stars) and youth (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026-2027).

The DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions has Elite, Rising Stars, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026-2027 divisions.

What are the rules on age eligibility?

For the High School divisions, all players on the roster must still be in high school. No players can have graduated before the event date (**see note about post-graduate players below).

In the high school Elite division, the oldest players allowed to be on the roster are players that are currently in their senior year of high school or who will be entering their senior year in the next school term. Underclassmen of any designation are allowed in the Elite division.

In the high school Rising Stars division, team rosters must be made up entirely of players that are, at most, preparing to enter their junior high school year or that are current sophomores. No current seniors or juniors are allowed in the Rising Stars division.

A note for the DSG Tournament of Champions in December: Given the timing of the championship tournament, Rising Stars teams can have players that are currently in their junior year on their rosters at the championship event. This is for the championship event only and does not apply to the spring and summertime qualifying tournaments. The same principle applies to the youth divisions. For example, a player that qualified on a 2022 roster in the summertime and is going into his freshman year in the fall may still participate in the national championship in the 2022 division, even though he has been in high school for one semester.

For youth divisions (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026-2027) the age cutoffs are as follows:

2026-2027 (10U-9U) - Born on or after 1/1/2007
2025 (11U) - Born between 1/1/2006 and 12/31/2006
2024 (12U) - Born between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2005
2023 (13U) - Born between 1/1/2004 and 12/31/2004
2022 (14U) - Born between 1/1/2003 and 12/31/2003

**Please note that these eligibility rules are applicable only to NDP-operated events (DICK'S Sporting Goods Colorado Cup, DICK'S Sporting Goods Midwest Cup, DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions). All other partner events operate under their own rules, including the CYLA State Championship. Any questions about partner events should be addressed to the appropriate event administration.

**Note on post-graduate players:

NDP Lacrosse recognizes that some high schools in various areas of the country utilize a post graduate or “PG” program in which student-athletes enroll in an extra year of high school course work before they enroll in and begin college. These players are allowed to remain on the high school teams for an additional year while they prepare academically for university level studies. These PG players are allowed in NDP tournaments (in the Elite division only) but the team must receive special authorization from NDP staff prior to the tournament. If you have any PG players on your roster, please contact NDP immediately.

If you have any questions on the age and/or skill level of your team, please call us at 303.575.1902.

Waivers/Sideline Access

Every player, regardless of age or division, must submit a completed waiver to participate. Waivers can be filled out online by selecting the Waivers and Forms tab for each specific tournament.

Each team is allowed to have up to three coaches on the team sideline. During the tournament, our staff will check to ensure that they only persons on the team sideline are players and approved coaches. All parents, siblings, spectators, or anyone else that is not a player or approved coach must be on the opposite sideline from the teams.

This rule is in place for the safety of everyone involved. Should you have questions, please locate a staff member.

Can I sign up individually if I don't belong to a team?

No. Registration is only open to teams. If you wish to play but don’t have a team, we encourage you to put together a team or contact teams in your area.

What college coaches will be there?

In general, NDP Lacrosse tournaments (any event with the title of DICK'S Sporting Goods) are not recruiting events. We do welcome any and all coaches to attend our tournaments but DO NOT guarantee any program in particular to be in attendance. We encourage you, the player, to contact the programs you are interested in and invite them to come watch you play.

Are we restricted to playing in tournaments in our area?

No, teams can sign up for any tournament they wish to play in, other than the DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions (which is invitation-only). If your team qualifies for the DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, your team will receive an invitation at the completion of your qualifying tournament and your head coach and/or main team contact will be contacted by NDP Lacrosse staff. We have our tournaments in different areas of the country to make traveling easier. However, you are not restricted to your region’s tournament(s).

Who qualifies for the DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions?

At each of the qualifying events (listed on the event page for the DICK'S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions under Tournaments at the top of this page) we will invite top finishers from the high school Elite & Rising Stars brackets, as well as the 15U, 13U, and 11U brackets. The number of bids awarded at each qualifying tournament will be determined using the chart below:

  • 1-6 teams in the bracket: 1 bid given to the division champion
  • 7-12 teams in the bracket: champion and runner-up receive bids
  • 13-18 teams in the bracket: champion, runner-up and 3rd place receive bids
  • 19-24 teams in the bracket: all 4 semi-finalists receive bids
  • 25-30 teams in the bracket: top 5 places receive bids
  • 31-36 teams in the bracket: top 6 places receive bids

**Invitations, if declined, will be given to the next team in line based on final results. Some qualifying events list "Elite" & "Rising Stars" as "Varsity" & "JV" or "A" & "B". Check with your qualifying event management to determine the wording for your event.

If games to determine 3rd place, 5th place, 7th place, etc. are not offered at any qualifying tournament, bids will be extended to all teams that would have played in those games.

