Lacrosse is a fast paced sport played by two teams using sticks and a ball to outscore their opponents, with the women’s game having an emphasis on finesse and skill over physical contact. The sport dates back to the early 12th century, originating as a game played by Native American communities, and has now become an NCAA staple with 127 Division I women’s programs and 75 Division I men’s programs.

Currently, lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation at both the youth and collegiate level. According to the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, lacrosse participation in the U.S. increased by 218% from 2001 to 2014, and by 25% from 2012 to 2018. To put that in perspective, in that same timeframe, baseball’s participation only grew by 2% and football’s participation fell by 16%. As the popularity of Lacrosse continues to rise, the opportunities created for the sport increase as well. The National Lacrosse League was created in 1986 and features fifteen teams in the U.S. and Canada which play box lacrosse, an indoor version of the sport. The Premier Lacrosse League debuted in 2019, which consists of eight men’s lacrosse teams. The league was so successful that in 2022 they partnered with ESPN and secured themselves a four-year media deal worth eight figures.

However, despite the continued growth and success of the sport, there has been a struggle to maintain a women’s league at the professional level. There have been three previous attempts to make a professional league for women: The United Women’s Lacrosse League was created in 2016 but only lasted three seasons before ending in 2018; the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League started in 2018 but was suspended and subsequently closed in 2020 due to COVID-19 and there was the Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse League, which was founded in 2020 but suspended its activities in 2024. Despite these multiple attempts at creating a Women’s professional league, nothing has been able to stick for more than a couple years. Regardless of this, the push for an organization competing at an elite level continues to grow.

In November 2024, the Premier Lacrosse League announced the creation of the Women’s Lacrosse League, or the WLL, which would be the largest investment in women’s lacrosse to date and was set to debut in 2025. The WLL is a brand new league featuring four teams playing in the Olympic sixes format, completely different from the college rules, creating a faster-paced game that keeps fans engaged and players on their toes. They compete in a championship series with the best lacrosse players in the world.

The WLL hosted their inaugural season this spring, cementing themselves as the sole professional women's lacrosse league in the United States. They aim to foster top-level competition, promote the sport’s professional development and inspire the next generation of female athletes. As of right now, the WLL consists of four teams: The Boston Guard, New York Charging, Maryland Charm and the California Palms.

The inaugural game of the league was February 11th, where the Maryland Charm faced off against the New York Charging for the first time. Before the game, each team's captain stepped out to take a ceremonial first shot. Afterwards, players faced off for the first time and the first goal in WLL history was made by Kylie Ohlmiler, who was coming back to the sport after a long recovery when she tore her ACL and MCL during the world championship semifinals against Australia in 2022. New York won the game and the tournament had officially launched into full swing. Teams played every day throughout the course of a week and history was made on February 17, 2025, for the sport, as it crowned its first-ever WLL champions, the Boston Guard with a 22-17 win over the New York Charging. Boston’s Charlotte North, a player originally from Dallas, TX, but played lacrosse in college for Boston College, is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, scored four goals that game and cemented herself as one of the most valuable players in the league if not the nation. North felt honored by the win and expressed how these games were the start of something special for younger athletes, saying, “All those young girls in the crowd now have a bigger goal in mind, whether it’s playing professionally in the WLL or at the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of sport.” North added seeing this version of the game being played at the highest level should make people excited for the future. Another major accomplishment for the inaugural season went to New York’s Emily Hawryschuk, who, despite falling short of the title, took home the Golden Stick Award, in recognition of her position as the tournament’s top scorer.

The WLL marks a new era for the sport of lacrosse. With the announcement of the game becoming an Olympic sport for the 2028 LA games, now is a crucial time for the league to earn visibility and inspire young athletes to help grow the sport. The WLL in part can help inspire the next generation of women’s lacrosse players and expand the impact of the sport around the world. The PLL is working alongside the WLL to make sure that happens. In 2020, leading up to talks of the WLL, the PLL created Unleashed, a women’s lacrosse content and training program where girls around the US could get access to world-class coaching from legendary pros of this generation, such as Charlotte North, Taylor Cummings, Lizzie Colson, Dempsey Arsenault and Alex Aust Holman. Then in 2024, the PLL hosted its first professional women’s lacrosse exhibition in the US, the Unleashed All-Star Game, after hosting international exhibitions in Japan over the last three years. The leagues are putting in the work to showcase the sport and all it has to offer. Now that the women’s league has proven itself to be successful with its first season the future of the sport looks brighter than ever.

Written by Lauran Carmona, Photography: Zayna Sayyed, Social Media: Sarah Jenkins, Styling: Colin Lu

The Creation of the WLL