Women's Lacrosse League

Last updated

Women's Lacrosse League
Upcoming season or competition:
Lacrosse current event.svg 2025 Women's Lacrosse League season
Women's Lacrosse League.svg
Sport Lacrosse sixes
First season2025
Organising body Premier Lacrosse League
No. of teams4
CountryUnited States
Broadcaster ESPN

The Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) is a planned professional lacrosse sixes league owned and organized by the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). It is the sole professional lacrosse league for women in the United States. The WLL will commence play in 2025, with four clubs. Its matches will be broadcast domestically on ESPN.

Contents

History

Prior to Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse, two attempts at establishing a professional league for traditional women's lacrosse were made – the United Women's Lacrosse League (UWXL), and the Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL). [1] The UWXL was established by United Women's Sports in 2016, [2] and played three seasons before quietly disbanding. Under the leadership of former UWXL Commissioner Michele DeJuliis, [3] the WPLL played two seasons in 2018 and 2019, before its 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, [4] [5] and collapsed as a result. [6] [7] A number of players in the WPLL would be offered contracts to play in Athletes Unlimited's non-traditional, individualized league, [7] which commenced play in 2021.

By the 2020s, Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) executives were motivated to take advantage of both a growth in demand for women's sports in the United States, and the timing of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where discretionary lacrosse sixes tournaments will be contested. [1] [8] [9] The PLL established its "Unleashed" program in 2020, aimed at fostering women's participation in lacrosse through training camps and exhibition games, including the first Unleashed All-Star Game during the 2024 PLL Championship Series. [10] [11] [12] The establishment of the Women's Lacrosse League was announced by PLL President Paul Rabil on the November 13, 2024 broadcast of Get Up on ESPN. [10] [13] United States national team players Lizzie Colson, Ally Mastroianni, and Charlotte North, former Northwestern Wildcats midfielder Izzy Scane, and Athletes Unlimited assistant coach Alex Aust, were also simultaneously unveiled as the league's first five signings. [9] [11] [14] All but Colson were later be appointed captains of each of the four charter clubs – the brandings of which were unveiled on a December 10 broadcast of ESPN's SportsCenter . [15] [16] [17] In the same month, Athletes Unlimited announced the suspension of its lacrosse activities, leaving the WLL as the sole professional lacrosse league for women. [18] [19]

Format and rules

The lacrosse sixes format is used for games in the Women's Lacrosse League, which feature six-on-six teams, smaller fields, and shorter time periods than women's lacrosse. [12] The WLL Championship Series takes place concurrently with the annual PLL Championship Series in February. The format of the league's full season is yet to be determined. [20] [21]

Organization

The Women's Lacrosse League is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Premier Lacrosse League. [22] Courtney Ellis serves as the league's operations director through her role as the PLL's director of women's growth, while Rachel DeCecco serves as its sporting director through her role as the PLL's vice president of lacrosse. [21] [22]

Teams

Women's Lacrosse League
Invisible Square.svg
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
1200km
820miles
4
3
2
Locales of teams for the 2025 season
1
Boston Guard
2
California Palms
3
Maryland Charm
4
New York Charging

The Women's Lacrosse League consists of four clubs that share markets with Premier Lacrosse League clubs – the Boston Guard, captained by Charlotte North; the California Palms, captained by Ally Mastroianni; the Maryland Charm, captained by Alex Aust, and the New York Charging, captained by Izzy Scane. [16] [17]

2025 Women's Lacrosse League teams
TeamLocationVenueSeatsJoined
Boston Guard Boston, MA TBD2025
California Palms California TBD2025
Maryland Charm Maryland TBD2025
New York Charging New York TBD2025

Broadcasting and sponsorship

Women's Lacrosse League games will be broadcast in the United States on ESPN. [20] The league's primary sponsors are Lexus and Whirlpool. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacrosse</span> Team sport

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively modified by European colonists, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Lacrosse</span> Field lacrosse league that merged with the Premier Lacrosse League in 2020

Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff for the championship trophy, the Steinfeld Trophy, named after founder Jake Steinfeld. League attendance peaked at 6,417 in 2011 and the 2019 average was 4,587.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of lacrosse</span>

Lacrosse has its origins in a tribal game played by eastern Woodlands Native Americans and by some Plains Indians tribes in what is now the United States of America and Canada. The game was extensively modified by European settlers to create its current collegiate and professional form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Harrison (lacrosse)</span> American lacrosse player

Kyle Harrison is an American entrepreneur and retired professional lacrosse player. He now serves as the PLL Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion.

The Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team is an NCAA Division I college lacrosse team representing Northwestern University as part of the Big Ten Conference. It was a member of the American Lacrosse Conference until the 2013-14 season, when the conference was dissolved as the Big Ten was sponsoring women's lacrosse from the 2014-15 season. The team began competition at the varsity level in 1982, operated as a club sport from 1993 to 2001, and resumed play at the varsity level in 2002. They play their home games at Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium and Ryan Fieldhouse in Evanston, IL. From 2005 to 2009, the team won the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship five consecutive times and recorded two undefeated seasons. After losing in the finals in 2010, the Wildcats added their sixth and seventh championships in 2011 and 2012. The Wildcats won their eighth championship in 2023. The Midwestern team's success is a rarity in a sport that enjoys most of its popularity on the East Coast - the Wildcats are the only team from outside the Eastern Time Zone to win the national title.

Ned Crotty is an American former professional lacrosse player. He played for the Dallas Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse, and played for the NCAA Division I college lacrosse team at Duke University. He also played indoor lacrosse for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, and with the Chrome Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League

Alex Aust is an American women's lacrosse player. Having played with the Maryland Terrapins at the collegiate level, she was named to the US national team for the 2015-16 season and is currently still an active member, wearing jersey number 10. In 2016, she was selected by the Baltimore Ride with their second pick overall in the inaugural United Women's Lacrosse League Draft.

