Today, the Premier Lacrosse League announced it will return to its tour-based model for its third season, and first following its unification with Major League Lacrosse. The season will feature 43 total games over 11 weekends spanning from June 4 through the PLL Championship on September 19th.
Th announcement came accompanied by a video narrated by Lyle Thompson, who fans have been clamoring to see join the PLL and who will likely end up as the top pick in the upcoming entry draft.
“Our team is monitoring the evolution of COVID-19 and ongoing access to vaccinations, and we remain steadfast in working closely with our medical committee to deliver a safe path forward to our 2021 season,” says PLL’s CEO and Co-Founder Mike Rabil. “The ability to travel and perform in markets across North America is core to the foundation of the PLL, which emphasizes growth of lacrosse through access to the world’s best players.”
The news comes off the heels of the newly unveiled Cannons LC logo as they prepare for their 21st season and first in the PLL. The announcement of the 2021 season includes confirmation of an all-star game and a three-weekend playoff structure: quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship—though it wasn’t specified if the playoffs will return to a similar format as the 2019 season in regards to determining the 2022 draft pick order. Details regarding specific dates and cities for 2021 PLL weekends are still forthcoming.
Coming off of a fan-less bubble in August of 2020, the league is working to determine a best course of action for ticketing, keeping player and fan safety top of mind.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Paul Rabil ensured that the league would not “jump the line” for the vaccine. Rabil also added that the PLL’s expected schedule also allows for the league to reschedule weekends if needed and adapt to various COVID-19-related complications.
An interesting thing to note is how the PLL’s June 4 start date could effect players who play pro field and box lacrosse, considering the NLL announced an April 9 start date to its 2021 season. If the NLL decides to go with a normal week-by-week format for its season, there could be some overlap with the PLL. Another scenario could see the NLL choose to play an abbreviated schedule in neutral, quarantined site, which sources tell Lacrosse Playground, is not off the table.
What do you think of the PLL’s season 3 announcement? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