There are also a limited number of at-large bids held by qualifying tournament directors. If your team did not qualify and you would like to be considered for an at-large bid, please submit an appeal to NDP Lacrosse by email to  [email protected]. The appeal should include all qualifying tournaments played in, reason for not being able to attend a qualifying tournament, team season results and team/club history, as well as any other information that you feel should be considered. NDP staff will review at-large appeals on an individual basis and NDP retains the right of final decision.

When is registration open?

You can register your team now by finding a tournament you wish to participate in at the top of this page! ALL registrations must go through our on-line system. If you cannot complete this process, please contact us at 303.575.1902.

What is the process for registration?

Choose your tournament from the "Tournaments" section along the top of this page. You will be asked to register as a new coach. You may enter in as much team information as you have available at that time. If you do not pay at least the $200 deposit the very first time that you create the team on-line, the system will not let you back in at a later date to complete registration. If you pay the deposit the first time you register, you will be allowed unlimited access to your team's account, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To repeat: IF YOU DO NOT FINISH THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS YOU WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED INTO THE TOURNAMENT AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO BACK IN AND FINISH AT A LATER TIME!!

When is the registration deadline?

There are two deadlines to be aware of when signing up for one of our tournaments. Please check each individual event page to see actual dates for each respective tournament.

  • On-line Team Registration & Deposit Payment (one month in advance of the event)
  • Final Roster & Payment Deadline (two weeks in advance of the event)

YOUR TEAM WILL NOT BE BRACKETED INTO THE TOURNAMENT IF FINAL PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED THREE (3) WEEKS AND ONE (1) DAY PRIOR TO THE TOURNAMENT. If you cannot make your final payment on-time, please call 303.575.1902.

In addition, we will not release tournament schedules until all teams have submitted final rosters and payments. There is no flexibility in this policy.

How will I know that my registration was successful?

When you have successfully registered your team, you will receive an email or phone call from NDP Lacrosse staff to verify receipt of registration and provide any necessary further instructions. An invoice will be emailed at regular intervals to the email address provided in the team registration until the final balance is paid. Any outstanding items (final roster, etc.) will also be addressed in the emails.

When is my team’s final roster due?

Final rosters will be due three (3) weeks and one (1) day prior to tournament start date. Your tournament director will email you the correct format that the roster should be in. We will not accept any other format. If you need a copy of the roster format, please call 303.575.1902.

What is the refund policy?

The team registration deposit is only refundable once final payment and rosters are submitted by the appropriate deadline. If you do submit your final payment and rosters by the appropriate deadline, you will receive a check in the mail, to the address listed on the team registration, shortly after the tournament deadline.

We will not "roll-over" any paid deposits to other teams that are participating. For example, if a club registers and pays deposits for two teams and then decides that only one team will actually attend, the deposit paid for the team that dropped out will not be applied to the balance due for the second team. That deposit will be forfeited and the team that remains will still owe a full outstanding balance.

  • If your team cancels at least 60 days prior to the tournament, you will receive a 100% refund on your team registration fee*.
  • If your team cancels 30-59 days prior to the tournament, you will receive a 50% refund on your team registration fee*.
  • If your team cancels less than 30 days prior to the tournament, the tournament fee is non-refundable.

      *NOTE — Team cancellation refunds do not include the team registration deposit.

The refund policy is not flexible. The policy has been established to protect teams that have registered, paid in full and sent a roster in on time from being inconvenienced by delays in scheduling caused by teams dropping out in the days before the event.

Does NDP conflict with NCAA rules?

No. We are in compliance with all recruiting rules and regulations. Competing in an NDP tournament will not hurt your eligibility.

What is NDP's weather policy for tournaments?

If tournament play is affected due to weather, NDP staff will have the authority to delay or cancel any games.

When a tournament gets delayed:

  • Tournament staff will do everything in its power to have all games be played, including shortening games if necessary
  • If pool play games are canceled, the playoff bracket will be based off the record of every team in the division based on the lowest number of pool play games every team has played.
    (For example: If there are eight teams in a bracket and four teams have played three games while the other four teams have only played two games, the playoffs will be based off the first two pool play games for all eight teams. The results of the third game played by each of the first four teams will be voided.)

All information regarding weather delays or cancellations will be available in the following locations:

Website – www.ndplacrosse.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/ndp.lacrosse
Twitter – @NDPLacrosse
Email – Primary Team Contacts will be notified by email

Individuals should check their emails regularly, or look for updates on NDP’s social media accounts. These will all be updated the moment NDP learns of any delay or cancellation.

General questions and inquiries please contact us at [email protected].

Copyright © 2024 NDP Lacrosse
Privacy Statement |  Terms Of Use |  License Agreement |  Children's Privacy Policy  Log In