National Lacrosse League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Lacrosse League

Formerly	Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (1986–1988) Major Indoor Lacrosse League (1988–1997)
Sport	Box lacrosse
Founded	1986; 39 years ago (1986)
Inaugural season	1987
Commissioner	Brett Frood
No. of teams	14
Countries	Canada (6 teams) United States (8 teams)
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Most recent champion(s)	Buffalo Bandits (7th title)
Most titles	Buffalo Bandits (7 titles)
TV partner(s)	TSN ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPNews, ESPNU

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. It has 14 teams, with 8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL's main office is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The NLL is very popular. It ranks third in average attendance for professional indoor sports worldwide. Only the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) have more fans at their games. Unlike other box lacrosse leagues that play in summer, the NLL plays from December to June. Teams compete each year for the National Lacrosse League Cup. Since 2004, the NLL has had between 8,900 and 10,700 fans at each game.

How Box Lacrosse Is Played

NLL games have four 15-minute quarters. There are 2-minute breaks between quarters and a 15-minute half-time. At the start of each quarter and after every goal, players "face-off" in the middle of the field. This decides which team gets the ball. Two players push their sticks together with the ball between them. A scramble usually happens as players try to win the ball.

If a game is tied after regular time, the teams play sudden death overtime. This means the first team to score wins. Each team can take one 45-second timeout per half. Each team has 19 players dressed for a game: 2 goaltenders and 17 "runners" (other players). NLL goals are 4 feet 9 inches wide and 4 feet 2 inches tall.

The NLL uses a 30-second shot clock. This is like the shot clock in basketball. The clock starts when a team gets the ball. If the offense does not shoot the ball in time, they lose possession. But if they shoot on goal and get the ball back, the shot clock restarts.

Fighting in a game results in a 5-minute major penalty. It does not mean a player is automatically kicked out of the game.

Season and Playoffs

The Colorado Mammoth played the Buffalo Bandits in Game 3 of the 2022 NLL Cup Finals.

Each NLL team plays eighteen games during the regular season. Nine games are at home and nine are away. All 14 teams are in one standings table. NLL games are usually played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sometimes, teams play twice in one weekend.

The regular season starts in December and finishes in April. Since the 2024 season, the top 8 teams in the standings make the playoffs. The first round is single-elimination. The Conference Finals and Championship rounds are best-of-three series. This means a team must win two games to advance.

Players

Most NLL players have other full-time jobs. For example, former Buffalo Bandits player John Tavares is a high school teacher.

Even though 8 of the 14 teams are in the U.S., less than 7% of players are American. About 83% of players are Canadian. Around 10% are Haudenosaunee, from either Canada or the U.S.

Teams of the NLL

FireWolves

Bandits

Swarm

Thunderbirds

Black Bears

Wings

Knighthawks

Rock

Roughnecks

Mammoth

Desert
Dogs

Panther City

Seals

Rush

Warriors

Current Teams

Since the 2024 NLL season, the league no longer has East and West Conferences. All teams play in one division. Every team plays every other team at least once.

An asterisk (*) means the team moved to its current city. It has been in other places before.

Former Teams

Here are some teams that used to be in the NLL but are no longer active.

History of the NLL

The NLL started on March 13, 1986. It was first called the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (EPBLL). The league was created by Russ Cline and Chris Fritz. Before this, in 1985, there was an event called the USA/Canada Superseries. This series of eight games was a test for the new league.

Darrell Russell was the first Commissioner. The EPBLL had four teams: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and East Rutherford, New Jersey. The first games were played on January 10, 1987. The Philadelphia Wings played the New Jersey Saints, and the Baltimore Thunder played the Washington Wave.

The first season had six regular season games. All four teams went to a single knockout playoff tournament. The Baltimore Thunder won the first championship. They beat the Washington Wave 11–10. In its first season, the league had 124,536 fans attend games.

In 1988, the same four teams played an eight-game schedule. The New Jersey Saints won the championship. They beat the Washington Wave 17–16. After this season, the Saints moved to Long Island and became the New York Saints. The league also changed its name to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL). Two new teams, Detroit and Boston, joined the league in 1989.

Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) Era

MILL logo

In 1989, each of the six teams played an eight-game schedule. The Philadelphia Wings won the championship. They beat the New York Saints 11–10. After this, a new team, the Pittsburgh Bulls, joined. The Washington Wave team stopped playing.

In 1990, the Wings won their second championship. They beat the New England Blazers 17–7. The league's attendance grew to over 11,000 fans per game. After the season, famous twin brothers Paul Gait and Gary Gait joined the Detroit Turbos.

In 1991, the season grew to 10 games. The Gait brothers helped the Detroit Turbos win their first championship. They beat the Baltimore Thunder 14–12. The league also held its first All-Star Game. After this, the Buffalo Bandits joined the league in 1992.

The Buffalo Bandits won the championship in their first year (1992). They beat the Philadelphia Wings 11–10 in overtime. In 1993, Buffalo won again, beating the Wings 13–12. This made them the second team to win back-to-back championships. The league also signed a six-year deal with ESPN.

In 1994, the Philadelphia Wings beat the Buffalo Bandits 26–15 to win their third championship. This game was the first NLL game broadcast live on ESPN. The Rochester Knighthawks joined the league in 1995. The Wings won their fourth championship that year.

In 1996, the league schedule expanded to 10 games. The Charlotte Cobras had a winless season and then stopped playing. The Buffalo Bandits won their third championship, beating the Wings 15–10. In 1997, the Rochester Knighthawks won their first MILL championship. They beat the Bandits 15–12.

National Lacrosse League (NLL) Era

NLL logo 1998–2016

In 1997, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League changed its name to the National Lacrosse League. The schedule grew to 12 games. Two new teams, the Syracuse Smash and the Ontario Raiders, joined. The Boston Blazers team stopped playing. John Livsey Jr. became the first Commissioner of the NLL.

In 1998, the Philadelphia Wings won their fifth championship. They swept the series against the Baltimore Thunder. In 1999, the Raiders moved to Toronto and became the Toronto Rock. The Rock won their first championship, beating the Rochester Knighthawks 13–10.

In 2000, the Toronto Rock won their second championship in a row. They beat the Knighthawks 14–13 in a very close game. After this, the league added the Columbus Landsharks. The Smash moved to Ottawa and became the Ottawa Rebel. The CrosseFire moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Power. Jim Jennings became the new Commissioner.

In 2001, the Philadelphia Wings won their sixth championship. They beat the Toronto Rock 9–8. After this season, the league expanded a lot. New teams joined in Montreal, New Jersey, Calgary, and Vancouver for 2002. This brought the league to 13 teams.

In 2002, the league created divisions. The Toronto Rock won their third championship, beating the Albany Attack 13–12. After the season, the Washington Power moved to Denver and became the Colorado Mammoth. The Montreal Express stopped playing.

In 2003, the Colorado Mammoth played their first home game. They won 13–12 in double overtime. The Toronto Rock won their fourth championship, beating the Rochester Knighthawks 8–6. After this season, several teams moved or stopped playing. The league then had an East/West division format.

In 2004, the Calgary Roughnecks won their first championship. They beat the Buffalo Bandits 14–11. The league also started showing games on Fox Sports Net in the U.S.

In 2005, the NLL All-Star Game was shown live on NBC. This was the first time lacrosse was broadcast live on national U.S. network television. The Toronto Rock won their fifth championship, beating the Arizona Sting 19–13. After this, the Anaheim Storm stopped playing. The Ottawa Rebel moved to Edmonton and became the Edmonton Rush. The Portland LumberJax also joined.

In 2006, the NLL set a new record for total attendance. Over 1 million fans attended games that season. The Colorado Mammoth won their first championship, beating the Buffalo Bandits 16–9. In 2007, two new teams, the New York Titans and the Chicago Shamrox, joined. The Rochester Knighthawks won the championship that year.

In 2008, John Tavares broke Gary Gait's record for most goals. The Buffalo Bandits won the championship, beating the Portland LumberJax 14–13. In 2009, the Boston Blazers rejoined, but the Arizona Sting and Chicago Shamrox stopped playing. George Daniel became the new Commissioner. The Calgary Roughnecks won their second championship.

