Every year, the NLL makes small modifications to the rule book. Most of the time, these changes are clarifying existing rules or adding slight variations, and every now and again there are fairly major changes or new rules. For the 2025 season, there are no major rule changes. The only one that is likely to affect actual game play is 17.81, which is a change to coaches’ challenges. Here’s a summary of the changes for 2025.

7.1 Bench Specifications – Home team must select their bench at the beginning of each season and keep that bench for the remainder of the season

10.2 Half time length – Halftime is 15 minutes long as before but the change is that the game clock countdown at halftime begins once the game officials leave the floor at the end of the second quarter.

13.1 Failure to start or return to play – Some clarifications on when a team might or might not be fined or otherwise penalized if they don’t (or can’t) return to the floor at the beginning of the first or third quarter.

17.81 Criteria of Challenge – coaches can now challenge whether the ball hit the goalie before the shot clock expired (i.e. “we should have gotten a shot clock reset when we hit the goalie”).

35.2 Approved Equipment – Goalies are allowed to wear arm/chest pads, shin pads, and pants that were approved last season.

38.1 Major Penalty – Existing rules: (1) If a player receives two major penalties in a game, they are given an automatic Game Misconduct penalty. (2) If a player receives a major penalty with less than five minutes left in the game, they are given an additional major penalty. The change here is a clarification that this extra major penalty received in case (2) does not result in a Game Misconduct according to case (1).

54 Goal Scored Definition – This is an odd one. The rule states that if the ball fully crosses the plane between the goal line, both posts, and crossbar, then it’s a goal. The change here is to additionally state that if the goal is on its magnets, i.e. where it’s supposed to be, then a ball that hits the mesh inside the goal without contacting a post or crossbar is also a goal. I’m not sure how the second can happen without the first happening, so I don’t know why this clarification is needed.

92.7 Late Commencement of Play – The old rule said that both teams must be on the floor “at the appointed time for the beginning of the game and commencement of each quarter”. This was changed to be “…for the opening face-off and subsequent faceoffs for the remaining quarters as directed by the Crew Chief”. Seems like a distinction without a difference to me.