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Premier Lacrosse League to launch women’s format in February

edward lee, baltimore sun
·3 min read

Six years after launching a men’s professional lacrosse league, the Premier Lacrosse League is hoping to do the same for the women’s game.

The PLL co-founded by brothers Paul and Mike Rabil announced Wednesday that it will debut the Women’s Lacrosse League at the PLL’s 2025 championship series in February. The women’s league will open with four teams in cities to be determined and will feature a sixes format, which is the same style of play that will take place at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where lacrosse is returning for the first time since 1948.

Lacrosse was a medal sport in London in 1908 and a demonstration sport in the same city in 1948. When the sport resurfaces in Los Angeles, it will replace the traditional 10-on-10 alignment for a 6-on-6 format with smaller fields and faceoff only to start quarters in an attempt to appeal to those new to the sport.

The WLL is not the first professional lacrosse organization for women. Athletes Unlimited founded a lacrosse league in 2020.

Although the WLL said its seasons will not conflict with Athletes Unlimited’s – which has occurred during the summer – the WLL has already signed some of Athletes Unlimited’s top stars. Boston College attacker Charlotte North and Northwestern attacker Izzy Scane – winners of the last four Tewaaraton Awards, college lacrosse’s version of the Heisman Trophy – have committed to play for the WLL.

Maryland attacker Alex Aust, the 2013 National Attacker of the Year; Maryland defender Lizzie Colson, the 2021 National Defender of the Year; and North Carolina midfielder Ally Mastroianni, the 2022 National Midfielder of the Year, will also join North and Scane in the WLL. The rest of the rosters will be announced later this year.

“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,” North said in an announcement posted on the PLL’s website. “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.”

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The WLL will not be the PLL’s first outreach involving the women’s game. The PLL hosted a women’s exhibition, the Unleashed All-Star Game, in February.

Women’s sports have gained a greater foothold among fans in recent years. A Nielsen survey showed that interest in the WNBA grew almost 30% from 2023 to 2024 thanks to the popularity of rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, a Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate. Over the same time period, interest in the National Women’s Soccer League increased by 17%, and the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced attendance records for its games in its inaugural season last winter.

“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, a Gaithersburg native and former Johns Hopkins star midfielder.

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.