TORONTO – After more than 30 years the National Lacrosse League (NLL) the largest men’s professional indoor lacrosse league in North America is rebranding itself for the upcoming NLL season with a new league logo and a new aggressive marketing plan.
The announcement included details of several new broadcasting deals to take the game to a much broader audience.
A new logo and marketing plan was unveiled and streamed live on NLLTV.com as part of a special ceremony attended by NLL leadership and hundreds of fans at Mohegan Sun Casino.
“The announcement is part of a bold new chapter for the league as it continues investment in digital technology and strategic partnerships that will transform the traditional sports viewing experience,” reads a media release.
In the U.S., the NLL has moved into third place in arena sport attendance behind the NBA and NHL and with these bold new steps the NLL hopes to introduce itself to a brand new fan base to capture more of the potential market share.
Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, owners of the New England Black Wolves, Kevin Brown, was on hand for the announcement and a brief history of the game. He spoke being excited to be a part of this new phase in the development of the game of lacrosse, but looked back to the game’s roots and it’s the early days of the league.
Ten new league corporate partners will be on board when the new season begins later this month as well. Warrior, Sportsrocket, New Balance join Under Armour and Team 22, String King and Epic, among others looking ahead.
NLL TV and Video Hub production studios have opened in Toronto and will produce broadcast video and live game coverage, in some markets. They also have partnered with U.S. Lacrosse starting this season.
“This is an amazing time to be part of the National Lacrosse League,” said Commissioner Sakiewicz. “In the past few months I have visited numerous cities [30 to be exact] for expansion. I have met with NHL and NBA teams and Arena Operators.”
Sakiewicz has only been around the league for a little more than one year. He fell in love with the game immediately after attending his first NLL game and could see the potential right away.
For years lacrosse has stayed in the arena as a boutique sport, with a relatively small audience. However, this year’s aggressive marketing and with more TV to introduce the sport to a broader audience, Sakiewicz has reason to be excited about the future of lacrosse in general and the NLL in particular.
For NLL TV, there will be new and interesting camera angles, drones, 360 degree imaging and other technologies will enhance the viewers experience and the coverage of the games.
The league at present has nine team owners, including Curt Styres who owns the Rochester Knighthawks and the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.
As the only NLL team in Atlantic Canada, and with only 18 regular season games per team, Halifax could easily have 10K attendance per game (with proper marketing). NS Lax players needs their own NLL team to cheer for. Halifax wants a recognized sports team (e.g. CFL or NHL), but they just don’t understand the fun and excitement of watching a box lacrosse game….because box lacrosse is not advertised/marketed in Atlantic Canada. If the NLL does the necessary marketing, Halifax will be an excellent NLL host city. Look at how well Halifax hosted the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. I hope someone from the NLL is monitoring this comment.
Would love to see a team in Nova Scotia….