What is NLL?
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is the largest and most attended men’s professional box lacrosse league in the world. Founded in 1986, the NLL was first introduced as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and made up of just four teams including the Washington Waves, the Baltimore Thunder, the Philadelphia Wings and the New Jersey Saints. 34 years later, the National Lacrosse League is now made up of thirteen teams (eight in the United States and five in Canada) spanning east coast to west coast. The teams include the Buffalo Bandits, Colorado Mammoth, Calgary Roughnecks, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock, Vancouver Warriors, and the Halifax Thunderbirds.
Box lacrosse is played inside an ice hockey rink, with glass and rink boards surrounding the players in the “box”. The teams play on green dieter turf carpet that is spread out over the ice. Box lacrosse is played between two teams of six players (five runners and one goalie). Unlike other box lacrosse leagues, the National Lacrosse League is played throughout the winter season and into the spring.
Box lacrosse differs in many ways from field lacrosse, with the biggest difference being the physical play. Box lacrosse is more physical—high contact is considered the nature of the game. It shares many similarities with ice hockey and basketball. While being extremely fast-paced, box lacrosse remains one of the safest sports, resulting in little to no injuries.
Games are most frequently on Friday nights, Saturday nights, or Sunday afternoons. The regular season is 18 games long (9 home, 9 away) and runs from December through April. Eight teams make the playoffs with teams advancing through single elimination games until two reach the NLL Finals in June, which is a best-of-three series finale to determine the winner of the NLL Cup.
When people ask us, “What is the NLL?” and “What makes us so special?”, our answer is simple—we’re passionate. Passionate about our skills, the game and our teammates. The NLL is made up of individuals who are respectful, disciplined and encompass all aspects of what it means to be a team player.
Based in Nassau County, NY, the New York Riptide began their first season in 2019. The team plays their home games at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. If you’d like to be a part of all the action, grab a ticket today!