The Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) is coming to Metro Vancouver in a big way and that’s great news for local box players looking to push their careers to the next level.
The ALL, which is currently preparing for its fifth season in Ontario and is the official minor league of the National Lacrosse League, has announced a partnership with the Langley Events Centre that will see a four-team ALL West Division begin play in December. All games will be played out of the LEC.
“We are all very excited about the growth and potential opportunities this announcement brings to the West. Our goal has always been to create a pathway of opportunity for players trying to reach the highest level possible in the game,” stated ALL President Paul St. John. “Now that the ALL West is a reality, it’s a big day for lacrosse players that reside in Western Canada as they chase their dreams of one day playing pro in the NLL.
“With our on-going partnership with the NLL and the expansion into Canada’s West, we will now provide players who have usually put their stick away for the winter the opportunity to join a league that provides terrific competition and development, providing these players the opportunity to be exposed to NLL teams with the possibility of getting promoted in-season to the NLL. The ALL is proud that 15 percent of current NLL players have played at least one game in the ALL.”
The ALL West will have its inaugural draft Nov. 20, and players 18 years of age and older are eligible to play. Potential players can now register online through the ALL website at: arenalacrosseleague.ca.
Training camps will open the week following the draft, with the opening games of the regular season set for the weekend of Dec. 11 to 12. A minimum 12-game regular season will conclude with Championship Weekend for the West set for March 26 and 27.
The ALL plays under the same game rules as the NLL, providing high-level competition and exposure that will provide management and executives from the professional NLL ranks the opportunity to monitor individual progress through game webcasting and statistics.
Game evaluations from ALL West coaches will assist in development of players that are currently on NLL practice rosters or are ready for in-season call ups.