In 2010, the Washington Stealth won the championship in their first season in their new home. They beat the Toronto Rock 15–11. The Orlando Titans stopped playing after this season. In 2011, the Toronto Rock won their sixth championship, tying the Philadelphia Wings' record. The Boston Blazers stopped playing after this season.

The Rochester Knighthawks won three championships in a row from 2012 to 2014. They beat the Edmonton Rush in 2012, the Washington Stealth in 2013, and the Calgary Roughnecks in 2014. After the 2013 season, the Stealth moved to British Columbia and became the Vancouver Stealth. After the 2014 season, the Philadelphia Wings moved to Connecticut and became the New England Black Wolves.

In 2015, the Edmonton Rush won their first championship. After the season, they moved to Saskatoon and became the Saskatchewan Rush. The Minnesota Swarm also moved to Atlanta and became the Georgia Swarm. Nick Sakiewicz became the 5th Commissioner in 2016. The Saskatchewan Rush won their second championship in 2016.

In 2017, the Georgia Swarm won their first championship. In 2018, the Saskatchewan Rush won their third title. They won the first National Lacrosse League Cup, which replaced the Champion's Cup. After this season, two new teams, the Philadelphia Wings and the San Diego Seals, joined. The league also announced two more teams for 2020: the New York Riptide and a new Rochester Knighthawks team. The original Knighthawks moved to Halifax and became the Halifax Thunderbirds.

The 2019 NLL season was delayed because players went on strike for a new agreement. The Calgary Roughnecks won their third title that year. In 2020, three new teams debuted: the Halifax Thunderbirds, the new Rochester Knighthawks, and the New York Riptide. The season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season was also canceled. In 2021, the New England Black Wolves moved to Albany and became the Albany FireWolves. The league also added the Las Vegas Desert Dogs for 2023.

The NLL returned on December 3, 2021, for the 2022 NLL season. The Colorado Mammoth won the championship, beating the Buffalo Bandits. The 2023 NLL season started on December 2, 2022. The Buffalo Bandits won the championship, beating the Colorado Mammoth. This season also saw the first outdoor NLL game, the 2023 NLL Stadium Showdown.

The 2024 NLL season ended on May 18, 2024. The Buffalo Bandits won their sixth league title. On February 21, 2024, the New York Riptide announced they would move to Ottawa and become the Ottawa Black Bears for the 2025 NLL season. The Panther City Lacrosse Club stopped playing after three seasons, bringing the league back to 14 teams. The Buffalo Bandits won their third championship in a row in the 2025 season, making it seven titles for the team.

Commissioners of the NLL

• Darrel Russell, 1987–1997
• John Livsey Jr, 1997–2000
• Jim Jennings, 2000–2009
• George Daniel, 2009–2015
• Nick Sakiewicz, 2016–2022
• Brett Frood, 2022–present

Championship History

The Champion's Cup was awarded to the NLL Champion from 1998 to 2017.

The National Lacrosse League Cup replaced the Champion's Cup in 2018. The design on the right was used through 2023.

Team Changes and Moves

Name Changes and Relocations

• New Jersey Saints (1987–1988) became New York Saints (1989–2003), then stopped playing.
• New England Blazers (1989–1991) became Boston Blazers (1992–1997), then stopped playing.
• Baltimore Thunder (1987–1999) moved to Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh CrosseFire, 2000), then to Washington (Washington Power, 2001–2002), then to Colorado (Colorado Mammoth, 2003–current).
• Ontario Raiders (1998) became Toronto Rock (1999–current).
• Syracuse Smash (1998–2000) moved to Ottawa (Ottawa Rebel, 2001–2003), stopped playing (2003–2005), then became Edmonton Rush (2005–2015), then Saskatchewan Rush (2016–current).
• Albany Attack (1999–2003) moved to San Jose (San Jose Stealth, 2004–2009), then to Washington (Washington Stealth, 2010–2013), then to Vancouver (Vancouver Stealth, 2014–2018), then Vancouver Warriors (2018–current).
• Columbus Landsharks (2001–2003) moved to Glendale (Arizona Sting, 2004–2007), then stopped playing.
• Montreal Express (2002) stopped playing, then became Minnesota Swarm (2004–2015), then Georgia Swarm (2016–current).
• New Jersey Storm (2002–2003) moved to Anaheim (Anaheim Storm, 2004–2005), then stopped playing.
• New York Titans (2007–2009) moved to Florida (Orlando Titans, 2010), then stopped playing.
• Philadelphia Wings (1987–2014) moved to Connecticut (New England Black Wolves, 2015–2021), then Albany FireWolves (2022–current).
• Rochester Knighthawks (1995–2019) moved to Halifax (Halifax Thunderbirds, 2020–current).
• New York Riptide (2018–2024) moved to Ottawa (Ottawa Black Bears, 2025–current).

