The Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) is a planned professionallacrosse 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.
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]
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]
^ abMazzeo, 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.
