New pro lacrosse league to include teams in Elmira and Binghamton. What you need to know
The fledgling Professional Box Lacrosse Association will have a significant central New York imprint, with Elmira, Binghamton and Syracuse representing three of the initial eight home markets for the league.
Seven markets for the inaugural 2022-23 season were announced Tuesday. Other teams will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina; Hampton Roads, Virginia; Trenton, New Jersey; and New England (Manchester, New Hampshire and Springfield, Massachusetts). An eighth market will be announced after lease agreements are finalized.
Play begins in December, and the season will continue through mid to late April, followed by playoffs.
Steve Donner, partner in Tadross Donner Sports and Entertainment LLC, is the league's commissioner and one of five members of a single-entity ownership group that also includes Chief Operating Officer Brian Mankameyer, Carmen Kesner, Mark Shaver and John Livsey. Tadross Donner Sports and Entertainment operates Elmira's First Arena and owns the Elmira Mammoth, a Federal Prospects Hockey League team that begins play in the fall.
Elmira will play home games at First Arena, and Binghamton's home venue will be Visions Federal Credit Union Veterans Memorial Arena. Donner expects Syracuse to play at the OnCenter.
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How NY teams fit into league's plans
As owner of the Rochester Knighthawks, Donner was part of the formation of the reconstituted National Lacrosse League in 1998. The NLL is the top indoor lacrosse league in the United States and Canada. Donner said that 14-team league's player base is primarily from Canada. He expects the PBLA to be largely American focused.
"This league is really filling a vision to grow the game of indoor lacrosse throughout the U.S.," Donner said. "We're going to give American collegiate and graduate lacrosse players a chance to be the stars of this league. Ninety-four percent of our player pool is going to be Division I, Division II and Division III American collegiate lacrosse players. We're going to be hiring American coaches, offering more opportunities for American referees to learn the game."
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Donner said the the National Lacrosse League grew its fan base in part through rivalries. Having Elmira, Binghamton and Syracuse in the league creates some natural rivalries. Beyond that, the region has a deep connection with lacrosse that includes top national programs at Cornell and Syracuse universities, along with a heavy youth and high school presence for the sport.
"The lacrosse interest in this region is as strong as anywhere in the country," Donner said. "I think we all would second-guess Elmira as a first option in a league because of the market size, but we believe due to the fact we’re running the building here and have a lot of revenue streams in the building, and just the huge, organic interest in participation lacrosse throughout the Twin Tiers area, I think we can be like a Green Bay Packers of this league."
Donner expects Elmira's lacrosse team to complement the Elmira Mammoth.
"We made a commitment to the county when we took over the building that we would diversify programming, bring in programming that would also attract fans from outside Elmira," Donner said. "This fits in perfectly. There will be seven regular-season home games, up to maybe three or four additional playoff games. Bringing in a brand new sport, a sport that’s going to get regional, national coverage. We’re going to announce pretty soon a couple TV deals to give us some television coverage. I think that brings a new demographic to the arena."
More about box lacrosse
Box lacrosse is a condensed version of the traditional sport, played within a contained surface. Donner described it as a combination of lacrosse, hockey and basketball, with a 30-second shot clock and the potential for goalies to set up scoring chances with an outlet pass in the blink of an eye.
"It is two hours and 15 minutes of complete excitement and mayhem, where the outdoor game is more of a chess match," Donner said.
He said he expects the talent level to compare to what you might see for a Triple-A minor league baseball or hockey team. Donner said he could see a partnership with the NLL down the road in which players from the PBLA are loaned to teams in the established league or make the jump to the National Lacrosse League.
"If we do this right, this will be the most exciting sporting event that has ever come to (First Arena)," Donner said. "When it’s done right and it’s played the right way, you have to be there to see it, because it’s hard to describe it. This is something new. Young people like it, old people like it, women like it, men like it. It’s a combination of an exciting sporting event and almost like a rock concert all wrapped into one. The only way they’re going to ever understand it is to come down and see for themselves."
Combine to be held in Elmira
The league is taking applications for coaches on its website. Coaches could also be hired through contacts.
A national combine is planned for late August in Elmira, with the draft to follow in early September. Donner expects rosters to include 23 to 24 players, with 19 dressed for games. Christmas week is a target date to open the season.
The league started taking nominations for team names for each community on its website Tuesday. After two weeks of nominations, fans can vote for a winner from four finalists starting Aug. 2. Whoever submits the winning name first will receive a pair of season tickets.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: New box lacrosse pro league includes Binghamton, Elmira, Syracuse
