Lacrosse Leagues and Associations: From Youth Clubs to the PLL, NLL and LA28

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Memorial Day weekend is lacrosse’s own holiday. Families in team colors fill a college stadium for the NCAA men’s championship, the women’s final has just been played, and every kid in the stands is wearing a club team’s tournament shirt from the weekend before. Behind all of it is a web of organizations: a world federation, a national governing body, pro leagues indoors and out, college associations, state high school associations and hundreds of clubs. This guide explains the lacrosse leagues and associations, who runs what, and how a player moves from youth lacrosse to college, the pros or the LA28 Olympics. Facts are as of the 2026 season.

For how the game works, see our lacrosse hub; for the different rulebooks, our lacrosse rules page.

Who runs lacrosse

Organization	What it does
World Lacrosse	International federation for field, box and sixes; 97 member nations in four continental federations; runs world championships and the Olympic qualifying pathway
USA Lacrosse	National governing body in the US: youth rules, coach and official training, national teams, member programs
NFHS and state associations	High school rules (with USA Lacrosse) and state championships
NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA	College varsity lacrosse; club teams play in the MCLA, WCLA and NCLL
PLL and WLL	Professional field lacrosse for men (PLL) and women (WLL)
NLL	Professional indoor (box) lacrosse in the US and Canada

World Lacrosse and the Olympics

World Lacrosse governs the sport internationally through four continental federations: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Pan-American Lacrosse Association, which includes USA Lacrosse. It welcomed its 96th and 97th members, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania, in 2026. Its world championships cover field, box and sixes; in 2026 the US women won the field world championship in Tokyo.

LA28. The International Olympic Committee added lacrosse to the Los Angeles 2028 Games in October 2023, its first time as a medal sport since 1908 and the first Olympics for women’s lacrosse. Six men’s and six women’s teams will play sixes at Exposition Park Stadium from July 24 to 29, 2028: five days of round-robin games, then gold and bronze medal games on July 29. About 100 national teams are expected to enter qualifying, which runs in three stages:

1. Continental championships (September–December 2026) send 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams on.
2. World Lacrosse Sixes Championships (October/November 2027) award four Olympic places per gender, plus the US as host if it has taken part in the qualifying events.
3. A final qualifying tournament (March/April 2028) decides the last place for each gender.

USA Lacrosse

USA Lacrosse was founded in 1998 as US Lacrosse, when eight national lacrosse organizations merged, and took its current name in 2021. It’s certified by the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the sport’s national governing body and serves almost 420,000 members. For families, three things matter most:

• Youth rules and safety: it writes the rules for 14U and under, the equipment rules with NOCSAE and ASTM standards, and safety guidelines on concussion, commotio cordis, lightning and emergency action plans.
• Member programs: coaches in member programs pass a background check and training before they lead a practice, and player membership includes accident insurance. Its “Where to Play” search lists member programs by state and city.
• National teams: men’s and women’s field, U20, sixes and box teams, plus the National Team Development Program for promising middle and high school players.

Professional lacrosse

Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)

Founded in 2018 by Paul and Mike Rabil, the PLL started play in 2019 and merged with Major League Lacrosse in 2021, bringing men’s outdoor pro lacrosse under one roof. Its eight teams now carry home cities: the Boston Cannons, California Redwoods, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, Maryland Whipsnakes, New York Atlas, Philadelphia Waterdogs and Utah Archers. In 2026 each played 12 regular-season games from May 8 to August 16, and the Waterdogs beat Denver 14–4 in the September final. The league still tours, with teams hosting weekends around the country. It also runs a winter Championship Series in sixes.

Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL)

Owned and run by the PLL, the WLL began in 2025 with sixes and added full-field lacrosse in 2026, when it moved to a full summer season with playoffs. Its four teams are the Boston Guard, California Palms, Maryland Charm and New York Charging, built around stars such as Charlotte North and Izzy Scane.

National Lacrosse League (NLL)

The NLL, founded in 1986, is the box lacrosse league, played in hockey arenas. It says it ranks third in average attendance among pro indoor leagues worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. Its 14 teams in 2025-26 were the Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Halifax Thunderbirds, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Oshawa FireWolves, Ottawa Black Bears, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Warriors. Each plays 18 regular-season games from late November into May, and the top eight teams make the playoffs.

