Youth Lacrosse Award Ideas: 35+
Lacrosse awards have a lot of ground to cover. A youth team has attackers, middies, defenders, a goalie, and depending on the program a faceoff specialist, a long-stick middie, or a draw control player, and each one does a job the others can't. The scoreboard only tracks goals and assists, so a good awards list goes looking for the ground balls, clears, saves, and slides that actually won games. Whether you coach a boys or girls team, the right award names the moment a player will still be talking about next spring.
What are the most common youth lacrosse awards?
The most common youth lacrosse awards include Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, Coach's Award, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Ground Ball Award. Most youth leagues give 8-15 awards per team to ensure every player receives recognition. Award Generator (awardgen.com) offers 36+ lacrosse award ideas with free professional certificate templates.
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Classic Lacrosse Awards
The tried-and-true awards every lacrosse team should consider.
Most Valuable Player
Recognizes the player who mattered most on both ends of the field, scoring, winning possessions, and showing up in every big moment of the season.
Most Improved Player
Honors the player who came the furthest, from dropping passes in March to catching and shooting in stride by the playoffs.
Coach's Award
Given to the player who did everything the staff asked: listened, worked, ran the extra sprint, and put the team ahead of their own stats.
Rookie of the Year
Celebrates the first-year player who picked up a stick this season and quickly became someone the team counted on.
Offensive Player of the Year
Awarded to the player who drove the offense with goals, assists, and smart dodges, the one defenses had to plan around.
Defensive Player of the Year
Honors the defender who shut down the other team's best attacker, slid on time, and never quit on a play.
Ground Ball Award
For the player who won the most loose balls. Possession starts on the ground, and this player kept giving the team the ball back.
Top Scorer
Recognizes the player who finished more chances than anyone on the roster, with a shot the goalies in this league learned to respect.
Assist Leader
For the player who saw the field better than anyone and fed teammates for goals all season with the right pass at the right time.
Team Captain Award
Given to the player who led warmups, kept the sideline focused, and was the voice teammates listened to when the game got tight.
Creative & Fun Awards
Unique award names that players and parents will love.
Ground Ball Vacuum
For the player who scooped up every loose ball in sight, often with two opponents closing in, and came out of the scrum with it.
Twine Finder
Celebrates the shooter who kept finding the back of the net, top shelf, low corner, or right past the goalie's stick.
Clear Captain
For the player who calmly carried or passed the ball out of the defensive end, even with the ride coming hard.
Sideline Spark Plug
Honors the player who kept the bench loud and the energy up, cheering every save and every ground ball like it was a goal.
Wall Ball Warrior
For the player who put in the work against a wall at home, and you could see it in every clean catch and quick release by midseason.
Lefty Lightning
Awarded to the player who learned to throw and catch with their off hand this season and turned it into a weapon defenses had to respect.
Doorstep Finisher
For the attacker who lived on the crease and turned every feed near the goal into a finish.
Transition Rocket
Celebrates the player who turned a save or a ground ball into a fast break before the other team could get back.
Swiss Army Stick
For the player who played attack, middie, and defense whenever the team needed it, and never once asked why.
Mr./Ms. Hustle
For the player who chased down every loose ball, backed up every shot on cage, and ran the field in the fourth quarter like it was the first.
Position-Specific Awards
Awards that recognize excellence at specific lacrosse positions.
Attack Player of the Year
Recognizes the attacker who ran the offense from behind the goal, dodged with purpose, and made the players around them better.
Midfielder of the Year
For the middie who covered the whole field, played offense and defense in the same shift, and still had legs left in the fourth quarter.
Defender of the Year
Honors the defender with the best footwork, the smartest slides, and the habit of taking away the other team's top scorer.
Goalie of the Year
For the goalie who stood in front of every shot, made the big save when it counted, and started the clear with a smart outlet.
Faceoff Specialist Award
Recognizes the faceoff player (the FOGO on many boys teams) who won the X, gave the offense extra possessions, and never backed down from a tough matchup.
Draw Control Award
For the girls player who controlled the draw, won the ball off the circle, and gave the team possession to start each half and after goals.
Long Stick Midfielder Award
Honors the LSM who chased the other team's best middie, caused turnovers, and pushed the ball in transition.
Crease Defender Award
For the defender who protected the area in front of the goal, talked constantly with the goalie, and made the hard slide when it mattered.
Sportsmanship & Character Awards
Recognize the character traits that matter most in youth sports.
Sportsmanship Award
Given to the player who competed hard, played clean, helped opponents up off the turf, and shook every hand in the line.
