Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Premier Lacrosse League season | |
Sport | Field lacrosse |
---|---|
Founded | 2018 |
Founder | Mike Rabil, Paul Rabil |
First season | 2019 |
President | Paul Rabil |
No. of teams | 8 |
Countries | United States |
Headquarters | El Segundo, California |
Most recent champion(s) | Utah Archers (2nd title) (2024) |
Most titles | Maryland Whipsnakes and Utah Archers (2 titles) |
TV partner(s) | ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN+ |
Official website | premierlacrosseleague |
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is an American professional field lacrosse league composed of eight teams. [1] The league's inaugural season debuted on June 1, 2019, and included a 14-week tour-based schedule taking place in 12 major-market cities. [2] The league was founded by the American professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil and his brother Mike Rabil. Investors include the Chernin Group, the Raine Group and Joseph Tsai. [3]
In September 2018, Bloomberg reported that Paul Rabil would be launching a new professional lacrosse league. The PLL would be a direct competitor to the more established Major League Lacrosse. The new league will provide professional lacrosse players with salaries, health care, and league equity. [4] By October 2018, 140 players had been signed by the PLL. Of the 140 players are 86 All-Americans, 25 members of the U.S. national team, and 10 former Tewaaraton Award winners. [5] [6] By December the league had signed 17 additional players. [7] For the League's inaugural season, the PLL had the 6 founding teams draft a player in each of the 4 rounds. For the first round there was a random draw and the reverse the order every round. Archers had the first draft pick in the newly formed league, taking Pat Spencer making him the first player ever drafted in the PLL. [8] [9]
As opposed to tying teams to a specific market, the league's first season toured 12 different "major market cities". The season included 14 weeks, comprising 10 regular-season weekends, 1 all-star weekend, and 3 playoff weekends, running from June 1 through September 21, assuring there was no overlap with the NCAA Lacrosse season or the National Lacrosse League regular season. [10] Paul Rabil first hinted at expansion in a post game interview after the 2019 Championship game and on January 1, 2020, the Premier Lacrosse League announced the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club's admission into the league. [11] An expansion draft took place on February 12 and an entry draft occurred on March 16 to build the new roster with veteran players. [12]
On December 16, 2020, it was announced that the PLL and MLL had merged under the banner of the PLL. The PLL would add the Boston Cannons for the 2021 season, rebranded as the Cannons Lacrosse Club, to bring the total PLL teams to eight. [13] Small tweaks to the former Boston Cannons branding resulted in a PLL crest and logo reveal on January 12, 2021. [14] In July 2022, Ticketmaster tracked a 38% growth in tickets purchased and attendance. The PLL also announced the approved Series D round of funding for the league which was being led by return investor The Chernin Group (TCG). Other investors include Blue Pool Capitol, Brett Jefferson, WWE, 35V, Kevin Durant, Rich Klieman, Wheelhouse Entertainment, and Pomp Investments. [15]
On May 25, 2023 it was announced that the PLL would be assigning home cities to teams beginning with the 2024 season. Voting for the finalists began on June 3, 2023, and the 26 finalists were announced during the 2023 PLL All-Star game. The finalists were selected through a mix of fan-voting, customer data, ticketing performance, and venue availability. The PLL also announced that they would not be moving away from the touring model. Teams will continue to play on ten regular season weekends, two of which will be played at neutral sites, the other eight of which will be hosted by one of the teams. On the weekend a team hosts, they will play a doubleheader. [16] [17] [18] [19] On November 14, the home cities were announced for each of the 8 teams; Chrome Lacrosse Club was replaced by the Denver Outlaws. [20] Rabil envisions the league's decision to affiliate teams with geographic areas as the 2nd of three potential phases in the PLL's expansion as it continues to capture the attention and viewership of casual fans. Rabil mentioned Phase 3 could become traditional home-and-away schedule like MLL, and the PLL owning venues in each of these markets. [21]
