In 2019, the Premier Lacrosse League burst onto the scene with a new iteration of professional lacrosse that very notably featured teams without geographical attachments traveling the country to different markets each week.
While the traveling model will continue in 2024, the league is laying the foundation to have its franchises settle down eventually.
On Tuesday, the PLL announced the home cities and new brand identities for all eight of its teams: Boston Cannons, New York Atlas, Philadelphia Waterdogs, Maryland Whipsnakes, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws (formerly Chrome Lacrosse Club), Utah Archers, and California Redwoods.
The league assigned home cities based on fan voting, broadcast viewership, historical ticketing performance, public census data, and venues.
For the first time, the PLL has split into two conferences, with the former four teams comprising the Eastern Conference and the latter four comprising the Western Conference. The PLL All-Star Game will take place at a neutral location, with the conferences competing against each other.
Starting with the 2024 season, the PLL will operate a 10-week regular season, with each of the eight teams hosting a “homestand weekend” to see them play two games in two days.
Neutral locations will host the playoffs, the championship, and the remaining two regular-season game weekends.
The league will release the full 2024 schedule in January.
The PLL plans to enhance the fan experience in home markets by creating dedicated programming, establishing fan sections in stadiums, forming in-market supporter groups, and engaging in local charitable efforts.
All teams unveiled new logos as part of the transition and one franchise rebranded. Chrome LC became the Denver Outlaws, a former Major League Lacrosse franchise to which the PLL acquired the rights with the leagues’ merger in Dec. 2020. The Boston Cannons were also an MLL club.
The United States’s geographical regions are well-represented in the eight clubs with one major exception: the Midwest does not have a representative.