Teammate of the Year
For the player who celebrated every teammate's goal, helped the new kids learn to cradle, and made the whole roster feel like they belonged.
Heart & Hustle Award
Honors the player who gave full effort in every drill and every game, no matter the score or how much playing time they got.
Leadership Award
Recognizes the player who set the tone at practice, encouraged younger players, and led by example on and off the field.
Scholar-Athlete Award
Celebrates the player who handled schoolwork and a busy spring lacrosse schedule with the same commitment.
Most Coachable Player
For the player who took every correction, tried it on the very next rep, and kept asking how to get better.
Comeback Player of the Year
Honors the player who worked through a tough stretch or time away from the field and came back ready to contribute.
Spirit of the Game Award
For the player who showed respect for officials, opponents, and the game itself, and represented the program the right way.
How to Pick Lacrosse Awards for Your Roster
Start with the roster and write one honest sentence about each player before you look at any award list. The middie who scooped three straight ground balls in the fourth quarter of the rivalry game. The goalie who stayed square in the cage through a barrage of shots. The first-year attacker who couldn't catch in March and scored on a feed from behind the goal in May. Those sentences tell you which award belongs to which kid.
Lacrosse spreads its work across more roles than most youth sports, so build your list to cover all of them. Attackers and scorers will get noticed on their own. The defender who slid on time all season, the faceoff or draw control player who won possessions, and the goalie who started every clear need awards with their names on them too. A good mix is three or four classic awards, two or three position awards, a couple of character awards, and creative awards for everyone else.
Keep it to one real award per player and make sure each one fits. If you're stretching to justify a scoring award for a kid who scored twice, pick a hustle or ground ball award that describes what they actually did. The note gets read out loud in front of families, and a true sentence about a real play is what makes a certificate worth keeping.
Lacrosse Awards by Age Division
The right award for a 6-year-old is the wrong award for a 13-year-old. Match the recognition to the level.
8U (ages 7-8)
Most kids this age are still learning to catch, cradle, and scoop, so skip the stat awards. Celebrate stick skills and effort: Best Ground Ball Scooper, Wall Ball Warrior, Biggest Smile, Most Improved Catcher. Keep every award positive and give the kids something they will be proud to hear read out loud.
10U & 12U (ages 9-12)
Positions start to stick at this level, so attack, midfield, defense, and goalie awards carry real meaning. Faceoff or draw control awards work well once a player takes on that role. Balance the scoring awards with Most Improved, Ground Ball Award, and Best Teammate so the whole roster gets recognized.
14U & Travel (ages 13-14)
These players know the game and know who did what, so the awards can get specific: Defender of the Year, Faceoff Specialist, Assist Leader, Goalie of the Year. Add a peer-voted teammate award. At this age, recognition from teammates carries as much weight as anything from the coach.
What to Write on the Certificate
The personal note under the award name is the part families keep. One sentence, one real moment from the season. Examples that landed:
Goalie of the Year
“Fourteen saves in the semifinal, including the stop on the last shot. You held the cage when it mattered.”
Ground Ball Award
“Forty-plus ground balls this spring, and every one in traffic. You kept giving us the ball back.”
Most Improved Player
“From learning to cradle in March to scoring off a feed from X in May. You earned every bit of it.”
30+ more example notes in the what-to-write guide.
Tips for Choosing Lacrosse Awards
- 1
Spread awards across every position group. Attackers get the goals, but faceoff players, defenders, and goalies win the possessions that make those goals possible.
- 2
Keep a simple ground ball tally on the sideline. Ask a parent volunteer to mark loose balls each game and you will have real numbers to back up your hustle awards.
- 3
If your program plays both boys and girls lacrosse, use the right terms for each. A girls team will want a Draw Control Award, and a boys team may want a faceoff or LSM award.
- 4
Reward stick skill growth. A young player who could barely catch in March and is cradling through traffic in June has earned a Most Improved or Wall Ball Warrior certificate.
- 5
Ask your goalie coach or defensive assistant for nominations. They see the slides, communication, and clears that are easy to miss from the offensive end.
- 6
Write the note about one specific play. A save, a scoop, a clear, or a goal from a certain spot on the field means more than a general comment about effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should goalies get their own lacrosse award?
How do I recognize faceoff and draw control players?
What awards work for 8U and 10U lacrosse teams?
Can I use the same awards for boys and girls lacrosse?
How many awards should a lacrosse coach give out?
When should I hold a lacrosse awards banquet?
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