The Premier Lacrosse League and Whirlpool Brand proudly welcome home the Utah Archers
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah | November 14, 2023 — The Premier Lacrosse League presented by Ticketmaster today announced the Archers Lacrosse Club will now call Utah home – becoming the Utah Archers – as part of the league’s shift to tie its eight lacrosse clubs to home locations. The Archers are the reigning PLL Cash App Champions, winning the 2023 title in a thrilling 15-14 win over the now Philadelphia Waterdogs.
“We’re thrilled to bring the reigning champion Archers Lacrosse Club to Utah sports fans across the state and region,” said Mike Rabil, co-founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “Utah holds a special place in our league’s heart and history, as it was home to our 2020 ‘bubble season,’ and among the first pro sports competitions to be held safely during the pandemic. Great partners in Jeff Robbins at the Utah Sports Commission, and John Kimball, Ryan Smith and the entire RSL organization, and David Neeleman have been gracious hosts, and Utah lacrosse fans have continued to show up for PLL weekends over the last three seasons. We can’t wait to see fans across the region rally around the Archers ahead of our return next season.”
“Utah’s sports landscape has evolved significantly over the last 20 years and it’s exciting to see an addition of another professional sports team to our state” said Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox. “The State of Utah extends a warm welcome to Utah Archers and the Premier Lacrosse League!”
“Lacrosse is growing rapidly not only in Utah but also nationally and is well positioned for future growth globally with the recent announcement of its inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles. The Premier Lacrosse League has been a key part of the sport’s rapid expansion,” said Jeff Robbins, President & CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. “Having the Utah Archers call our state their home will bring some of the greatest players in the world to the State of Sport.”
The PLL will also adopt a two-conference structure in the 2024 season. The Archers will be a Western Conference team, joined by the Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, and California Redwoods. The New York Atlas, Boston Cannons, Philadelphia Waterdogs, and Maryland Whipsnakes will make up the Eastern Conference, with a conference-based matchup set for the 2024 PLL All-Star Game.
In its first five seasons, the PLL operated a touring model, where teams did not have geographic affiliation, and all eight teams played in one market each game weekend. The league will continue to operate a 14-week, tour-based season, with eight of the league’s 10 regular season game weekends to be held in teams’ home markets, including Utah. When the PLL returns to Utah in 2024, the Archers, as host and home team, will play two games over the course of a weekend.
“This move will continue to put Utah at the top tier of lacrosse nationally,” said David Neeleman, founder and chief executive officer of Breeze Airways. “As a long time supporter of University of Utah lacrosse, I am thrilled that Utah has been selected as the home of the PLL Champion Utah Archers. I would like to thank all those who have made this happen — it is great for Utah to have another professional team.”
The PLL will also make new investments in the growth of youth lacrosse in Utah by establishing community driven, Archers-branded programming focused on grassroots participation, access to the sport, and relationship building between the Archers, and Utah’s next generation of lacrosse players.
The Archers will first represent Utah when they compete in the 2024 PLL Championship Series, February 14-19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The PLL Championship Series features the league’s top four teams from the 2023 season, in six-on-six, Olympic style lacrosse – the game format set to return lacrosse to the Olympic stage at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The move marks the league’s biggest investment in its business and the sport since its inception in 2018. After evaluating existing fan data, market performance, broadcast viewership, and fan voting, the PLL assigned teams to the following cities and regions:
- Utah Archers
- Boston Cannons
- New York Atlas
- Philadelphia Waterdogs
- Maryland Whipsnakes
- Carolina Chaos
- Denver Outlaws (formerly Chrome Lacrosse Club)
- California Redwoods
The 2024 PLL schedule will be released in January. To learn more about the Premier Lacrosse League, the Utah Archers, and the 2024 PLL Championship Series, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com.
###
About Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos Sports Partners, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).
About Utah Sports Commission
The Utah Sports Commission was created to be a catalyst for Utah in its Olympic legacy efforts and to help enhance Utah’s economy, image, and quality of life through the attraction, promotion, and development of national and international sports. Since the 2002 Olympics and Paralympics, the Utah Sports Commission has attracted over 1000 major events to the state. The Sports Commission works closely with communities, sports entities, and organizations to provide event services ranging from the bid process, on-site logistics, volunteer coordination, sponsorships and promotional opportunities, and other related services. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) business league and Utah Sports Commission Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of statewide sports, business, community, and government leaders. For more information, visit www.utahsportscommission.com and follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.