Major League Lacrosse to Make Texas Debut
Boston, Mass. (April 15, 2008) – Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced that the defending MLL Champion Philadelphia Barrage will face the Long Island Lizards in a regular season game to be held at Texas Stadium in Dallas on Sunday, May 25th at 7:00 PM. The match-up, which takes place during the second week of the MLL season, is the first time that a Major League Lacrosse game has been played in the state of Texas.
"Major League Lacrosse is thrilled to be bringing professional lacrosse to Dallas. I wish to thank all of the individuals who have made this a reality, in particular Stephen and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, for all of the efforts that have been put forth in securing this great venue," said Commissioner Gross. "Youth lacrosse has been growing by leaps and bounds in Texas and we've kept our eye on the area as we considered future expansion. We would love to someday place a franchise in Dallas."
"Texas Stadium has a long history and tradition of hosting some of the top events in the world of sports beyond the realm of football and we are delighted to be able to host the best in Professional Lacrosse," added Stephen Jones, COO and Executive Vice President of the Dallas Cowboys. "What better place to host the MLL Champions Barrage, than Texas Stadium. In recent years I have become a big fan of lacrosse and our region stands as one of the fastest growing places for the sport in the country. I believe football fans and lacrosse fans alike will be thrilled to watch the exciting MLL action live."
The Philadelphia Barrage will play their entire 2008 regular season as a travel team and will play in five non-MLL cities over the course of the summer. The Barrage will open their season versus the Washington Bayhawks at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex in Virginia Beach on Sunday, May 18th a week prior to their Texas debut. The Barrage will also play a June 21st game versus the Rochester Rattlers at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. Cities and venues for their June 14th game versus the Chicago Machine and their August 9th regular season finale versus the New Jersey Pride will be announced in the coming weeks.
"We are very excited to bring the Pro game to Dallas," continued Tom Fitzsimmons, President of the Northern Texas Chapter of US Lacrosse. "Lacrosse is booming down here and the only thing missing is a place for players and fans to go to watch lacrosse being played at the top levels. Dallas is a perfect fit for a future MLL franchise."
The Philadelphia Barrage have won the MLL Championship a total of three times, including back to back titles in 2006 and 2007. Long Island compiled a 5-7 record in 2007.
Tickets for the May 25th event are $15.00 will be available online at
www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/buytickets/ through May 18th. Tickets may also be purchased day of game for $20.00 at the Texas Stadium Box Office. Group tickets are available for $12.00 and may be purchased by calling 866-MLL-TIXX.
The 2008 Major League Lacrosse regular season begins on Saturday, May 17th.
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:09 pm