The PLL regular season consists of 10-weekends where games are played. Halfway through the season there is an all-star break where the exhibition all-star game is played as well as other all-star skills challenges. The PLL utilizes a touring model and plays at a different location each weekend. Prior to the 2023 PLL season it was announced that the PLL would be assigning home cities to teams while still utilizing the touring model. Each team will host one weekend where they play a doubleheader. The remaining two weekends will be played at a neutral site. [16] [19] The PLL postseason consists of a 7-team single elimination tournament. Only one team does not qualify for the postseason. The top-seed receives a bye into the semifinals. All three quarterfinals games are played on the same day at the same location. The same is true for the semifinals. [22]
The PLL has a variety of major rule differences compared to traditional field lacrosse: [23] [24] [25] [26]
As of the 2024 season, eight clubs with rosters of 25 players each compete in the Premier Lacrosse League, divided equally into two conferences. [27] The Eastern Conference consists of the Boston Cannons, Maryland Whipsnakes, New York Atlas and Philadelphia Waterdogs, while the Western Conference consists of the California Redwoods, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws and Utah Archers. [28] Six of the current teams have competed in the league continuously since the inaugural 2019 season. [29] [30] The Waterdogs were admitted as an expansion team in the 2020 season, [31] [32] [33] while the Cannons moved from Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and began play in the 2021 season. [34] [35] The Cannons were the only MLL club to survive the MLL–PLL merger, [35] though the Outlaws, originally founded as the Chrome Lacrosse Club, adopted the identity of the MLL's Denver Outlaws. [36] [37] [38] The Maryland Whipsnakes are the most successful franchise, having won two championships and finished runners-up once. [39] [40] The Archers, Chaos and Waterdogs have each won one championship. [40] [41] The Redwoods finished runners-up once, while neither the Atlas, Cannons or Outlaws have yet appeared in a PLL Championship game.
A college draft is held prior to the season each year, in addition to expansion drafts when necessary. The college draft order is determined via regular season standings with the team that was in last place the previous season receiving the number one overall pick. As of 2023, each PLL team has a salary cap of $735,000 which they must allocate at least 98% of each year, The minimum salary for each player is $25,000, this leaves around $100,000 to be allocated by each team over the minimum. [42] The average PLL salary has been estimated at $28,000, although the league itself does not release the number. [43] All players selected in the PLL college draft are given three-year contracts, all but the top-four selections are given $25,000. The first overall pick receives $30,000, second overall receives $28,500, third overall receives $27,500, and fourth overall receives $26,000. [42] Prior to the beginning of the season the PLL hosts a "training-camp" where each team begins with a 30-man roster. By the end of training camp each team is required to have a 25-man roster. Training camp consists of individual and multi-team practices, as well as scrimmages between the teams. [44]
The first free agency period for the PLL took place prior to the 2023 PLL season from March 6, 2023 to April 1, 2023. [45] Following the PLL season, players are given the opportunity to opt out of their current contract if they were on the active roster (21-man roster) for less than 30% of games the previous season. If that player does not sign with another club by the end of the free agency period, they return to their original team. [46] If a player has not appeared on a team's 21-man active roster for three consecutive weeks the player was eligible to play, the player may be claimed by any team. [47] When a player is released by their club, they enter the player pool; other teams will have one week to claim the player before the player enters free agency. [48]
Conf. | Team | Location | Stadium | Seats [a] | Joined | Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern | Boston Cannons | Boston, MA | Harvard Stadium | 25,000 | 2021 | 0 |
Maryland Whipsnakes | Baltimore, MD | Homewood Field | 8,500 | 2019 | 2 (2019, 2020) | |
New York Atlas | Albany, NY | Casey Stadium | 8,500 | 2019 | 0 | |
Philadelphia Waterdogs | Villanova, PA | Villanova Stadium | 12,500 | 2020 | 1 (2022) | |
Western | California Redwoods | San Diego, CA | Torero Stadium | 6,000 | 2019 | 0 |
Carolina Chaos | Charlotte, NC | American Legion Memorial Stadium | 10,500 | 2019 | 1 (2021) | |
Denver Outlaws | Denver, CO | Barton Stadium | 3,117 | 2019 | 0 | |
Utah Archers | Herriman, UT | Zions Bank Stadium | 5,000 | 2019 | 2 (2023, 2024) |
