The 2025 Lexus Championship Series is less than a month away, and it will look different this year due to some rule changes.

In an already high-paced environment, these adjustments will force coaches to refine their strategy while adding more parity.

At the conclusion of each season, the PLL Competition Committee – led by Rachael DeCecco, VP of Lacrosse – and the player's council reviews rule change proposals. Proposals cover all competitive aspects of the game, from on-field play to roster structure to player health and safety. Approval of a rule change proposal is executed with a majority vote from both the Competition Committee and the Executive Rules Committee.

The rule changes I want to zoom in on in 2025 are the following:

• Four-minute overtime period
• 10-second clearing clock
• Updated round-robin bracket
• 13-man rosters

Updated Overtime Format

Probably the most impactful rule change from a fan’s perspective is the updated overtime format. Instead of a sudden victory format, there will be a four-minute overtime period. If the game remains tied after those four minutes, the game then would go to a sudden victory period where the first team to score wins.

Why It Matters

Three games went to overtime in the 2024 Championship Series, including the championship game between the Philadelphia Waterdogs and Boston Cannons. 

Two of those overtime games were decided on the first possession. 

In a fast-paced, high-scoring event like the Champ Series, the shift to a four-minute overtime period not only produces higher drama, but is probably a better way to determine the superior team. In 2024, a goal was scored about every minute on average. So, there was a high likelihood that the team that won the first faceoff in overtime would immediately score to end the game. 

“When we looked at goal frequency, we’re at 40-plus goals a game,” DeCecco said. “That's more than one goal per minute. And we had three overtime games last year and they ended pretty rapidly. [We] want to create more opportunities for competition and some more back and forth.”

I liken this change to the NFL’s overtime rule change in 2010. Before that change, which gives each an overtime possession unless a touchdown is scored, the team that won the coin flip had significantly better odds to win, as just a field goal on the opening possession could end the game.

I suspect the coaches, much like NFL coaches, will be in favor of this updated overtime format.

“I’m a fan,” Cannons head coach Brian Holman said. “I always think you walk away after those games saying, ‘Was that really fair to the players?’ The teams should be able to determine their fate when it goes to overtime versus just one play or player.”

10-Second Clearing Clock

The most impactful rule change from a strategy perspective is the move to a 10-second clearing clock. In past years, teams had 20 seconds to cross the midfield line.

Why It Matters

Get ready for some full-court presses! Like in basketball, we will likely see full-court presses employed when a team is losing or in need of a momentum swing. It even could become a full-game tactic for some teams.

Last month, I was watching a men’s college basketball game between Virginia and Memphis and saw Memphis rally back from a nine-point halftime deficit to win, using a full-court press to cause turnovers and swing the momentum back in their favor. Now, I’m pumped to see a dramatic comeback in professional lacrosse using this same strategy.

It also just speeds up the game. In 2023 and 2024, with 20 seconds to clear, we occasionally saw teams walk up the field if they held a lead late in the game or were man down, using the full clock to their advantage and daring the opposition to press them.

With the @PremierLacrosse rule change to a 10-second clearing clock in the 2025 Champ Series, there's two scenarios in particular where I could see teams be aggressive defensively:

- Late game scenarios
- Power play scenarios pic.twitter.com/EzxsIcHLNg

— Adam Lamberti (@atlamberti) January 14, 2025

“It’s really twofold,” DeCecco said. “One is when we look at proportionally our clear clock. You look at the NBA, it’s eight seconds to get over half court on a 24-second shot clock. So that one-third proportion made sense in terms of how we were thinking about it strategically. And then I think sort of separately, just pace of play, right? We haven’t seen a ton of effective trapping and full-field pressing, and I think adding this shortened clock will give more opportunities, potentially end-of-game scenarios to try and get some turnovers.”

While the upside of a full-court press is tempting, there’s also a downside, as offenses could have an easy look at the net if the press is broken. 

“Honestly, I think the 10-second clearing [clock] is going to be a little more challenging than what people might think,” Holman said. “So I think that’s going to be something that we’ll figure out when we get over there, how that gets managed and how you can use it to your advantage [offensively] and [defensively].”

Updated Playoff Format

In past Champ Series, every team would make the playoffs after round-robin play.

Not anymore.

The No. 1 seed will now earn a bye into the championship, and the No. 4 seed will be eliminated, leaving a semifinal matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 seed. Round-robin play will mean a whole lot more, and I’m sure we will see this reflected in the intensity of the on-field play.

Why it Matters

There should be a reward for winning pool play, right? With this playoff format change, the No. 1 seed now gets an extra day of rest before the championship game – a much-needed recovery period for players.

On the flip side, there’s a consequence for finishing last in pool play, as that results in missing the playoffs altogether.

“Eliminating the lowest-place team and giving that first-place team a bye really raises the stakes of the round-robin games,” DeCecco explained. “I expect to see increased competitiveness in those games because they matter that much more now.” 

While players compete regardless of the situation, there’s a human aspect of knowing that a round-robin game in prior years didn’t affect who made the playoffs.

“Some teams just walked through round-robin play and just tried to learn and not necessarily compete,” Utah Archers midfielder Grant Ament said. “Which, you know, some people may think that’s smart, some people may think that’s not smart.”

These higher pool-play stakes could also increase the frequency of full-court presses as teams look to claw back into games.

But Holman said experimenting with strategies regarding the 10-second clear clock in round-robin play will be risky. Coaches will certainly be practicing multiple game plans, but it remains to be seen which teams will be aggressive in implementing them during pool play.

13-Man Rosters

The PLL announced it will expand Championship Series rosters by one player each, going from a 12-man roster to a 13-man roster. Only 12 will be allowed to dress for each game. 

Why it Matters

Not only will teams have another player to help and aid with fatigue and injury, but this expansion also allows four more players a chance to show out on the professional stage.

“The 13-man roster helps provide coaches some optionality,” DeCecco said. “It’s a really intense week of play with some back-to-back games, so giving coaches the choice to make changes to their roster will be beneficial to the players and the product.”

As a player, Ament agrees that all four teams will benefit from the extra body.

“I think the 13-player roster is a ginormous change,” Ament said. “The conditioning side of things, I don’t think people realize how much different it is than the outdoor rules in terms of how you need to prepare.”

Ament added that players are “gassed” by the final days of Champ Series games, so having the extra body could help immensely down the stretch.

And as a fan, it’s fun to see some more players get an opportunity. In past years, we’ve seen guys like Brendan Krebs, Ronan Jacoby, Marc O’Rourke and others get shots in the summer season after good showings in the Champ Series.

Who will that be this year? Look for guys like Carter Parlette (Boston) or Jacob Angelus (Maryland) to make their mark in this Champ Series.

With some intriguing signings coupled with mainstays from teams’ regular-season rosters, this Champ Series is shaping up to be a good one.

“It’s definitely the best rosters across the board that we have seen,” Ament said.