The Premier Lacrosse League has officially announced the launch of the Women’s Lacrosse League.
The league will debut at the PLL Championship Series this February. There will be four teams competing at the event for the WLL Championship Series trophy. The four teams will be market based, though the teams and the players competing have yet to be announced. Scheduling and competition for summer 2025 is not yet set.
A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon, featuring WLL ambassadors and lacrosse stars Charlotte North, Izzy Scane, Alex Aust Holman, and Lizzie Colson , to answer questions. PLL President and co-founder Paul Rabil was also on hand to make the announcement and will meet the media this afternoon.
In the PLL's first summer, games from the Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) were played at PLL sites following PLL games. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 summer for the WPLL, and ultimately forced that league to shut down. Women's lacrosse stars have been competing in Athlete's Unlimited since then. The WLL represents the latest effort to elevate women's lacrosse at a post collegiate level. It comes at a time of tremendous growth in women's lacrosse, following the first ever Women's World Box Lacrosse Championship in September.
Read the full release:
Premier Lacrosse League Launches Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), New Women’s Professional Lacrosse Property to Debut at 2025 PLL Championship Series
NEW YORK – Nov. 13, 2024 – The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster today launched the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), a new professional women’s lacrosse property set to debut at the 2025 PLL Championship Series, featuring the best lacrosse players in the world.
The WLL will feature four teams, playing in the Olympic Sixes format, competing for the inaugural WLL Championship Series trophy. The four teams’ home cities and players will be announced at a later date.
“We’re proud to announce the launch of the Women's Lacrosse League, a groundbreaking step forward for the sport, giving elite women athletes a premier stage to compete, inspire, and make their mark as we move toward lacrosse’s reemergence at the Olympics in 2028,” said Paul Rabil, co-founder and president of the Premier Lacrosse League. “We can't wait to welcome fans to the first WLL games at the 2025 Championship Series, where we'll provide these exceptional athletes with a world-class experience alongside the best in the PLL.”
“We are filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Paul Rabil, Mike Rabil, Rachael DeCecco, and the entire PLL organization for their endless hard work, dedication, and investment in the sport of professional lacrosse. We are honored to be a part of the WLL, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before,” said Charlotte North, gold medalist, NCAA Champion, and WLL Ambassador. “We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women’s lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe. We are determined to work tirelessly to grow the game and inspire the next generation of young girls, while ultimately competing for championships each season. It’s our time.”
Building off an impactful inaugural season as a league partner, Whirlpool brand will expand their partnership with the PLL to become the first founding partner of the WLL.
“The Women’s Lacrosse League will inspire the next generation of women’s lacrosse players and we’re thrilled to grow our PLL partnership by way of the WLL,” said Shannon Blakely, CMO North America Region at Whirlpool. “The opportunity to expand the impact and support for the lacrosse fan base from our work with the PLL partnership with the WLL is one we believe in, as we continue to work to foster opportunities for more families and future generations.”
The WLL is the PLL’s largest investment in women’s lacrosse to date. In 2020, the PLL created Unleashed, a women’s lacrosse content and training platform designed to support the growth and visibility of girls and women’s lacrosse. Unleashed has helped over 1,000 girls lacrosse players access world class coaching from the most iconic pros of this generation: Charlotte North, Taylor Cummings, Lizzie Colson, Dempsey Arsenault, and Alex Aust Holman.
In 2024, the PLL hosted its first professional women’s lacrosse exhibition in the US – the Unleashed All-Star Game – after international exhibitions in Japan over the last three years. At the 2024 PLL All-Star Skills Competition, fans watched Charlotte North shoot a record 92 miles per hour in the Fastest Shot Competition, as well as Izzy Scane, Alex Aust Holman and Dana Dobbie compete in the lacrosse derby.
To learn more about the WLL and sign up for updates on tickets, teams and more, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com/womens-lacrosse-league.
About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos Sports Partners, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2023 Best Place to Work in Sports, and 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).