Timeline
From 2019 to 2024, the league used a touring model only spending a week in each city. In 2020, the entire original schedule was scrapped due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the season was then restructured to have every game take place at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. [49] The PLL will be assigning home cities to teams beginning with the 2024 season. [50]
Season | Championship game |
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Champions | Score | Runner-up | ||
2019 | Whipsnakes | 12–11 (OT) | Redwoods | Chaos |
2020 | Whipsnakes | 12–6 | Chaos | Whipsnakes |
2021 | Chaos | 14–9 | Whipsnakes | Waterdogs |
2022 | Waterdogs | 11–9 | Chaos | Whipsnakes |
2023 | Archers | 15–14 | Waterdogs | Archers |
2024 | Archers | 12–8 | Whipsnakes | Atlas |
On February 15, 2022, the Premier Lacrosse League announced the inaugural class of the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame. In order to be eligible for selection, a player must: [51]
Up until the creation of the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame there was no Hall of Fame for exclusively professional field lacrosse players. [52] In February, 2023 Ryan Boyle was announced as the first member of the 2023 class. [53] The remainder of the 2023 class was announced on March 23, 2023. [54]
The league's media model radically differs from that of most North American professional sports leagues. A 2018 Sports Illustrated story on the then-prospective league pointed out that LeBron James' Instagram account "features virtually no clips of him playing basketball—those are the property of the NBA, meaning its owners." By contrast, the PLL open-sources its highlights, allowing players to freely use them to build their own personal brands. Additionally, PLL operates a full-time studio that produces other player-centered content. [55]
Season | NBC | NBCSN | ABC | ESPN | ESPN2 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | 3 | 16 | 19/38 | |||
2020 | 4 | 13 | 17/20 | |||
2021 | 4 | 17 | 21/42 | |||
2022 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12/47 | ||
2023 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 16/47 | ||
2024 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 17/47 |
The Premier Lacrosse League was broadcast by NBCUniversal between 2019 and 2021, with select matches, including the All-Star Game and playoffs, airing on their NBC and NBCSN television networks. All matches were streamed on NBC Sports Gold, and later Peacock. [56] [57] [58] Paul Burmeister served as the host during gameday broadcasts, [59] while commentary was provided by Ryan Boyle and Brendan Burke. [60] [61] NBCUniversal's broadcasts made use of skycams, shot speed sensors provided by SMT, and microphones that facilitated conversations between players and the commentary team during matches. [62] [63] From 2022 to 2025, the league is broadcast by The Walt Disney Company, with select games airing on their ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 television networks, and all games streaming on ESPN+. [64] [65]
Champion manufactures jerseys and footwear for the league's teams, [66] [67] while Cascade Lacrosse provides helmets and STX provides additional equipment. [68] The league's primary ticket outlet is Ticketmaster, who also hold the league's naming rights as the Premier Lacrosse League Powered by Ticketmaster. [69] Vail Health’s Howard Head Sports Medicine provides physical therapy services to athletes, [70] while The Steadman Clinic provides healthcare and orthopedic services. [71] In addition, Gatorade, [72] Progressive, [73] the Athletic Brewing Company, [74] VukGripz, [75] Cash App, [76] and Charlotte's Web have sponsored the league. [77]
On December 12, 2022, the PLL announced a new mini event, the 2023 Championship Series , which took place in late February 2023 at The St. James indoor stadium in Springfield, Virginia. The 2023 Championship Series featured the top four teams from the 2022 season. Those being: Whipsnakes LC, Chrome LC, Archers LC, and Atlas LC. They played with 12-man rosters (10 position players and 2 goalies) using modified lacrosse sixes rules. Each team played three round-robin games from Wednesday, February 22 through Friday, February 24 to determine seeding for the semifinals on Saturday, February 25. The winners advanced to the PLL Championship Series game on Sunday, February 26. [78] The games were broadcast on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN+ with the Championship game on ESPNU. The PLL Championship Series champions were Chrome LC who defeated the Atlas LC in the final 24–23. [79] Atlas midfielder Romar Dennis won the Golden Stick Award.