College lacrosse

USA Lacrosse counts more than 900 NCAA varsity programs across Divisions I, II and III, up from about 600 a decade ago. The Division I finals are played on Memorial Day weekend; in 2026, Princeton won the Division I men’s title, its first since 2001, and Northwestern won the Division I women’s title. Divisions I and II can offer athletic scholarships; Division III can’t.

• NAIA: men’s and women’s national championships with eight teams each, held in Decatur, Alabama, from 2026 through 2028.
• NJCAA: the junior college men’s championship and women’s invitational are played at Harford Community College in Maryland through 2028.
• Club: hundreds of college club teams play in the MCLA (men), WCLA (women) and NCLL, often a great fit for players who choose a school for academics or cost.

Recruiting timing. In NCAA Division I lacrosse, coaches can’t call, text or make verbal scholarship offers, and recruits can’t take official or unofficial visits, until September 1 of the athlete’s junior year of high school. Before that, players can still email coaches and attend camps. Our youth lacrosse guide covers recruiting in more detail.

High school lacrosse

High school lacrosse is run by each state’s association under NFHS rules. In the 2024-25 NFHS survey, 113,696 boys at 3,346 schools and 99,292 girls at 3,324 schools played. Lacrosse is a sanctioned state championship sport for boys and girls in 25 states; Utah (2021), Wisconsin (2024), Kentucky and Tennessee (2025) are recent additions and Nevada joins in 2027. In other states, high school teams often play as clubs.

Club and travel lacrosse

Summer and fall belong to club teams: tryouts, tournaments and college showcases. Clubs and tournaments set their own age divisions. USA Lacrosse recommends grouping players by birth date in 12-month groups, while many leading clubs use 15-month groups tied to graduation year, and players 18 and under must complete USA Lacrosse’s one-time age verification to keep their membership active. Before you commit to a club, ask:

• Is it a USA Lacrosse member program, with background-checked, trained coaches and insurance?
• How many tournaments and games per weekend, and how much travel?
• Will an athletic trainer or medical staff be at tournaments? In one study of boys’ summer club tournaments, nearly a fifth of recorded injuries were concussions, and club players may not have medical coverage.
• Does it leave room for other sports and rest? USA Lacrosse encourages playing other sports instead of specializing early.

Whatever the level, players improve fastest with a stick in their hands every day. A dozen NOCSAE-certified balls like the CRANKSHOOTER game balls (about $34, NCAA, NFHS and SEI certified) and a rebounder such as the EZGoal 8 × 6 ft folding rebounder (about $250) turn any backyard into a training ground. For a long tournament day, bring a big bottle like the Nalgene 32 oz; our lacrosse gear guide covers the protective equipment.

More in our lacrosse section: lacrosse injuries, training and the best wearables for lacrosse. Comparing sports? See soccer leagues and associations.

Lacrosse leagues questions

How many teams are in the PLL?

Eight, as of the 2026 season: Boston, California, Carolina, Denver, Maryland, New York, Philadelphia and Utah. The PLL also runs the four-team Women’s Lacrosse League.

What is the difference between the PLL and the NLL?

The PLL plays field lacrosse outdoors in the summer. The NLL plays box lacrosse indoors, in hockey arenas, from late fall into spring, with five runners and a goalie per side and a 30-second shot clock.

How do teams qualify for lacrosse at the 2028 Olympics?

Through continental championships in 2026, the World Lacrosse Sixes Championships in 2027 and a final qualifier in 2028. Six men’s and six women’s teams will play, including the US as host if it takes part in qualifying.

How many colleges have lacrosse teams?

More than 900 NCAA varsity programs across three divisions, according to USA Lacrosse, plus NAIA and junior college teams and hundreds of club teams in the MCLA, WCLA and NCLL.

When can college lacrosse coaches contact my child?

For NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse, September 1 of the junior year of high school, which is also when visits and verbal offers can start. Division II, Division III and NAIA calendars are generally more open.