Premier Lacrosse League Lands Kraft Investment

The Premier Lacrosse League continues to attract new fans and investors. 

Ahead of its third season, which begins on Friday, the PLL announced that it has closed an additional round of funding that includes new investments from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Brooklyn Nets owner and Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai, an early investor in the league.  

“Bringing in folks like the Kraft family into our business can provide help where we have blind spots and provide us value in the long run,” PLL co-founder and CEO Michael Rabil told Front Office Sports.  

Led by Arctos Sports Partners, the round follows the league’s merger with Major League Lacrosse in December. The merger allowed the PLL to retain rights to former MLL teams for future expansion considerations. 

That will come into play when the MLL’s former Cannons franchise joins the PLL’s seven other clubs in an 11-week traveling schedule that ends with a championship game on Sept. 19 at Audi Field in Washington D.C. 

Viewers have more opportunities than ever to watch PLL as the league expands its footprint. 

• In May, the league announced an exclusive streaming partnership with Peacock as part of the league’s three-year media rights deal with NBCUniversal.
• The league has also revealed plans for the Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame, which will induct its inaugural class during championship weekend.

“Having investors that actually roll their sleeves up to take organizations to where they are now is a reason why we are excited to bring them onto our ownership group,” PLL co-founder and Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil told FOS.