National Lacrosse League Announces Fort Worth Expansion Team, Set To Play In Dickies Arena In 2021
(CBSDFW.com)- The National Lacrosse League announced Wednesday that it will be expanding into Texas for the first time ever. The league's has awarded its 14th franchise to Fort Worth with the team set to begin play in the 2021-22 season.
The franchise will be majority-owned by Bill Cameron, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Cameron Enterprises, who also owns the WNBA's Dallas Wings and is a partial owner of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. Wings CEO and Partner Greg Bibb will serve as the Managing Partner of the new franchise.
The Fort Worth franchise, which has yet to be named, will begin play at Dickies Arena during the NLL's 2021-22 season. This marks the first expansion of the NLL into Texas in the league's 34-year history.
"We welcome Fort Worth as our 14th team and are excited to be working with a first-class organization led by Bill Cameron, Greg Bibb and the leadership at Dickies Arena, one of the premier state-of-the art facilities in the United States," NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz said in a statement. "Greg's accomplishments with the WNBA's Dallas Wings, one of the greatest business success stories in professional sports in North America, and a Fort Worth fan base who craves what we provide -- fun-filled nonstop action -- will make this franchise a must see and must follow, not only for fans in the area around Fort Worth, but for the global sports business community, and all those with a passion for lacrosse. All the pieces we look for in a new partner are in place and we have already begun assisting with the ramp up to the opener 18 months from now."
The Fort Worth team name, logo, and colors is expected to be announced later this year. The expansion into Texas follows the league's introduction of the New York Riptide, based in Long Island, NY in 2018 and Halifax, Nova Scotia with the Halifax Thunderbirds who relocated from Rochester, New York. Rochester gained a new team, dubbed the Knighthawks, will all three franchises beginning play in the 2019-20 season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For information on tickets, fans can head to FortWorthNLL.com.
