Philadelphia, April 24, 2019 – The National Lacrosse League (NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, has announced a multi-year partnership with USBOXLA to continue growth on all game related matters at the grassroots level. The partnership will focus on the development of players, coaches, and officials as well as joint marketing and sponsorship ventures between the organizations.
“This grassroots partnership is very exciting for a variety of reasons,” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “First, it brings together two leaders in the sport of lacrosse to execute initiatives aimed at player and referee development for future collegiate and NLL opportunities. Second, this enables us to combine the commercial assets from each of our organizations, fostering growth in the reach of our collective commercial businesses and leading to wider investment opportunities designed to grow and expand the sport.”
The league has a strong focus on growing relevance within the US and this partnership will help to further advance that initiative. USBOXLA will also aid in development with box play throughout the college landscape.
This summer, the National Collegiate Box Series will enter its third year with two leagues, the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) and the Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL). The NCBS will also unveil an expansion plan with developmental leagues and the NCBS College Classic Tournament to help kick start growth around the country. It will allow more American players to hone their skills before attempting to make the jump to the National Lacrosse League.
“For the most part, players in the USA play lacrosse for an opportunity to go to a great college,” said Matt Brown, USBOXLA co-founder, who also coaches at the University of Denver. “That’s been the end game, but there’s so much momentum in the NLL right now. Nick is doing an incredible job as Commissioner by bringing in strong ownership groups. The NLL is on a great path with even more expansion in the coming years and there are more and more elite NCAA players looking to continue their development and play with the best in the NLL.”
With over 24,000 USBOXLA members and events from coast to coast, there are more opportunities than ever before for Americans to play box. As the NLL continues to expand its footprint with both expansion and relevance, the youth market will remain a key focus. Over the last few years, box lacrosse has grown in the United States at an extremely fast rate and the development of American players, coaches and referees will allow the game to reach new heights.
The agreement will also shift the landscape for lacrosse officials by providing referees a direct path to the NLL. With 45 USBOXLA-sanctioned events scheduled this year and two leagues in the National Collegiate Box Series, there are numerous opportunities for prospective officials to gain valuable game knowledge and experience.
“The groundbreaking deal strengthens all of USBOXLA’s four pillars, which are referee, coach, player and game development,” said USBOXLA President Shaydon Santos. “It demonstrates our organizations’ commitment to providing a continuous avenue of development for not only players but coaches and referees as well.”
In 2017, USBOXLA refs began working the Jr. NLL Tournament and attending NLL’s referee training camp. This past season, Justin Kitashima became the first-ever USBOXLA-trained referee to work in a National Lacrosse League game. Now, with the two-year deal in place, Kitashima will become the norm instead of the exception.
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About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s premier professional lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 13 franchises across the United States and Canada: Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, New England Black Wolves, New York Riptide, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, and Vancouver Warriors. For more information, visit NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA)
The US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) is the country’s largest and most recognized box-specific governing body operating today. USBOXLA is a 501(c)3 charitable corporation whose mission is to develop and promote box lacrosse in the United States through a unified organization that provides high-value services, programs, and benefits to its members. Founded in 2010 by current University of Denver Associate Head Coach, Matt Brown, and former National Lacrosse League player, Shaydon Santos, USBOXLA has grown from a small regional association to one that presently serves more than 24,000 individual members all over the US, all playing box lacrosse the right way.