The 2018 Major League Lacrosse season is the 18th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season began on Saturday, April 21 with three games. For the third straight year, the league consists of nine teams playing 14 games each. However, the league announced on November 16, 2017 that the Rochester Rattlers, one of the league's four remaining charter franchises, would relocate to Frisco, Texas and become the Dallas Rattlers. The reigning champions for the first time are the Ohio Machine, who would take a hard fall and finish 3-11 in 2018. The season culminated on Saturday, August 18 with the Denver Outlaws hoisting their third Steinfeld Trophy in Charleston, South Carolina at MUSC Health Stadium after defeating the Rattlers, 16-12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Professional Lacrosse League</span> Womens lacrosse league in the United States

The Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) was a women's lacrosse league in the United States. The league was formally composed of five teams: the Brave, Command, Fight, Fire, and Pride. The league announced on February 27, 2020, that it would restructure and downsize the league to four teams, which would ultimately be: the Brave, Command, Fight, and Pride. League play started on Saturday, June 2, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier Lacrosse League</span> American professional field lacrosse league

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is an American professional field lacrosse league composed of eight teams. 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Atlas (lacrosse)</span> Field lacrosse team in the PLL

The New York Atlas are a professional field lacrosse team based in Albany, New York, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).

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 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.

Isabelle Rae Scane is an American lacrosse player who competed for the Northwestern Wildcats. She won the 2023 NCAA championship with Northwestern and twice received the Tewaaraton Award as the best player in the country. She broke the all-time NCAA Division I goals record in 2024.

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.

Austin Staats is an Iroquois professional lacrosse player who plays for the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), and formerly a player for the Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). He was drafted 1st overall by the San Diego Seals in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft. He is known for his aggressive style of play.

Allison Mastroianni is an American professional lacrosse player for the California Palms of the Women's Lacrosse League (WLL). She played college lacrosse for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where she won the 2022 national championship.

Athletes Unlimited is a women's professional sports organisation based in the United States that organizes and administers competitions in the sports of basketball, softball, volleyball, and formerly lacrosse. It was founded in 2020 by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros. Athletes Unlimited leagues employ formats in which individual players are crowned champions, with the exception of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which has traditional teams.

References

  1. 1 2 Kinnear, Matt (November 13, 2024). "Breaking: PLL Launching Women's Lacrosse League in 2025". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  2. ↑ Berkman, Seth (May 30, 2016). "Women's Professional Lacrosse League Begins With a Mission in Mind" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Led by Digit Murphy and Aronda Kirby, the co-founders...
  3. ↑ Berri, David (June 4, 2018). "The Women's Professional Lacrosse League Takes Off" . Forbes . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Michelle Dejuliis -- the CEO of the WPLL...
  4. ↑ Shaw, Sydney (May 1, 2020). "WPLL CEO Explains Season Cancellation". Just Women's Sports . Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  5. ↑ ILWomen.com Staff (April 14, 2020). "WPLL Cancels 2020 Season Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  6. ↑ "WPLL Shutters as Pro Women's Lax is 'Constantly Fighting for a Presence'". USA Lacrosse Magazine . August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Griggs, Halley (August 6, 2020). "Women's Professional Lacrosse League Closes, Opportunity Awaits Players in Athletes Unlimited". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Premier Lacrosse League announces launch of women's league". Reuters . November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Steele, Michele (November 13, 2024). "Premier Lacrosse launching women's league in 2025". ESPN . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Champion, Brandon (November 13, 2024). "Pro women's lacrosse league coming in 2025 a 'groundbreaking step forward'". MLive.com . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Former Wildcat Izzy Scane to Compete in New Women's Lacrosse League". Northwestern Athletics . Northwestern University. November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  12. 1 2 Clinkscales, Jason (November 13, 2024). "Premier Lacrosse League to Launch Women's Division in 2025". Sportico . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  13. ↑ Gould, Andrew (November 13, 2024). "ESPN's 'Get Up' Announces Launch Of Women's Lacrosse League". The Spun. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  14. ↑ Reardon, Logan (November 13, 2024). "Premier Lacrosse starting new women's league for 2025 ahead of Olympic return". NBC 4 Los Angeles . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  15. 1 2 ILWomen.com Staff (December 10, 2024). "Guard, Charging, Charm and Palms: WLL Unveils First Four Team Names, Home Cities". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  16. 1 2 ESPN Staff (December 10, 2024). "Women's Lacrosse League announces team names". ESPN . Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Kaboose, Bobby (December 10, 2024). "Women's Lacrosse League Announces First 4 Teams". Yardbarker . Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ Kinnear, Matt (December 18, 2024). "Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse Suspends Operations, Citing Player Availability". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Athletes Unlimited suspends lacrosse operation" . Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal . December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024. Athletes Unlimited on Wednesday suspended its Pro Lacrosse league indefinitely...
  20. 1 2 Fleming, Margaret (November 13, 2024). "PLL Launches New Women's Lacrosse League With 6-on-6 Format". Front Office Sports. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  21. 1 2 Brown, Kevin (November 13, 2024). "'Dream As Big as Possible': New Women's Lacrosse League Details, Timeline Emerge". Inside Lacrosse . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  22. 1 2 Mazzeo, Mike (November 13, 2024). "PLL launches Women's Lacrosse League, will debut in 2025" . Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024. The WLL will live as a separate subsidiary of the PLL but be wholly owned by the league [...] The WLL will be run day-to-day on the commercial and operations side by Courtney Ellis, senior director/play operations and women's growth at the PLL, and on the lacrosse side by Rachel DeCecco, VP/lacrosse at the PLL.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.