Franchise Timeline by Team

NLL Unboxed Program

In November 2023, the NLL started a program called "NLL Unboxed." This program helps promote lacrosse to young people in cities that do not have NLL teams. It aims to build interest in the sport before lacrosse is played at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Each city in the program gets a team brand as a "lacrosse community."

As part of this program, the league started holding "NLL Unboxed Series" games in the 2024 season. These games are played in the cities of the lacrosse communities. The first game was hosted by Castors de Montréal in February 2024. The Toronto Rock played the New York Riptide in Laval, Quebec. This was the first NLL game in the Montreal area since 2002.

NLL Players' Association

The National Lacrosse League Players' Association (NLLPA) is the union for NLL players. It used to be called the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association (PLPA). It was started in 1991 by former players and a lawyer. The union helps players with things like pay for missed work, travel costs, and getting more money for promotions. It also helps rookies with their first contracts and makes sure there's a fair way to handle fines and suspensions. Before the union, the league paid for injured players' medical bills through insurance.

Media Coverage

In the early 2000s, CNN Sports Illustrated often showed NLL games. The NLL All-Star Games and Championship games were on NBC in 2005 and ESPN2 in 2006.

In 2007, the NLL had a "Game of the Week" on Versus. This was canceled in 2008 due to a disagreement between the players' union and team owners. Also in 2007, the NLL partnered with Sirius Satellite Radio to broadcast a "Game of the Week" and a weekly highlight show.

For the 2011 season, the NLL returned to Versus. This included the All-Star Game, weekly games, and playoff games. In 2012, the games moved to CBS Sports Network. The NLL also made an agreement with the YouTube channel The Lacrosse Network. Most games were streamed live there.

For the 2016 season, the league moved to Fox Sports' streaming platform Fox Sports Go. The NLL also started its own NLLTV service. In 2017, the NLL made a deal with Twitter to stream a weekly game and playoff games. Another deal was made with CBS Sports Digital to stream games on its SportsLive platform.

For the 2018–19 season, games were streamed only on B/R Live. For the 2021–22 season, the NLL made a new deal with ESPN Inc.. All games stream on ESPN+ in the United States. At least 10 games are shown on an ESPN television channel. In Canada, the league returned to TSN. They show a Saturday-night package focusing on Canadian teams, playoff games, and other games online on TSN+.

Video Games

Blast Lacrosse, a video game based on the NLL, was released on May 23, 2001. It was the first lacrosse video game. It included all nine teams from the NLL's 2001 season.

On March 31, 2010, the NLL announced a partnership to create NLL Lacrosse 2010 presented by Reebok Lacrosse. The game was released on April 23, 2010, for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Indie Games.

Awards

• National Lacrosse League Weekly Awards
• National Lacrosse League Monthly Awards
• MVP Award (Most Valuable Player)
• Rookie of the Year Award (Best new player)
• Les Bartley Award (Coach of the Year)
• GM of the Year Award (General Manager of the Year)
• Executive of the Year Award
• Defensive Player of the Year Award
• Transition Player of the Year Award
• Goaltender of the Year Award
• Sportsmanship Award (For fair play)
• Tom Borrelli Award (Writer of the Year)

See also

In Spanish: National Lacrosse League para niños

• Arena Lacrosse League, a Canadian semi-professional box lacrosse league
• Premier Lacrosse League, an American professional field lacrosse league
• List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
• Professional sports leagues in the United States
• List of National Lacrosse League venues