BACKGROUND: In 2018, Paul Rabil, an 11-year veteran of Major League Lacrosse, announced he was starting a competitor to that league. While MLL players were part-time players who played lacrosse pretty much as a hobby, the Premier Lacrosse League promised salaries and the opportunity to become a professional, full-time player.
The league started with six teams, which traveled around to a dozen sites around the country for a weekend of games. The league eventually expanded to a seventh team, then, in a 2020 move, absorbed the remnants of Major League Lacrosse into the PLL, and is now an eight-team league.
During the winter, the PLL announced an indoor series of Sixes lacrosse in 2023. That led to the start of a women’s league, the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League, with four teams in 2025.
CURRENT STATUS: The Women’s Lacrosse League finished off its first season yesterday, with the Boston Guard beating the New York Charging for the inaugural title. Rumors of all kinds have surrounded what the future is, but we got the strong impression that there will be some kind of WLL outdoor league, maybe as early as 2025.
COACHES: Both leagues hired some pretty good coaches, not only for their head positions, but the assistants. U.S. gold medal-winning head coach Ginny Capicchioni is an assistant for the California Palmlms, and Emily Parros assists the Maryland Charm.
PLAYERS: The teams are a combination of the best of field lacrosse as well as a number of members of the gold medal-winning U.S. box lacrosse team from last fall. The New York Charging was a particularly loaded side with Emily Hawryschuk, Izzy Scane, Erin Coykendall, and Kylie Ohlmiller.
The WLL also has a number of players who did not compete last year with Athletes Unlimited like Caitlyn Wurzburger and Megan Whittle, and their presence was a credit to their teams.
AT PREGAME: When you walk into the St. James complex, the first thing you notice is the thumping DJ music and flashing lights. There are lots of opportunities to go into a merchandise area as well as a sponsor display area on either end of the field. There is a host who makes announcements as well as doing in-game promotions like the inevitable T-shirt toss.
TIMING: The WLL uses four quarters of eight minutes each. The shot clock is a mere 30 seconds, which means that there is a premium for goalies who can throw and complete outlet passes to put immediate pressure on defenses.
GAME PLAY: A lot of the successful teams substitute like an indoor box team, using the substitution box to platoon offensive and defensive players. You can’t take your eyes off the action and discuss the previous play with a buddy because the ball is in the other team’s critical scoring area in a flash. The teams push forward to get maximum time in the attack zone.
STRATEGY: The WLL’s teams are based on speed and athleticism. Sometimes, that speed can lead to a rushed pass or shot. In this league format, there is no “backup” for a missed shot; if you’re the last team to touch the ball, the ball goes over to the other team. This led to one situation that went to video replay, when it wasn’t clear whether a shot went out of bounds without touching the other team’s goalkeeper.
Also, the short field takes the midfield ride out of the game; you don’t see a lot of pressure in the midfield, especially with goalies that can go long to teammates already in the attack zone.
OVERALL AESTHETICS: This game takes your attention because of the 30-second clock. The better teams are able to get the ball into the attack end anywhere between three and eight seconds after a turnover or an opposing goal, which makes the game almost like tennis given the quick changes in possession.
OUTLOOK: While it is laudable for the lords of the Premier Lacrosse League to have started a women’s series, I do wonder what kind of outdoor league will evolve from this. Will there be sixes or will there be a traditional 12-v-12 format? Or perhaps something in between?
I think we are going to see a full-field league, even though the roles of defenders were diminished in the MWLL to a certain extent. I’d like to see more close defenders get their chance to shine even in an era of unprecedented physicality on the attack end.
We’ll have a thought experiment on the future of the MWLL tomorrow.