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NFHS Girls Lacrosse Rule Changes for 2022

Player equipment was included in the 19 rules changes in high school girls lacrosse for the 2022 season. The rules changes came after a one-year hiatus from the rules-making process because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rule 2 underwent several alterations regarding equipment, including the new Rule 2-7-7, which permits participants to wear secured, nonabrasive head coverings for religious or cosmetic reasons without first obtaining state association approval. Beyond a pair of changes permitting hair ties and other soft, non-rigid materials worn on the arm and securely fastened hair adornments (Rule 2-7-5), the other major equipment-related modifications are found in Rule 2-7-3, which allows face masks that are soft and non-abrasive.

Under Rule 2-6-1a, goalkeepers are no longer required to wear shin protectors, as there is no standard for those pieces of equipment. Goalkeepers still have the option to wear shin protection with padding up to one inch in thickness, which also creates consistency with boys lacrosse. Additional changes to Rule 2-6-1 detail the additional equipment options for goalkeepers, including a clear, molded and non-rigid helmet eye shield, as well as tinted or clear eyeglasses. A new equipment option for officials was added as new Rule 2-8-5 offering the ability to use audible wireless communication devices as a means of adjusting to the increased speed of the game.

New Specifications for NCAA Softballs in 2024

New specifications for NCAA softballs go into effect in the 2024 season. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel also approved implementing video review and allowing coaches to have two video review challenges beginning with the 2021–22 academic year. The softball specifications will be standardized with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and USA Softball at a maximum compression of 275–375 pounds. The specifications take effect January 1, 2024 with a goal of improving inventory availability and assisting in cost containment. Regarding the video review rule, there is no requirement to use it and it is optional for all schools, conferences and tournaments to implement. Over the past few years, conferences have experimented with video review in conference tournament games, including the Atlantic Coast (ACC), Southeastern (SEC) and Sun Belt conferences during the 2021 season. Softball Rules Committee members received positive feedback about the experimental rule and recommended that video review become a permanent aspect of the game. Under the new rule, each head coach will have two challenges to initiate a review for the entirety of the game. A coach must verbally or visually indicate a challenge request before the next pitch, before the pitcher and all infielders have clearly vacated their normal fielding position and left fair territory, or before the umpires have left the field of play. Several conferences, including the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Pac-12, Southeastern and Sun Belt in 2021, have experimented with inear communication and other one-way electronic communication devices to call pitches from the dugout the past four seasons.

Shot Clock for Iowa High School Basketball in 2022–23

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) will use the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) allowance for state adoption to introduce a 35-second shot clock for varsity basketball, required of participating member schools starting in the 2022–23 season. Use of the shot clock in sub-varsity competition will be allowed but not required. With a date set for statewide implementation, experimental exceptions will not be granted during the 2021–22 regular season. To encourage standardization among states, 35 seconds was the timing provided by NFHS approval. Further shot clock information and rule implementation will be provided by IHSAA and IGHSAU as it becomes available ahead of the 2022–23 season.

NCAA Baseball Allows One-Way Electronic Communication in 2022

The use of one-way electronic communication devices for the purpose of calling pitches and plays was approved for NCAA baseball for the 2022 season. Examples of what could be implemented

next season include teams being allowed to use an electronic display board from the dugout that shows a numerical code to call pitches and/or defensive plays. Teams also can use a one-way in-ear communication device that would be limited for use from the dugout to the catcher.

NAERA Reconditioning Reminder

The National Athletic Equipment Reconditioners Association (NAERA), along with NOCSAE (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOSCSAE) and helmet manufacturers, sent out its annual letter in September on reconditioning and recertification recommendations for football, lacrosse, baseball and softball helmets.

NAERA recommends that during every football, lacrosse, baseball and softball season or practice period, every helmet should be cleaned and inspected regularly by a school or organization staff member with knowledge of manufacturer recommendations. We further recommend every helmet should be reconditioned and recertified annually unless stated otherwise by the manufacturer. Only a company licensed by NOCSAE can perform the recertification of football, lacrosse, baseball and softball helmets. For a list of NAERA members that are licensed by NOCSAE please visit the NAERA website at www.naera.net. More information regarding NOCSAE and its standards can be found at www.nocsae.org. NAERA also recommends that nonrecertifiable equipment including football and lacrosse shoulder pads, chest protectors and shin guards be sanitized according to manufacturer guidelines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baden Continues as Official NAIA Volleyball

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) agreed to terms with volleyball manufacturer Baden Sports to extend the current deal to make it the "Official Women’s Volleyball of the NAIA" through December of 2022. The agreement ensures the Baden “Perfection” volleyball will be used exclusively for NAIA postseason play. The Perfection VX5EC is Baden's top-of-the-line game ball and is made with full-grain leather tanned for optimal touch and feel. Its internal construction utilizes the lightest butyl bladder ever used for volleyball, a blended cotton wrap, and Baden's Stealth Soft-Valve System, which reduces the amount of exposed valve rubber, for truer and more consistent play. Baden has provided the "Official Women’s Volleyball of the NAIA" since 2017.

NFHS Expands Soccer Goal Partnership with Bison

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has announced a broadened corporate partnership with Bison, Inc., that will make the longtime sports equipment manufacturer the “Exclusive Soccer Goal Partner of the NFHS.”

A national leader in the production of safe, durable and innovative sports equipment products, Bison initially rose to prominence as a basketball equipment supplier in 1985, and later became the exclusive NFHS partner for the sport of basketball and part of the original NFHS product licensing program for basketball and volleyball in the mid-1990s. Bison has been a member of the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) since 1985. Throughout its 35 years in the industry, Bison’s innovative mindset has evolved its product lineup to include a wide selection of volleyball equipment, safety padding and goals for football, soccer and many other sports. The premise for the expanded partnership revolves around Bison’s concentrated efforts to improve both the safety and durability of its soccer goals, which has been a point of focus for the organization since it added soccer goals to its team sports lineup in 2005. Evidence of this commitment includes innovations such as NoTip™ soccer goals with integrated ballast and transport drums, DuraSkin® padding for soccer uprights, and advanced engineering and fabrication processes for welded components. “We are proud to take another step forward in our long-established partnership with Bison, Inc.,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director. “Bison has shown tremendous dedication to improving the interscholastic competitive experience for nearly four decades, and that commitment shines through in the quality, safety and reliability of its sports equipment products.” As part of the expansion agreement, which carries a three-year term, Bison will retain its title as an NFHS Corporate Partner on all print and electronic listings and will have the ability to place advertisements in NFHS Network email distributions and printed NFHS rules books. As the “Exclusive Soccer Goal Partner of the NFHS,” Bison will also receive advertising opportunities on soccerspecific webpages of the NFHS and NFHS Learning Center websites.