Sport Box lacrosse Ceased 1969 | Founded 1968 No. of teams 8 | |
Countries United States and Canada Last
champion(s) New Westminster Salmonbellies | ||
The National Lacrosse Association was a box lacrosse league that was founded in 1968 and had teams from both the United States and Canada.
Contents
Due to poor attendance, the league folded in March 1969. The NLA is recognized as being the first attempt at a professional box lacrosse league in history. After its folding in 1969, the next popular pro lacrosse league would be the NLL(1974-75).
History
The National Lacrosse Association was founded in 1968 by entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the game's exciting aspects. Most of the teams in the NLA were amateur-level teams from Canada that decided to make their teams professional. In the league's one and only season, The New Westminster Salmonbellies emerged as the champions by beating the Detroit Olympics four games to two. Some teams drew considerable crowds and had games televised while other teams struggled to bring in even a couple hundred fans. Due to the small crowds and profits, the league folded in March 1969. After the folding, two teams (the Maple Leafs and Peterborough Lakers) joined the ill-fated Eastern Professional Lacrosse League which went defunct after one season.
Teams
EASTERN DIVISION
WESTERN DIVISION
1968 Season
Source
Playoffs