Hey, we noticed you're outside Canada but are currently viewing our Canadian site. Would you like us to take you to the US site, or do you want to stay on the Canadian site?
Picking up what we're putting down? We thought you might be. Sign up for our free 4x-weekly newsletter to get "the gist" of what's going on in the sports world in less than 5 minutes.
Subscribe
The GIST
ListenSubscribe
Filter by

Women’s Lacrosse League launches amid sport’s continued growth

November 15, 2024
On Wednesday, the men’s Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) launched the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), a new pro women’s league set to take the field in February 2025. PLL communications manager Grace Hamilton chatted with The GIST yesterday to shed light on the league’s decision to go pro on the women’s side.
Sports BusinessLacrosse
Women’s Lacrosse League launches amid sport’s continued growthWomen’s Lacrosse League launches amid sport’s continued growth
Source: CAASports/X

The GIST: On Wednesday, the men’s Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) launched the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), a new pro women’s league set to take the field in February 2025. PLL communications manager Grace Hamilton chatted with The GIST yesterday to shed light on the league’s decision to go pro on the women’s side. Top cheddar.

The details: The WLL plans to launch during the PLL’s Championship Series in February with four teams, and although cities are still TBD, it already has its first founding partner: appliance brand and PLL sponsor Whirlpool. The league will utilize the Olympic Sixes format, which differs from the field lacrosse played in NCAA programs and features smaller fields and shorter periods of play.

The landscape: Women’s lacrosse has been glowing up in recent years, especially at the youth and collegiate level. Over the last decade, girls’ participation is up 43%, the number of women’s college lax programs is up 57%, and the U.S. lacrosse fanbase has jumped from 13M to 45M, per Hamilton.

  • Back in 2021, Athletes Unlimited (AU) identified lax as a growth area in women’s sports and launched AU Lacrosse, the only currently active pro women’s lacrosse league. By AU’s second season in 2022, live viewership jumped 25% YoY and attendance rose 41% YoY. Fortunately, WLL and AU’s four-week summer season won’t overlap. Phew.

The context: This isn’t the PLL’s first foray into women’s lacrosse. Since launching in 2020, its Unleashed platform has connected over 1K girls to training from top lax players. The Unleashed brand also hosted international exhibitions for three years before hosting an inaugural Unleashed All-Star game in the U.S. in February.

  • The sport’s impending LA28 Olympic inclusion was one of many factors that influenced the PLL’s decision to launch the WLL in 2025, but “the bigger reason was the data and the players resoundingly telling us that this is a strong and necessary catalyst for women’s lacrosse,” said Hamilton.

Zooming out: The PLL has created opportunities in men’s lacrosse for the past five years, but building a women’s league has clearly been an intentional part of its business plan. By working to foster a pipeline and create opportunities for women and girls to play, the PLL was able to gauge interest and insight into creating a sustainable new pro league. It’s our time.

Back to Lacrosse