Three years out from the Olympics, Women's Lacrosse League offers a peek into unique sixes format
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'Women's lacrosse is in a really cool spot right now,' North told the Globe last month. 'There's more opportunity to play than there ever was, and especially post-college, professionally, and internationally. We're motivated by being able to be in a position to do that and to do it to the best of our ability.'
The teams will play the sport's 6-on-6 variant, which debuted in 2021 to help get lacrosse into the Olympics. Traditional field lacrosse is either 10-on-10 or 12-on-12.
'It's new. It's different,' North said. 'It's what's going to be in the Olympics, obviously, so it's important that we're studying it and understanding what the discipline is like.'
The 6-on-6 format uses a shorter field than traditional field lacrosse, and North said the gameplay is similar to hockey or basketball, which makes it easier for casual fans to follow. Unlike in field lacrosse, there are no designations between offensive and defensive players, so many athletes used to specialized roles will have to broaden their understanding of the game.
'A lot of schemes come from basketball, whether it's defensive or offensive, and you're kind of playing both sides of the ball,' North said. 'It's kind of a mix of everything, honestly. And that's what I think is really cool about it. It's exciting. It's easy for the common fan to understand, because there's not a lot of rules. And if you understand basketball or hockey, it's easy to understand.'
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The Guard will open the tournament against the Palms at 9 p.m. Wednesday, and the Charm at 9 p.m. Thursday. Boston's schedule will conclude against the Charging at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
The women's tournament happens alongside the men's 6-on-6 PLL Championship Series, which the Boston Cannons won last year in an overtime thriller against Philadelphia. The Cannons open just before the Guard, taking on the Utah Archers at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN+.
The WLL fills a women's professional lacrosse void in North America after Athletes Unlimited, which played a 10-on-10 season the last four summers, folded in December. It would have overlapped with the demanding international schedule that the top US players will take part in leading up to the 2028 Games.
'I'm not sure where it's going to go from here, but hopefully we continue to grow it and expand,' North said. 'It'll be a really cool start to something that is hopefully here for a long time.'
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