The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is starting a new women’s professional lacrosse league, the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), which is set to begin competition in the United States in February—only three years before the sport of lacrosse returns to the Olympics for the first time in eight decades.
The launch, which took place this past November 13th, is a “groundbreaking step forward for the sport” according to Paul Rabil, who is the co-founder and president of the PLL. He states that it is “giving elite women athletes a premier stage to compete, inspire, and make their mark as we move toward lacrosse’s reemergence at the Olympics in 2028.”
Men’s lacrosse was last played at the 1948 Summer Games as a demonstration sport only. The women’s game, however, will be taking stage at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California for the first time in Olympic history, along side the men’s team. The launch of the WLL, in addition to the history that will be made in 2028, is a testament towards the evolution of not only women’s lacrosse, but women’s sports as a whole.
The WLL will make its debut at the PLL’s 2025 Championship Series in February in Washington, D.C., using the same format of the sport that is set to be played at the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games. Rabil states, “we can’t wait to welcome fans to the first WLL games at the 2025 Championship Series, where we’ll provide these exceptional athletes with a world-class experience alongside the best in the PLL.”
The WLL will feature four teams, playing in the Olympic Sixes format, which will be captained by four of the biggest names in women’s lacrosse: Charlotte North, Ally Mastroianni, Alex Aust-Holman, and Izzy Scane. Each team will be competing for the inaugural WLL Championship Series trophy. For many, however, this competition is a whole lot bigger than the trophy that is on the line.
Charlotte North, who recently led the United States to the title at the first-ever World Lacrosse Women’s Box Championship, states that she, and the other members of the WLL, are “filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Paul Rabil, Mike Rabil, Rachael DeCecco, and the entire PLL organization for their endless hard work, dedication, and investment in the sport of professional lacrosse.” She states that they are “honored to be a part of the WLL” and “couldn’t be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before.” North adds that they “firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women’s lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe.”
Official rosters for each of the four teams have not yet been announced. There will be an official draft taking place, in which the best players in the world will be assigned to one of the four teams and begin the process towards winning the inaugural trophy.
According to the PLL, “the WLL is the PLL’s largest investment in women’s lacrosse to date”—an investment that WLL members look to take full advantage of. Charlotte North states that they “are determined to work tirelessly to grow the game and inspire the next generation of young girls, while ultimately competing for championships each season. It’s our time.”