History
Founded by Paul St. John in the summer of 2016, the ALL began with six teams for their first season in the winter of 2017. Oshawa Outlaws, Paris RiverWolves, Peterborough Timbermen, Six Nations Snipers, St. Catharines Shockwave and Toronto Monarchs were the original six of the ALL. [1] [2] [3]
Oshawa Outlaws defeated the Toronto Monarchs 11–10 in the first league championship game played on April 9, 2017, at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa. [4] The Outlaws were the regular season winner with a 10–4 record. [5]
Season two included expansion with the Whitby Steelhawks. [6] Toronto Monarchs finished with a league-best 11–3 regular season, but were eliminated in the semifinals by Whitby who went on to capture the ALL Cup by defeating Paris RiverWolves 12–10 on April 8, 2018, at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre.
In November 2018 the ALL partnered with the National Lacrosse League. [7] [8] It will serve as a development league for the NLL.
The 2020 ALL season was stopped two weeks prior to the completion of the regular season due to Covid-19 virus. The Whitby Steelhawks were leading at the time of the stoppage and crowned 2020 regular season champions. The 2021 ALL season was wiped out completely by the virus.
Expansion in the west happened prior to the 2022 season when a four-team division was announced. [9] All games to be played at the Langley Events Centre. The four team division was officially named the "ALL West". The two divisions do not play each other.
Prior to the 2022 ALL season the St. Catharines Shockwave officially changed their name to the Ohsweken Bears and continued to play their home game at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. With the addition to the ALL West, the Ontario seven team division was officially named "ALL East". The Six Nations Snipers won the 2022 eastern championship, defeating the Steelhawks 16-11, and the Sea Spray claimed the first western title, after beating the Grizzlies 2 games to 1.
The Brampton Express joined the ALL East as an expansion team in 2023, expanding the ALL East Division to eight teams. The Express play their home game at Brampton Memorial Arena in Brampton, Ontario. Toronto and Brampton met in the 2023 championship game, with the Monarchs winning 10-8. The Sea Spray were denied two titles in a row after falling to the Shooting Eagles in the west.
Both divisions saw no changes prior to the 2024 season. Whitby claimed their 2nd title, beating Oshawa in a tight 14-12 game. The Blackfish swept the Shooting Eagles 2-0 to win their first championship. The 2025 championships were won by Brampton and the Shooting Eagles.
In 2026, the western ALL introduced a new playoff format, with 2nd and 3rd playing a single win and move on game, before a best of three against 1st place to decide the champion. The Shooting Eagles beat the Blackfish 13-12 with a last minute goal, before the 1st place Grizzlies dispatched of them 12-5, and 11-8 to win the series 2-0.
Women
The ALL added a women's division [10] in 2018 with three teams (Lady RiverWolves, Lady Shockwave and Lady Snipers) competing in the first season. All games are contested at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. A fourth team (Lady Steelhawks) was added for the 2019 season. Little information is available online about the seasons prior to 2022. In 2022, the Lady Snipers defeated the Lady Steelhawks 5-2 in the final.
The 2023 season included the Riverwolves, Snipers, the newly renamed Bears (all of whom had dropped the 'Lady' moniker) and a new team named the 66erz.The 66erz went undefeated at 12-0 and were crowned champions with no playoffs being played.
The 2024 season saw an overhaul of team identities, with all teams being renamed. The new look ALL Womens East consisted of the Blazers, Firebirds, Sirens, Skyhawks and Cobras. The Skyhawks defeated the Firebirds 6-3 to claim the 2024 championship. A sixth team, the Arrows, joined the league in 2025. The Skyhawks won their 2nd title in a row in 2025, beating the Blazers 6-5.
A western women's division [11] completed their inaugural season in 2022, with 4 teams (Black, Blue, Purple and White) playing at the Langley Events Centre. Team Blue finished undefeated at 3-0. In 2023, they adopted new identities, and expanded to six teams, named the Hawks, Turtles, Bears, Bats, Flying Squirrels and Deer. The 2024 season saw the inclusion of playoffs, which saw the Flying Squirrels named champions. The Hawks defeated the Flying Squirrels 14-10 to win the 2025 championship. In 2026, the league was downsized to only 4 teams, with the Bears and Bats not participating.
Junior (U-22)
The Junior ALL [12] began play in 2020 with five teams (Steelhawks, Timbermen, Outlaws, Bengals and Snipers). The Hamilton Bengals finished top of the standings. No 2021 season was played due to Covid-19.
When the league returned in 2022, the makeup was different, with the Steelhawks and Outlaws being replaced by the Monarchs and K-OS Lacrosse Club. The Snipers defeated the Monarchs 6-4 to win the 2022 championship. The constant shifting continued in 2023, with the Steelhawks and Outlaws returning and being joined by the Express. The Monarchs took the 2023 title, beating the Bengals 6-4.
Another two teams joined in 2024, the Warriors and the Loggers. The Loggers won the championship in their first year, defeating the Outlaws 12-6. The Warriors departed after the 2024 season, being replaced by the Rivals Lacrosse Club and the Orangeville Northmen, bringing the league to 11 teams. The Loggers became the first team to go back to back, claiming the 2025 championship 12-11 over the Express.
Three more teams joined for 2026 (Rusty Gate, Platinum Lacrosse Club and the Hounds), whilst K-OS left the league.
