Since it’s opening in 2009, Red Bull Arena has been arguably the finest soccer-specific facility in North America. The home of the New York Red Bulls has also hosted many international soccer matches but the goal is to try and bring other events to Harrison, New Jersey and to welcome new guests to the venue that may never have experienced it before.
Enter the brand new Premier Lacrosse League that will debut this June and will call Red Bull Arena home for two weekends during the PLL’s inaugural season.
“Red Bull Arena is extremely proud to play host to the Premier Lacrosse League this summer,” said New York Red Bulls General Manager Marc de Grandpre. “As our venue continues to diversify in its sports and entertainment offerings, we believe our fans will throughly enjoy the excitement of professional lacrosse.”
After announcing that Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts will host the six team touring league’s opening weekend on June 1st and 2nd, the Premier Lacrosse League announced on Friday that they will be at Red Bull Arena for three games the weekend of June 8th and 9th as well as for a pair of playoff games on September 14th.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Premier Lacrosse League to Red Bull Arena this summer for a regular season and playoff weekend,” said Paul Rabil, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for the PLL.
The Red Bulls recently announced enhancements to Red Bull Arena that will be ready for the 2019 Major League Soccer season and that will also be on display for lacrosse fans who visit the fabulous venue this summer. There will be brand new LED video boards in the north and south ends that measure 24 feet high by 55 feet wide and will support higher-quality live video and instant replay.
Rabil, who is considered by many to be the face of the sport of lacrosse, will also be among the 160 best players in the world that will compete in the PLL while earning full-time salaries, receiving health benefits and get equity stakes in the league. The new league has a national television contract with NBC with three games airing on the over the air network, 16 games on NBC Sports Network, and the remainder of the games over the 14 week season accessible through NBCSports.com and the NBC Gold app.
Rabil played eleven seasons in Major League Lacrosse including the last four years with the New York Lizards who play at Hofstra University on Long Island. He helped the Lizards win the 2015 MLL title and enjoyed his time in the area so it was a no-brainer to bring not one but two weekends of his new long to the New York/New Jersey area.
“Sports in New York and New Jersey have a long and distinguished history with passionate fans and powerful lacrosse history,” said Rabil who played college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins. Red Bull Arena is a state-of-the-art venue that will unlock the player and fan experience to be at its best.”
In addition to the championship he won in New York, Rabil also won an MLL title with the Boston Cannons in 2011 and was a two time MLL Most Valuable Player, a ten time All-Star, and three time offensive player of the year. He co-founded the PLL with his brother Mike and they have attracted an impressive list of investors including The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the Chernin Group and Blum Capital.
Stay tuned to www.premierlacrosseleague.com for information on tickets to the PLL games this summer at Red Bull Arena.
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