PLL Supporter Groups Fueling Lacrosse Interest Locally

Michael Harrison is a fan of all pro sports teams in North Carolina, so when the Charlotte Hounds debuted in Major League Lacrosse in 2012, it was natural he would latch on to them — even though he wasn’t all that familiar with lacrosse.

Since then, his appreciation and fandom for lacrosse has grown exponentially, but he still experienced a first during the 2024 Premier Lacrosse League season.

As he and other members of Red Legion, the new PLL-Recognized Supporter Group for the Carolina Chaos, had a watch party at Legion Brewing for one of the Chaos’ games, a family that was celebrating a child’s birthday party came by and dropped off goodies from the party; they were cookies shaped and decorated like the team’s logo.

It was not only a delicious moment but also one that showed Harrison what they have been doing as a group is making even a small impact in its first year.

“We’ve had a couple people walk into the brewery that we're at, and they're like, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing?’” he said. “We're like, ‘We're watching the Carolina Chaos lacrosse,’ and they were like, ‘We have a lacrosse team in this area?’ So, it’s kind of another thing of being seen again, so we're doing something, and people come, and they get to know what's going on.”

The Red Legion is one of eight PLL-Recognized Supporter Groups, all formed for the 2024 season as the league assigned teams to home cities.

The league announced the markets and teams that would represent them on November 14, 2023. The press release also stated the PLL would “make new investments in the fan experience, including dedicated programming and fan sections, in market supporter groups, and local philanthropic partnerships through its non-profit, PLL Assists.”

It was around this time fans noticed surveys on various PLL channels asking if they were interested in joining a supporter group. When a fan followed the link, there was an application with options to join a supporter group, lead a supporter group, or found a supporter group.

For Jack Horsman, who started playing lacrosse in Massachusetts in 2011 — the same year the Boston Cannons won their first MLL championship — and was already a Cannons fan, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to add some excitement into his life.

“I work as a data analyst in the telecom industry, so it's not the most exciting job in the world,” he said. “I was looking for something to broaden my horizons and get involved in something that I was more passionate about.”

On the PLL site’s page for supporter groups, it states the purpose of formerly recognizing specific groups is “direct local fans to proven and trusted organizations.” Groups must apply for formal recognition status and do so every year to maintain their status.

Groups are evaluated on their “fan approachability” — making sure there’s a name, logo, social media presence and website where other fans can easily find how to join the group — as well as how they adhere to a code of conduct and if they are active hosting events.

Perks for being in a supporter group include ticket discounts, access to supporter section tickets and support from the PLL’s Community/Supporter Group Team.

A big reason why several of the supporter group founders signed up, however, is because they wanted to be able to talk to like-minded fans about the teams they were passionate about.

“When it comes to the Cannons, I was mostly watching games by myself and didn’t have anyone to talk to,” Horsman said. “If I had anyone to watch a game with or was telling anyone about what was going on with the Cannons, it was either my dad or my girlfriend, and they’re basically just a sympathetic ear … it's different when you have people that are as invested and as excited as you are.”

That camaraderie with other fans is what’s made the experience fun for Matt Hettiger of Maryland’s Snake Pit as well. Members of the group have traveled together to watch the PLL’s Championship Series, the rivalry matchup between Johns Hopkins and Maryland, as well as to Philadelphia to watch the Whipsnakes overtime victory over the Waterdogs.

He hopes the way the group has bonded can inspire not just people in the DMV area but across the country.

“It helps build that sense of community,” he said. “They feel that support, they feel that community, and they want to be a part of it and spread it to another team or another part of the local community and can help grow it. It doesn’t have to necessarily be in Maryland. Some of our biggest followers are out in Arizona and Minneapolis, all across the country.”

Weekend watch parties at local breweries have also attracted the attention of others.

While fun, the groups still run into issues hosting these parties. In Utah, The Arrowhead member James English said it’s been a challenge to find a suitable space to reserve that both will show the games on their televisions and serve alcohol but also is family friendly for those that want to get involved with their kids. 

The timing of games is challenging, too. While “Lax After Dark” may be fun for television viewers at home and on social media, Harrison said many local breweries close at 10 p.m. and won’t be open for the end of Chaos games that start at 8:30.

Conversely, The Den member Bo Francy said when the Redwoods play a Friday evening game, like they did in week two at 6 p.m. Eastern, it’s hard for fans in California to get through end-of-the-workday traffic to get to a bar at 3 p.m. Pacific for the game’s start.

While it’s a challenge, Francy, who is a youth lacrosse coach in San Diego, said it causes the group to try and be creative in how they host unique watch parties.

“What if we can piggyback off a camp and host a watch party at a camp?” he said. “There are a few camps going on, lacrosse camps but also other camps, and say, ‘Hey, can we come in and teach lacrosse and do a watch party?’”

While the supporter groups are in their infancy and figuring out the best methods to grow, their impacts have still been felt in games. The atmosphere has been applauded by the broadcast booth, with Red Legion and The Battery especially getting a lot of praise.

Groups are pulling inspiration from soccer fanatics, particularly in Europe, who are known to sing all game. The Red Legion website has a list of chants fans can learn and sing at games, and English, who comes from England, is writing Archers chants as well.

The Arrowhead is one of a few supporter groups remaining that have yet to have their Homecoming Weekend but have been steadfast in their planning. They plan to host a tailgate as well as a live podcast between games; they also intend to interview fans throughout the day to increase engagement with others.

Maryland’s Snake Pit is also planning a tailgate, as well as a gear and equipment drive, to support local youth teams.

With the league only coming to town once a year, Hettiger said it’s important to make that one weekend so important that even casual fans want to continue that connection with the team.

“We’re asking, on game days, come out and support your team and make it yours,” he said. “It’s more of a Super Bowl-type deal.”

While there are four more homecoming weekends this season, and those supporter groups are focused on making the most of the weekend, they also can’t help but think of how they can do even more in following years.

Francy said they hope to build chapters of The Den throughout the state of California and that they have to have the 2028 Olympics — which will be held in Los Angeles and mark the return of lacrosse — on their radar.

Hettiger wants the Snake Pit to continue to get together at games throughout the DMV, from high school and college to Athletes Unlimited. Harrison would like to see Red Legion host sixes or street lacrosse events to bring kids and adults together to play.

As for Horsman, he’s envisioning a parade down Boylston Street with Cannons players on duck boats in front of millions of screaming fans.

“I went to the Celtics parade a few weeks ago after they won the NBA Finals, and that was an incredible experience,” he said. “I would love nothing more than for the Cannons to win a championship and have the city of Boston have a massive celebration like that.

“Obviously, it’ll take a little bit to get there, but just having some sort of recognition from the city and having people just casually knowing who the Cannons are and all that kind of stuff would just really be a dream come true.”