National Lacrosse League

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league operating across North America, with 12 teams split evenly between the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In terms of average attendance for professional indoor sports worldwide, the NLL sits in third place, trailing only the NHL and the NBA. Unlike most box lacrosse leagues that hold their seasons during the summer, the NLL schedules its games from December through June, covering winter and spring. Since 2004, the league has drawn between 8,900 and 10,700 spectators per game annually. Each year, the top playoff teams compete for the National Lacrosse League Cup.

The NLL plays four 15-minute quarters, with two-minute breaks between quarters and a 15-minute halftime. After every goal and at the start of each quarter, players face off at center field to gain possession. During a face-off, two players press the heads of their sticks together with the ball between them, often leading to a scrum as teammates try to win the ball. If the game is tied after regulation, sudden death overtime decides the winner. Each team is allowed one 45-second timeout per half. Teams dress 19 players per game: two goaltenders and 17 runners. Goals are 4 feet 9 inches wide and 4 feet tall. A 30-second shot clock, similar to basketball, begins counting down once a team gains possession. If the offense fails to shoot before the clock expires, they lose the ball; however, if they shoot on goal and recover the ball, the shot clock resets. Fighting results in a five-minute major penalty but does not lead to an automatic ejection.

During the regular season, each team plays 18 games—nine at home and nine away. The league uses a single standings table for all teams. Games are typically held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with some weekends featuring teams playing twice. The regular season runs from December to April. Starting in 2018, the playoffs expanded to eight teams to accommodate league growth. Beginning with the 2024 season, the top eight teams in the standings qualify for the playoffs. The first round is single-elimination, while the Conference Finals and Championship rounds are best-of-three series.

Most NLL players hold full-time jobs outside of lacrosse. For example, former Buffalo Bandits player John Tavares works as a high school teacher in Mississauga, Ontario. Although six of the league’s 12 teams are based in the United States, fewer than 7% of players are American. Approximately 83% of players are Canadian, and 10% are Haudenosaunee, hailing from either Canada or the United States.

Beginning with the 2024 season, the NLL eliminated its East and West Conferences, which had been used during the 2023 season. All teams now compete in a single division, with every team playing each other at least once. An asterisk (*) indicates a franchise that has relocated to its current location from one or more previous locations.

The league traces its origins to March 13, 1986, when the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (EPBLL) was incorporated by Russ Cline and Chris Fritz. The name "Eagle League" was inspired by a meeting with Iroquois leaders, who view the eagle as a tutelary spirit. A precursor event, the USA/Canada Superseries, was an eight-game box lacrosse series played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 1985. Darrell Russell was named the league’s first commissioner. The EPBLL launched with four teams based in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and East Rutherford, New Jersey. The first games took place on January 10, 1987: the Philadelphia Wings defeated the New Jersey Saints 11–8, and the Baltimore Thunder beat the Washington Wave. The four teams played a six-game regular season, followed by a single-elimination playoff tournament. The Baltimore Thunder, coached by Bob Griebe, won the league’s first championship by defeating the Washington Wave 11–10. In its inaugural season, the EPBLL drew a total of 124,536 fans.

The same four teams returned for the 1988 season, which expanded to an eight-game schedule and a three-team playoff format, with the regular-season winner earning a bye to the title game. The New Jersey Saints became champions by defeating the Washington Wave 17–16 before 8,125 fans at the Capital Centre. It was the Wave’s second straight loss in the championship by a single goal. After the season, the Saints relocated to the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, becoming the New York Saints for the 1989 season. The league also changed its name to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL), as the spiritual connotations of the original name proved too obscure. The MILL awarded expansion teams to Detroit (the Turbos, playing at Joe Louis Arena) and Boston (the New England Blazers, playing at the Worcester Centrum) for the 1989 season.