In November 2023, it was announced that the PLL would host another championship series in February 2024 also at The St. James indoor stadium in Springfield, Virginia. [80]
The Boston Cannons are a professional field lacrosse team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The team plays its home games at Harvard Stadium.
Brodie Merrill is a Canadian professional lacrosse player. Merrill is recognized by the Premier Lacrosse League as having revolutionized the LSM position, and is the namesake for the Brodie Merrill LSM of the Year Award, being the only active PLL player to have an award named after them. Merrill is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensemen in lacrosse history, in both the indoor and outdoor game.
Paul Rabil is an American sports executive and retired professional lacrosse player. He is currently the president of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), which he co-founded with his brother, league CEO Mike Rabil.
Trevor Baptiste is an American professional lacrosse player who plays as a face-off specialist for the Atlas Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League. He attended the University of Denver, where he set the NCAA Division I season record for face-off wins by a freshman. During the 2015 regular season, Baptiste led all of college lacrosse in face-off win percentage (72%). He also set the Pioneers' school record for face-off wins during a season. He was selected first overall in the 2018 MLL Draft, by the Boston Cannons. Baptiste has won the PLL Faceoff Athlete of the Year Award four times.
The sport of lacrosse has been played in the United States by Native Americans long before European exploration. The sport is most popular in the northeast and mid-Atlantic areas of the country. However, the game has recently developed into a popular team sport for both men and women in all regions of the United States.
Tom Schreiber is an American professional lacrosse player with the Utah Archers of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. He attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, and played collegiate lacrosse at Princeton University. Schreiber is the only player to have won the professional outdoor lacrosse MVP award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
The Utah Archers are a professional field lacrosse team based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Archers are one of the six founding members of the PLL for the 2019 season. Notable players include Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament, and Graeme Hossack.
The New York Atlas are a professional field lacrosse team based in Albany, New York, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).
The Carolina Chaos are a professional field lacrosse team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Chaos are one of the six founding members of the PLL for the 2019 season. Notable players include Blaze Riorden, Josh Byrne, Jarrod Neumann and Troy Reh. Chaos were crowned PLL Champions for the first time in team history with a 14 - 9 victory over the Whipsnakes in the 2021 PLL Championship.
The Maryland Whipsnakes are a professional field lacrosse team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Whipsnakes are one of the six founding members of the PLL and the winner of its first two championships; the 2019 season and the 2020 Championship Tournament. Notable players include Matt Rambo, Jake Bernhardt, Michael Ehrhardt, and Zed Williams.
The 2020 Premier Lacrosse League season was the second season for the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The season was originally set to begin on May 29 and culminate with a championship game played in late September. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the league postponed the start of their season, and in May announced their season would take place as a championship series between July 25 and August 9, replacing NBCUniversal's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Championship Series consisted of playoff seedings based on 4 games of group play taking place at Zions Bank Stadium just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The series began with the Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club as the defending league champions and the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club joining the league as an expansion team.
The Philadelphia Waterdogs are a professional field lacrosse team based in the Greater Philadelphia area that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Waterdogs were the first PLL expansion team, beginning with the 2020 season. Players were selected through an expansion draft, new entry draft, and the college draft over the first few months of 2020. Andy Copelan was announced as the Club's first head coach on January 2, 2020. Owners of the club include Pardon My Take hosts, Barstool Big Cat & PFT Commenter. The Waterdogs won their first championship in 2022 against the Chaos. In March 2024 the Waterdogs hired Bill Tierney as Head Coach.
The MLL–PLL merger represented a unification of the two major professional field lacrosse leagues in the United States at the time: Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Initial terms of the merger were released on the morning of December 16, 2020. The two leagues agreed to unite under the "Premier Lacrosse League" name and logo, operating as a tour-based model and removing the last of the hometown-based professional field lacrosse teams in the United States. The Boston Cannons would be the sole MLL team identity to play in the PLL for the 2021 season, rebranding as the Cannons Lacrosse Club.
