One important factor parents consider when selecting a sport for their children is the price tag. In fact, one of the first common questions parents and potential athletes ask me is, “how much does it cost to buy a full set of gear?” In this post, we will explore everything about the price and answer the question, is lacrosse an expensive sport.
It’s actually a smart and right question to ask given that lacrosse requires a lacrosse stick, a helmet, shoulder pads, gloves, mouthguard and cleats. But it’s a hard and tricky question to answer; therefore, I accepted the challenge and took it upon myself by giving you an illustrative and detailed walk-through of how much it costs to play lacrosse.
Continue reading to see the specific breakdown below but on average a new player would need to spend over $800 to buy a full set or $180 to start practicing basic drills including a stick and a pair of gloves. Since prices vary based on different brands and models, I sourced a range of the best and the most popular products from the most expensive to the cheapest and record them in a table for illustration.
To find how much one specific equipment costs, jump to the section:
Lacrosse Stick
Helmet
Shoulder Pads
Gloves
Mouthguard
Cleats
How much does a beginner lacrosse stick cost?
Depending on your position, the construction and design of lacrosse heads vary which leads to differences in prices. Hence, to give you an accurate estimate of the cost for your specific position, the sticks will be broken down by position.
Many of the sticks come from my beginner lacrosse stick guide, check it out here: best beginner lacrosse sticks in 2022.
Attack/Middie Stick
I took the top 10 attack/middie heads and documented their prices in the table below:
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Maverik Charger Complete Attack | $39.99 |
| Powell Scout 1 | $65.00 |
| Maverik Critik Complete Stick | $99.99 |
| Epoch ID Vision Complete Attack Stick | $99.99 |
| STX Stallion U 550 | $100.00 |
| StringKing Complete 2 Attack | $139.99 |
| Maverik Tactik Carbon Attack Stick | $149.99 |
| Epoch ID Vision Dragonfly Complete Stick | $149.99 |
| Nike Vapor Pro Complete Attack Stick | $149.99 |
| Warrior Burn Warp Pro 2 Complete Stick | $209.98 |
The cheapest stick comes in at $39.99 and the most expensive stick is priced at $209.98, which puts the average cost of attack/middie sticks at $120.
Overall, I am not too surprised to see the average cost of a complete stick hovers around the $110-120 range, especially considering if you were to buy heads and shafts separately the price would have been much higher.
Defense Stick
Using the same methodology, I created the table by sourcing the top 7 different defense sticks and sorting them from the cheapest to the most expensive.
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Warrior Burn Next Complete Defense | $59.99 |
| STX Stallion 200 Defense | $79.99 |
| Warrior EVO Warp Next Complete Defense | $119.99 |
| TRUE Cadet Defense Complete Stick | $124.99 |
| StringKing Complete 2 Intermediate Defense | $139.99 |
| X10 Defense Complete Stick | $145.00 |
| Warrior Burn Warp Lite Complete Stick | $169.99 |
The cheapest stick comes in at $59.99 and the most expensive stick is priced at $169.99, which puts the average cost of defense sticks at $120.
Identical to attack/middie heads, the average cost of defense sticks is also at $120 despite having a longer shaft.
Goalie Stick
Last but not least, I have also included the top 3 beginner goalie sticks to see what the average cost turns out to be. An important note is that because goalie sticks are much different than other sticks and have fewer options, the average cost isn’t typically compared with other sticks.
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| STX Shield 100 Goalie Stick | $79.00 |
| Warrior Nemesis 3 Goalie Stick | $139.99 |
| STX Eclipse 2 Goalie Stick | $144.00 |
The cheapest stick comes in at $79 and the most expensive stick is priced at $139.99, which puts the average cost of goalie sticks at $121.
Coincidentally, the average costs of attack/middie, defense and goalie sticks all turn out to be around $120. So now you know, the average cost of a lacrosse stick is $121 across the field.
How much does a helmet cost?
Next up, we have helmets. The helmet is the most expensive piece of equipment in the full set for its construction and size. However, it’s very important to buy a great and undamaged helmet to avoid concussions and any brain related injuries.
Here are the top 7 lacrosse helmets breakdown:
You can also check out my buying guide on the best lacrosse helmets in 2022
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Cascade CPV-R Lacrosse Helmet | $139.99 |
| Warrior Evo Lacrosse Helmet | $169.99 |
| Cascade CPX-R Lacrosse Helmet | $199.99 |
| Warrior EVO Matte Lacrosse Helmet | $234.99 |
| STX Rival Lacrosse Helmet | $249.99 |
| Cascade S Lacrosse Helmet | $299.99 |
| Cascade XRS Lacrosse Helmet | $299.99 |
The cheapest helmet comes in at $139.99 and the most expensive helmet is priced at $299.99, which puts the average cost of lacrosse helmets at $228.
No surprise, the average cost of a good helmet is well above $200. In any sport that involves physical contact, the helmet often costs the most, which means if you have a comfortable budget for a good helmet, the rest of the set wouldn’t cost nearly as much.
How much do shoulder pads cost?
