The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) operates with an interesting format. Instead of teams splitting their weekends to play either a home or away game, the league picks a different host for all the teams. So there was only one weekend where the California Redwoods men’s lacrosse team hosted 2 home games at Torero Stadium. Plus there were other teams that played other away games making for a 2 day event with 4 PLL games and one women’s (WLL) event. It was nice to be able to attend a double header with both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. However the format seems optimized for operational cost catering to TV rather than developing a home team’s support.

Two men's lacrosse teams in green and white battle in front of the goal.

The PLL is relatively new, starting in 2019. It seems like lacrosse is growing quickly so I imagine there’s a good future for the sport. I did think it was strange that some of the teams were tied to cities while others were tied to states. I imagine if the sport takes hold, California might be split up into multiple teams. But it was nice to be able to see them play in San Diego.

The game vs the Boston Cannons was kinda embarrassing for the Redwoods. Based on their records, I expected the Redwoods to dominate. However they trailed for most of the game and even with a slight comeback were soundly defeated in the end 15-12. The game play was fast paced and looked excellent. There were plenty of flashy plays with behind the back shots and sprints at the goal. In fact, lacrosse can happen so fast it’s easy to miss the action.

Torero seems like a good venue for the event. There was a modest size screen for replays. The league worked hard to pump up the fans with fun video clips and t-shirt tosses. They had a handful of food truck options for meals or treats. Two negatives were the “no water bottle” policy and the netting at the end of the field. I would recommend finding a seat along the long end of the field as the netting to catch missed shots definitely obstructed our view. Plus there was a VIP dining area between our seats and the field, making the game even further away. Thankfully there was space for us to move over to a better view.

View of a field obscured by a tall net fence with a food area taking up space at field level
Unfortunately this was the view from our original seats

If you enjoy lacrosse, I’d recommend writing down the date of the next PLL game in your area. It was a fun event and a chance to see a unique level of play.