Athletes Unlimited Experiment Begins Friday

David Vick — July 19, 2021

Girls and women’s lacrosse returned in 2021 after a long hiatus caused by the pandemic. To cap off the return, the newest professional league is set to begin later this week.

Fans tuning in should not expect to see the college game translated to the Athletes Unlimited league. The professional game will be very different.

All aspects of the game will be smaller in an effort to create a “fast-paced format,” according to Athletes Unlimited.

Instead of the normal 12v12, the league will be playing 9v9 on a smaller, more compact field. The field length has been set at 80 yards which is only two-thirds the size of a college field.

Expecting to see two halves of lacrosse? Think again. Four, eight-minute quarters will be played. For some normalcy, each quarter will begin with a draw. Less game time is accompanied by a smaller shot-clock, set at 60 seconds.

The format is very different from what most fans are used to seeing at both the college and high school levels. The best comparison for what fans can expect to see is something similar to the Olympic-style lacrosse format.

“We can tweak rules as we go through… I think we’ll just keep pushing the needle,” said Michele Dejuliis, director of lacrosse for the league.

The fastest sport on two feet is going to be even faster in the Athletes Unlimited league. As a result, more substitutions will be made, and more goals will probably be scored, including two-pointers.

There are still many unknowns and questions that will not be answered until games begin Friday.

All these changes were made by Athletes Unlimited in an attempt to provide more exciting lacrosse for fans. Will it be a success or something fans wish to forget?

Time will tell.