Premier Series Lacrosse quietly got off the ground last year, ran through a full series of four small tournament style weekends, and realized that what they had done had actually worked. In the world of American box lacrosse, this was a huge accomplishment for a league that wasn’t based in a single city. It has been done before, but the success rate is low. Now, this fledgling box lacrosse project has gotten its feet wet, so 2016 means it is time to go a little deeper.
Photo Credit: Chris Latimer
2016 Premier Series Lacrosse
Premier Series Lacrosse will play tourney style games in Lehigh Valley, PA this year over 4 separate weekends in November and December. The first three events will make up the regular season, and the final event will be the championship. There will also be an all-star game played in Maryland at the same time as the US Lacrosse Convention this year.
For year 2, the PSL is looking for 100 total players, to be divided up onto the four different teams. With 25 guys on each roster, the league is designed to be flexible, and players are only required to play in one of three regular season weekend tournaments, although they can play in all 3 if available. From the regular season tournament records, teams will be seeded into playoff spots, and a final weekend will determine the league champion.
Players can sign up to be considered for the draft, and if interested, can find the link for consideration, HERE. The draft takes place in October 23rd, and players can sign up for draft consideration through October 21st.
Currently, each team has six “protected” players already on their roster, retained from last year, or picked up recently. The teams will then draft their other 19 rostered players until all 100 accepted players have been placed on teams. Basically, once the league accepts your draft application, you’re IN, and will be put on a team.
The four teams all share military-themed names – Team Snipers, Team Admirals, Team Bombers, and Team Rangers – and each is modeled after a branch of the US Military. The uniforms all share a theme as well, and are differentiated by logos and contrasting primary colors.
What I really like about Premier Series Lacrosse is that it is not trying to be a “pro” league. That might sound weird, but I actually think their honesty is refreshing. The people behind it are looking to make box more available to players, and they realize it won’t pull in hundreds or thousands of fans. Larry Fila, Ted Glynn, and Ginny Capicchioni all started this thing for a reason: because they love box lacrosse, and want more Americans to play. That was it. And I can get behind that!
The US still lacks a concentrated number of box lacrosse players in many place. Local leagues exist, and provide opportunity, but a more regional approach like the PSL has the chance to be another step up from that eventually, and give American players another rung to climb on the ladder to box excellence. The European Lacrosse League provides a similar experience across the Atlantic, so it could certainly work here.
The days of Senior A and Senior B teams across the US are not here yet. When they will arrive is anyone’s guess. In the meantime (and this could be a LONG meantime), Premier Series Lacrosse provides another option, and one that could work.
They want to provide a good box lacrosse experience for players who want to play box lacrosse. They aren’t paying players, but they are making it as affordable as they possibly can. They aren’t playing in Madison Square Garden, but the facilities will be high quality. This is what a good first step looks like.
The current structure and season may both seem small, but when we look back 10 years from now, it could also look really smart. We will be following along with the PSL throughout the early winter, so keep an eye out for this league as it grows and improves. Year 2 actually happening is a huge start!
2016 PSL Schedule
Series 1: November 5th, 2016 (Lehigh Valley, PA) (3 games) – game times: 9:00am – 12:00pm / 1:00pm-4pm / 5pm-8pm
Series 2: November 19th, 2016 (LehighValley, PA) (3 games) – game times: 9:00am – 12:00pm / 1:00pm-4pm / 5pm-8pm
Series 3: December 3rd,2016 (Lehigh Valley, PA) (3 games) – game times: 9:00am – 12:00pm / 1:00pm-4pm / 5pm-8pm
Championship: December 17, 2015 (LehighValley, PA) (2 playoff games) – game times: 1:00pm-4pm / 5pm-8pm
There will be more to come Premier Series Lacrosse. Stay tuned!
