How We Play: Lacrosse

One roster. One city. One Champion.

Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse brought 56 all-star athletes to Sparks, Maryland, for four weeks of playoff-intensity competition.

The fast-paced format consisted of 10-minute quarters, 10 vs. 10 gameplay, and a 60-second shot clock on a 90-yard x 60-yard playing field. Play began with a draw at the beginning of each quarter and after every goal.

Jump to How We Draft

Jump to How We Score

The Athletes Unlimited Format

Teams Change Each Week

We brought a group of all-star athletes to one city for a playoff-intensity competition. Teams were redrafted each week, which meant you saw the best players battling with and against each other in different combinations. All active players from the roster were on one of the competing teams.

How We Draft

The Leaderboard

As the season progressed, we kept a running leaderboard that counted points for each athlete individually. The leaderboard changed constantly throughout the game as athletes made plays.

Athletes earned points in three ways:

When their team won a game or quarter.
When they made a positive play on the field. They lost points for a negative play or error.
When they were voted one of the top 3 MVPs of a game by players and fans.

To see how many points a given action was worth, check out How We Score.

Captains

Each week the top four players on the leaderboard served as team captains and drafted their new teams. The captains had the ultimate authority over the team – starters, in-game decisions, and practice plans. They also had a coach to collaborate with, known as facilitators.

For more on the draft check out our How We Draft video.

Becoming a Champion

At the end of the season, the athlete who sat atop the leaderboard was crowned the champion — and the margin can be small! In some seasons, one play has decided the difference between first and second place. Every game, every play, every moment counts.

HOW WE DRAFT

After the last game of every week, the top four point scorers were named team captains. Each captain was assigned to a team color based on their standing.

No. 1: Gold

No. 2: Orange

No. 3: Blue

No. 4: Purple

Team captains could consult with anyone they wanted before the draft, including any Athletes Unlimited staff, former coaches, and teammates.

During the draft, captains were allotted up to two minutes per pick. Once a player was selected their captain could consult them for further decisions. Once all players were selected, it was time to prepare for the upcoming slate of games and get ready to play.

HOW WE SCORE

Win Points

Win points were all about team performance. In all Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse games, teams played four quarters. Win points accumulated after each quarter and game win. Each quarter was worth +20 points and game wins were worth +45 points.

If the game was tied at the end of a quarter, points carried over to the next quarter and were awarded to the winner of the next quarter.

Overtime

If the score was tied at the end of the game, there was a three-minute sudden victory overtime. There was a shootout if the game remained tied after the overtime period. The shootout consisted of three rounds followed by sudden-victory rounds if necessary. Any player can shoot again in the sudden-victory format.

Game MVPs

After each game, players and fans voted for players who they felt had standout performances.

These points were added to the player’s individual total. Points were awarded as follows:

MVP 1: +45 points

MVP 2: +30 points

MVP 3: +15 points

Individual Stats

The final component of points was individual stats. All players, including defensive players, earned, or lost, points based on their performance. The breakdown for individual points was as follows:

Goal: +12 points
Assist: +6 points
Ground Ball: +2 points
Draw Control: +4 points
Turnover: -5 points
Caused Turnover: +10 points
Save: +4 points
Goals Against: -2 point
Shot Saved: -2 points
Two-point Goal: +16 points
Yellow Card: -4 points
Red Card: -8 points
Shot Clock Violation: +4 points to Defensive Team
Change of Possession on Shot Out of Bounds: +10 points to Defender awarded possession
Caused Turnover from Yellow Card on Offensive Player: +10 points
Fouls: -2