The newest league: Arena Lacrosse League

The Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) is a 6-team league based in Ontario that will begin its inaugural season this January. The announcement of the league was actually very recent.

The six teams are: Oshawa Outlaws, Paris River Wolves, Peterborough Timbermen, Six Nations Snipers, St. Catharines Shockwave and Toronto Monarchs. The season kicks off with a double header on January 7, 2017 at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.

The ultimate goal of the ALL is to be the NLL's minor league. ALL President, Paul St. John, was reached out to for a quote and he responded with the following:

"The Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) will provide a great opportunity for players who strive to play in the NLL the chance to develop under many coaches that have prior NLL experience and know the game well. By playing under NLL rules during the same time frame, NLL practice roster players can also play in the ALL, keeping themselves in game shape if and when the call comes from the Pro team. As the ALL develops in the next few years there is the anticipation that it may just become the minor league of the NLL."

My thoughts: This sounds like a great opportunity for local talent and members of NLL practice squads to practice and improve their game. On a side note, I have to say it might be confusing that 4 out of the 6 teams have red/ maroon as a main color. As a brand new league, differentiation between teams is pretty important to establish to create a fan base. I was surprised that the Peterborough Timbermen changed from green to red- it's a little too similar to the Nanaimo Timbermen (Vancouver Island's Sr A, Sr B and youth lacrosse organization).

For more information, view the league schedule, purchase merchandise, etc., visit the ALL website:

http://arenalacrosseleague.pointstreaksites.com/view/all/home-page-657