Premier Lacrosse League

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is a professional field lacrosse league in the United States, comprising eight teams: Boston Cannons, California Redwoods, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, Maryland Whipsnakes, New York Atlas, Philadelphia Waterdogs and Utah Archers, split into Eastern and Western conferences. It was founded in 2018 by professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil and his brother Mike Rabil, and played its inaugural season in 2019 with a 14-week tour-based schedule across 12 major-market cities. Mike Rabil serves as CEO and Paul Rabil as president and chief creative officer. The league is headquartered in El Segundo, California.

The PLL is a wholly-owned entity: the league itself owns all eight franchises rather than selling them to independent owners. Teams are affiliated with home cities or states (assigned beginning with the 2024 season) but continue to compete under a touring model, playing on ten regular-season weekends, eight of which are hosted by a team as a doubleheader and two at neutral sites, followed by a six-team single-elimination playoff. The regular season runs from early May through late September, structured to avoid overlap with the NCAA lacrosse season and the National Lacrosse League regular season. The league also plays under modified rules, including a shorter 100-yard field with 70 yards between goals, a two-point arc, and a 52- or 32-second shot clock depending on how possession is gained.

Beyond the men's league, the PLL operates the Women's Lacrosse League (WLL), which debuted with a series of games in February 2025 outside Washington, D.C. and whose four teams play a four-game regular season across eight weekends alongside the PLL schedule. The organization also runs youth camps, clinics, tournaments, academies and community youth-league partnerships, plus digital fan products including fantasy, pick'em and prediction games, an app, an e-commerce shop and original video content.

Founding story

Founded in 2018 by professional lacrosse player Paul Rabil, an All-American at Johns Hopkins and a former Major League Lacrosse star, together with his brother Mike Rabil, a former Dartmouth football player and entrepreneur. Bloomberg reported in September 2018 that Rabil would launch a league competing with the more established Major League Lacrosse, offering players salaries, health care and league equity. The brothers assembled a roughly $3 million seed round in early 2018 and the league's first season began June 1, 2019.

Business model

The league owns and operates all eight of its men's teams centrally rather than franchising them to separate owners, monetizing the property at the league level. Revenue runs primarily on national media rights and sponsorship, supplemented by ticket sales from its tour-based weekend schedule, merchandise, and a youth participation business. Management has said it is evaluating selling existing or new franchises as a way to give current investors an exit and to build the league locally.

National media rights fees under an exclusive agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ (extended through 2030), sponsorship and commercial partnerships, ticketing from touring event weekends, merchandise, and youth camps, clinics and tournaments.

Traction

Eight teams with 25-player rosters compete as of the 2024 season; the 2026 regular season ran from May 8 through mid-August with playoffs in Minneapolis (Aug 29), Salt Lake City (Sept 7) and New Jersey (Sept 20, the U.S. Bank Championship). Ticketmaster tracked 38% growth in tickets purchased and attendance in July 2022. Management reported double-digit year-over-year growth across media, sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise and youth participation as of 2026. The league had signed 140 players by October 2018, including 86 All-Americans, 25 U.S. national team members and 10 Tewaaraton Award winners, adding 17 more by December 2018. Cumulative capital raised is reported at $200 million.

Latest developments

On June 30, 2026 the PLL announced a $100 million Series E financing led by Ares and Joe Tsai, described as the largest capital raise in professional lacrosse history, with ESPN making a follow-on minority equity investment. Ares' Jim Miller joined the board of directors and Glen Powell joined as a creative advisor, working with the founders to bring the first PLL and WLL teams to Texas. Proceeds are earmarked for expanded media distribution and original storytelling, sponsorship and commercial growth, deeper investment in the Women's Lacrosse League, and broader access to youth lacrosse, with the league also considering extending its season earlier into the spring. Management is evaluating sales of existing or new franchises. The league is positioning for lacrosse's return to the Olympics at LA28.