The inaugural Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) season kicks off Saturday in exciting fashion with several new rules on display, including four 15-minute quarters, a 60-second shot clock, center hash-only free position shots and a double overtime shootout.

The New England Command and the New York Fight will play in the league’s first game at 12:30 p.m. at Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland, which is followed by a special double header with MLL’s Chesapeake Bayhawks, where the Baltimore Brave and Philadelphia Fire will battle it out at 4 p.m. in the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

“It’s a great weekend to showcase teaming up with the MLL,” said WPLL commissioner Jen Adams, who spoke with US Lacrosse Magazine about the vision behind the new rules. “We’ve been excited to get it going.”

How did the desire for Olympic inclusion inspire these new rules?

"One of the unique things that we as a professional league has is the opportunity to see and have a vision beyond the game – a chance to sample and try out different rules that will play out down the road in terms of an Olympic sport and Olympic game. We’ve taken those into account as well and the integrity and the core of the game as it is. … Our design is that intention – could we standardize the rules a little bit more and offer a look where people looking to make it an Olympic sport might see the validity of it?"

Smaller field?
Goalies can score?
60 second shot clock?
Four 15 minute quarters?
See the full list of WPLL rules here! https://t.co/5qvAAAQsZK pic.twitter.com/0sN2mBovDB

— WPLL (@prowomenslax) June 1, 2018

How did the WPLL decide on 60 seconds as the time limit for the shot clock?

“We feel like these are the best athletes coming out of college. They’re playing with the 90-second possession clock. Even watching the final four this weekend, teams are scoring within 30 seconds. Very rarely do they get down to the 90 seconds, so I think with the best players, they should be able to play at that fast pace. It’s helping grow the game. … It will make it easier for a fan who has never seen the game to come and watch it played at the highest level and really get engaged and be excited about it.”

What’s the most exciting change to offensive play?

“Having the 8-meter going down to just one center hash provides clarity and simplicity. The center hash, that’s the spot. Then, obviously, two-pointers. The ability to showcase what the incredible athletes can do literally makes it for an exciting game and also will show where we are in this sport. … Teams will be able catch up on the deficit if you have some good outside-range shooters.”

Men’s lacrosse teams currently play four-quarter games. Will people continue to compare the women’s game to the men’s game?

“It’s funny people say that, but for us, when we sit in a room and discuss it, we’re female athletes who played the sport at the highest level and we never talked about going to the men’s game. We talk about what would be an exciting component to add to the rules or an exciting tweak or change – and we all played it. It’s not trying to get ourselves closer to the men’s game. It’s what would we really like to see as players and what would we love to play? We may get it wrong. We may get out there and not like it. For us, we’ve got to have the vision and the foresight to try these things out. That’s what this is. We’re going to see the world’s best lacrosse players, women’s lacrosse players, out on that field, playing some unique different rules and seeing if they work. It’s not about the men’s game. This is about the WPLL women’s professional game. I think we’re going to create a really cool buzz around the excitement of these new rules.”