Due to the new 2022 NOCSAE standard, shoulder pads going forward now have more padding that provides more protection for vital organs. This resulted in the price of shoulder pads going up by a couple of dollars.
To learn how much exactly the shoulder pads cost now, we will find out now by recording the top 5 shoulder pads and their prices.
You can also check out my buying guide on the best shoulder pads in 2022
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Nike Vapor Lacrosse Shoulder Pads | $129.99 |
| STX Cell 5 Lacrosse Shoulder Pads | $139.99 |
| Maverik M5 EKG Lacrosse Shoulder Pads | $144.99 |
| Maverik Max EKG Lacrosse Shoulder Pads | $154.99 |
| TRUE Zerolyte Shoulder Pads | $159.99 |
The cheapest shoulder pads come in at $124.99 and the most expensive shoulder pads are priced at $159.99, which puts the average cost of shoulder pads at $146.
Slightly more expensive than lacrosse sticks, shoulder pads are all pretty much within the $120 to $160 range, which also makes the selection process easier from a price standpoint.
How much do gloves cost?
At the bare minimum, when starting out with lacrosse, you would need a complete stick and a pair of gloves to practice fundamental skills. So if you don’t plan to purchase all the protective gear required for official games, make sure you pick up a pair of gloves to get comfortable with using gloves to handle the stick.
Here are the top 5 glove options breakdown
You can also check out my buying guide on the best gloves in 2022
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Maverik M5 Lacrosse Gloves | $139.99 |
| STX Surgeon 700 Lacrosse Gloves | $149.99 |
| Nike Vapor Elite Lacrosse Gloves | $149.99 |
| Warrior Evo QX Lacrosse Gloves | $179.99 |
| STX Lacrosse Surgeon RZR | $179.99 |
The cheapest lacrosse gloves come in at $139.99 and the most expensive gloves are priced at $180, which puts the average cost of shoulder pads at $160.
If you are looking for the bare minimum set that only has a lacrosse stick and gloves, you will need to spend $280 on average to start practicing wall balls and basic stick skills.
How much does the mouthguard cost?
Buying a good quality mouthguard is as important as buying any protective gear on the field. It protects your teeth and mouth when unintentional physical contact puts them at the risk of being knocked off.
In this section, we will take a look at how much on average a good mouthguard costs. Depending on whether you want them customized or not, the price of a mouthguard varies.
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Shock Doctor Gel Max Mouthguard | $22.99 |
| SISU Aero NextGen Mouthguard | $24.99 |
| SISU Sports Mouthguard | $30.00 |
| Shock Doctor Ultra Braces Mouthguard | $34.99 |
| Gladiator Custom Mouthguard | $74.95 |
The cheapest mouthguard comes in at $22.99 and the most expensive mouthguard is priced at $74.95, which puts the average cost of mouthguards at $37.
This is the cheapest piece of equipment thus far! Because customizable mouthguard is significantly more expensive, it skewed the average cost to the pricer side. If you are comfortable and fine with buying a standard and non-custom, SISU Aero NextGen is enough to get the job done.
How much do cleats cost?
A pair of cleats is the last piece of equipment players need to get ready for official lacrosse games. One tip is instead of buying a new lacrosse pair, if you or your child have used football or field hockey cleats, they work for lacrosse as well.
Also depending on whether you are shopping for youth or adult cleats, the prices can also differ at a wide range.
Here are the top 5 cleat options breakdown
You can also check out my buying guide on the best cleats in 2022
| Brand / Model | Price ($) |
| Under Armour Men’s Command MC Cleats | $99.99 |
| Nike Alpha Huarache 8 Cleats | $99.99 |
| New Balance Burn X3 Lacrosse Cleats | $109.99 |
| New Balance Men’s FreezeLX Cleats | $114.99 |
| Under Armour Men’s Command Pro MC Cleats | $119.99 |
The cheapest cleats come in at $99.99 and the most expensive cleats are priced at $119.99, which puts the average cost of cleats at $109.
$109 is a very competitive price compared to football and soccer cleats that can be well above $150.
How to find good lacrosse equipment at a cheap price?
When I first started in lacrosse, I didn’t have a big budget so I had to hustle looking for sales and year-end discounts. Over the years of looking for those great deals on the market, I found it’s not hard to find good quality equipment at a cheap price.
See, the most expensive products you see on a retailer website are often the newest releases since they are meant to be “better and more advanced”. Due to this nature of the market, products from years prior will either be put on discount or in clearance even though some models are still very popular.
This trick has helped me get my hands on many great and reliable lacrosse equipment without breaking a bank. From September to February next year, this is when major lacrosse retailers update their catalogs with new releases and put products for clearance.
All you need to do is to find out what piece of equipment you need and what budget you have. And simply take some time researching through the websites to find the best product that gives you the most bang for your buck.
Conclusion
Lacrosse can be an expensive sport to play but if you know what you are looking for and don’t get duped into buying the newest and shiniest products, lacrosse can be an affordable sport to play.
Instead of buying a full set at around $800 right away, first buy a stick and a pair of gloves that only cost around $180 to see if you or your child is comfortable with and suitable for this sport. It’s smart to test out the water first before making a big financial commitment.