The 2021 Premier Lacrosse League season was the third season of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The 2021 season represented a return to the tour-based format that the league followed in 2019 after playing a bubble tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2021 also represented a return to one unified professional Field Lacrosse format after Major League Lacrosse and the Premier Lacrosse League announced they were merging on December 16, 2020. This monumental merger saw the PLL adopt the naming rights to all former MLL teams, as well as Cannons Lacrosse Club moving from the MLL to the PLL as an 8th team set by expansion draft. The Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club were the two-time defending league champions. Chaos Lacrosse Club took revenge against Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club by defeating them in the championship game on September 19 at Audi Field by a score of 9–14.
Jules Nehemiah Heningburg is an American professional lacrosse player on the Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and Albany FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League. He played college lacrosse at Rutgers University where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and All-American. Heningburg was selected 7th overall in the first round of the 2018 Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Florida Launch.
Max Adler is an Israeli-American professional lacrosse player. He played for DII Bentley University, before being drafted by the Denver Outlaws of the Major League Lacrosse. He now plays for the Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League where he is a faceoff specialist. Indoors, he plays for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League as a defenseman.
Zach Currier is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who currently plays as a midfielder for Waterdogs Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and as a transition player for the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League. He previously played for the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League
The 2023 Premier Lacrosse League Season was the fifth season of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). It was held from June 3 through September 24.
The PLL Championship Series is an annual winter lacrosse tournament in the lacrosse sixes format. It is hosted by the Premier Lacrosse League. It features the top four teams in the regular season standings of the previous Premier Lacrosse League season. The inaugural championship series occurred in 2023.
The 2024 Premier Lacrosse League Season was the 6th season of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The regular season began on June 3 and ran through August 17th. The playoffs ran from September 2 through September 15. This is the first season where PLL teams were assigned to home cities.
Eastern conference will consist of the New York Atlas, Boston Cannons, Philadelphia Waterdogs, and Maryland Whipsnakes. The Utah Archers, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, and California Redwoods will make up the Western Conference.
The six teams that will take the field for the league's first season in June are the Archers, Atlas, Chaos, Chrome, Redwoods and Whipsnakes.
The PLL's six inaugural rosters [...] Archers; Atlas; Chaos; Chrome; Redwoods; Whipsnakes...
...its first-ever expansion club, and seventh team overall, will be known as Waterdogs Lacrosse Club.
...the newest PLL expansion club. Waterdogs LC.
...the Premier Lacrosse League's expansion team, the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club.
The Boston Cannons are now members of the Premier Lacrosse League, as part of the league's merger with Major League Lacrosse.
Boston's professional lacrosse team is the sole Major League Lacrosse survivor. The Boston Cannons of the 20-year-old and Boston-based MLL will be re-branded as the Cannons Lacrosse Club to become the Premier League's eighth team.
Denver Outlaws (formerly Chrome Lacrosse Club) [...] Giving Denver the Outlaws, one of the MLL's strongest brands, was an easy choice.
The most notable assignment is the rebranding of Chrome Lacrosse Club as the Denver Outlaws — long one of the most popular and successful Major League Lacrosse franchises.
The Outlaws will inherit the roster and coaching staff of the PLL's Chrome Lacrosse Club...
Last season, attacker Matt Rambo led the Terp-filled Whipsnakes to the Premier Lacrosse League's first ever championship. On Sunday, fellow former Terp Kyle Bernlohr's clutch play in goal helped the team win its second straight title.
Neumann and the Chaos Lacrosse Club, one of six founding PLL teams, defeated the two-time champion Whipsnakes...
Archers take down the Waterdogs 15-14 in an epic title game on Sunday in Philadelphia to claim the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League Championship. After scoring a hat trick in last year's title game to help the Waterdogs claim the 2022 Premier Lacrosse League Championship...
The four-year deal will put all 47 of the PLL's games, including playoffs, across ESPN, ESPN+, ABC and ESPN2...
ESPN and the Premier Lacrosse League have agreed to a four-year media rights deal ahead of the league's 2022 season...