Philadelphia (September 6, 2024) – The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced the first group of elementary and middle schools that opted in to participate in the inaugural NLL UnBOXed™ grassroots initiative first introduced last November. The League’s new continent-wide campaign is designed to bring the NLL’s fast-paced style of lacrosse to more young boys and girls in more communities outside of the current franchise footprint.
This new activation tier, called “NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities,” includes market-specific brand names and logos to illustrate the NLL’s unique commitment to growing lacrosse’s youth participation and the League’s fandom across all segments. The nine NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities announced thus far include the Baltimore Ghost Crabs™, Charlotte Cobras™, Dallas OilCats™, Minnesota Lake Dragons™, Montréal Castors™, Seattle Shipwrecks™, St. Louis Howlers™, Tampa Bay Snowbirds™ presented by Tampa General Hospital, and Utah Spikes™.
Each opt-in school selected which semester during the 2024-25 academic school year it wanted to first adopt the NLL UnBOXed lacrosse-focused physical education curriculum and accept the equipment endowment provided by the NLL and its NLL UnBOXed partners.
As the first Foundational Partner of NLL UnBOXed, Powell Lacrosse is providing age-appropriate premium lacrosse equipment to all participating NLL UnBOXed schools, including high-quality lacrosse sticks, folding lacrosse goals, foam balls, field perimeter cones, and carry bags for transport and storage.
“We are excited about the transformational potential of our NLL UnBOXed initiative,” said NLL Commissioner Brett Frood. “From a holistic stewardship level, it is important that we continue to be a leader in the sport’s continued growth and development. From a more micro and strategic lens, it is absolutely vital that the NLL is organically entrenching ourselves in communities across North America, creating more accessibility and authentic and impactful interactions with our product.”
The initial class of opt-in schools participating in NLL UnBOXed include:
- Baltimore: Centerville Elementary (Frederick, MD)
- Charlotte: Crowders Creek Elementary (Clover, SC), Lake Norman Charter (Huntersville, NC),
- Pleasant Knoll Middle (Fort Mill, SC), and Union Elementary (Vale, NC)
- Dallas: International Leadership of Texas K-8 (Arlington)
- Minnesota: Red Oak Elementary (Shakopee, MN) and Rosemount Middle (Rosemount, MN)
- Montréal: George-Étienne-Cartier (Longueuil, QC), Grand-Rocher (Saint-Hippolyte, QC), and
- Saint-Jude Elementary (Greenfield Park, QC)
- Seattle: Gardner School of the Arts (Vancouver, WA) and Grant Elementary (Tacoma, WA)
- St. Louis: Carman Trails Elementary (Ballwin, MO), Fox Elementary (Arnold, MO), and LaSalleSprings Middle (Wildwood, MO)
- Tampa Bay: Academy Prep Center of Tampa, Corbett Prep (Tampa, FL), Fitzgerald Middle (Largo,FL), Stowers Elementary (Lithia, FL), Veterans Elementary (Wesley Chapel, FL), and WalkerMiddle Magnet (Odessa, FL)
- Utah: Diamond Fork Junior High (Spanish Fork, UT) and Windridge Elementary (Kaysville, UT)
The NLL is accepting applications from school administrators, faculty, and parents in these communities for Spring Semester 2025. Please visit the NLL UnBOXed website and complete the application to be considered.
The second wave of NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities will be unveiled in October as the NLL continues to expand its multi-national footprint to include approximately 60 North American communities by the time NLL-style sixes lacrosse returns to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
About the National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is North America’s largest professional lacrosse league and welcomed more than 1 million fans for the second year in a row during the 2023-24 season. Founded in 1986, the NLL is comprised of 14 franchises across the United States and Canada, and recently unveiled its largest brand campaign ever, “Welcome to The Next Major League™” and introduced its comprehensive grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed™, that will expand the League’s footprint to more than 60 communities across North America by 2028.
For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
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For all media inquiries, please contact:
Kurt Hunzeker, NLL Executive Vice President, [email protected]
