National Lacrosse League
Current season, competition or edition: 2026 NLL season | |
| File:National Lacrosse League Logo.svg | |
| Formerly | Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (1986–1988) Major Indoor Lacrosse League (1988–1997) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Inaugural season | 1987 |
| Commissioner | Brett Frood |
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Countries | Canada (7 teams) United States (7 teams) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Most recent champion(s) | Buffalo Bandits (7th title) |
| Most titles | Buffalo Bandits (7 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | TSN ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPNews, ESPNU |
| Official website | NLL.com |
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams – 7 in the United States and 7 in Canada.[1] The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] Unlike other box lacrosse leagues, which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring, from December to June. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the National Lacrosse League Cup. The NLL has averaged between 8,900 and 10,700 spectators per game each year since 2004.
Rules
The NLL plays four 15-minute quarters with 2-minute breaks between quarters and a 15-minute half-time. At the start of each quarter and after every goal, players "face-off" at the center of the field to determine who will get possession. This is done by the two players pushing the heads of their sticks together with the game ball in the middle. A scrum-like match usually happens when the players on either team try and win the ball.[3] If a game is tied after regulation, the two teams play sudden death overtime. Each team may take a 45-second timeout per half. Each team dresses 19 players: 2 goaltenders and 17 "runners".[4] NLL goals are 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) wide and 4 feet (1.22 m) tall.
The NLL uses a 30-second shot clock, which is similar to a professional or collegiate basketball shot clock. The clock starts its countdown once one team gets possession of the ball. If the offense does not shoot the ball in time, they lose possession. However, if the offense shoots on goal and then retrieves the ball, the shot clock is restarted.[3] Fighting is a 5-minute major penalty and does not result in an automatic ejection.[5]
Teams
Current teams
Beginning with the 2024 NLL season, the league eliminated its East and West Conferences that existed during the 2023 NLL season and all teams play in a single division with every team playing every other team at least once.[6]
- NLL: Alabama, Albany, Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Bay Area, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Halifax, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montreal, Nashville, Newark, Newfoundland, New Orleans, New York, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Quebec City, Renfrew, Rochester, San Diego, Saskatchewan, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Utah, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg
Trivia
An asterisk (*) denotes the franchise moved to its present location and has been in one or more previous locations in its history (see franchise timeline below or team pages for relocation history).
References
- ↑ "NLL Selects Philadelphia Region For New Headquarters" (Press release). National Lacrosse League. July 18, 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ↑ "National Lacrosse League Welcomes 13th Franchise | National Lacrosse League". www.nll.com. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Box Lacrosse 101". NLL. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ↑ "NLL 2017–18 Official Rule Book" (PDF). National Lacrosse League. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Box Lax 101". National Lacrosse League. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ↑ "NLL Adopts Unified Standings Format, Updated Playoff Structure". NLL.com. National Lacrosse League. September 26, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
