Premier Lacrosse League Funding, Investors & Competitors

Premier Lacrosse League has raised $103M across 5 funding rounds, most recently a $100M undisclosed-stage round in June 2026.

Last Premier Lacrosse League funding round

$100M

Undisclosed stage · Jun 2026

Cumulative funding Premier Lacrosse League raised

$103M

across 5 funding rounds

Key investors in Premier Lacrosse League

  • Joseph Tsai
  • TCG
  • The Raine Group
  • Arctos Partners
  • Ares Management
  • Thirty Five Ventures
  • The Kraft Group
  • Bolt Ventures

Premier Lacrosse League Overview

About Premier Lacrosse League

Premier Lacrosse League is a professional sports league that organizes and operates elite men's professional field lacrosse competition. Unlike traditional city-based sports leagues, the PLL originally operated with a touring model in which all teams competed in different host cities throughout the season, bringing professional lacrosse to fans across the United States. The league oversees all aspects of competition, including team operations, scheduling, player development, media production, sponsorships, merchandising, and fan engagement. It also organizes events such as the All-Star Game, youth clinics, academies, and community initiatives to grow participation in the sport.


Founded

2018

HQ

United StatesNew York City, NY

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Advertising

Sectors

Premier Lacrosse League Funding History

Premier Lacrosse League has raised a total of $103M across 5 funding rounds.

Premier Lacrosse League's first fundraising round was a $3M undisclosed-stage round in January 2018. The most recent completed round was a $100M undisclosed-stage round in June 2026.

Premier Lacrosse League funding rounds

Premier Lacrosse League funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jun 2026Undisclosed stageAres Management (lead); Joseph Tsai (lead); Glen Powell; FirstTracks Ventures; Warren Zeiders; ESPN; Bolt Ventures; Rob McElhenney; David Blitzer$100MThe Premier Lacrosse League announced on 30 June 2026 the closing of a US$100 million Series E financing round led by Ares funds and Joe Tsai, the largest capital raise in the history of professional lacrosse. The round also included a subsequent minority equity investment from media partner ESPN, together with actor Glen Powell, Wrexham co-chairman Rob Mac, singer Warren Zeiders, actor Tony Cavalero, Creator Sports Capital, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett's Next 3, FirstTracks Sports Ventures, Jed Hart, West End Investment Management, James Young, David Blitzer's Bolt Ventures and Chris Shumway. Jim Miller, co-head of Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment, joined the PLL's board of directors. The league said the capital would support wider media distribution and original content, commercial partnerships, investment in the Women's Lacrosse League and affordable youth access ahead of lacrosse's return to the Olympics at LA28. Co-founder Paul Rabil declined to disclose the valuation but said it had risen steadily since the brothers raised a seed round of about US$3 million in 2018, that the league had raised more than US$200 million in total, and that the Series E might be its last round, with future growth more likely to come through acquisitions. The PLL was founded in 2018 by Paul and Mike Rabil, absorbed Major League Lacrosse in 2020 and is backed by investors including Joe Tsai Sports, the Chernin Group, Arctos, the Raine Group, CAA and the Kraft Group; its 2026 men's and women's seasons air on ESPN platforms and ABC.
Jul 2022Undisclosed stageTCG (lead); Thirty Five Ventures; Arctos Partners; World Wrestling Entertainment; Joseph Tsai-The Premier Lacrosse League raised a new funding round in July 2022 led by existing investor the Chernin Group, with participation from WWE, Kevin Durant's Thirty Five Ventures, Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai, Arctos Sports Partners and investor Brett Jefferson. The size of the round was not disclosed, but league co-founders Paul and Mike Rabil told Bloomberg that it doubled the league's valuation from its June 2021 round, which Arctos had led with Tsai and the Kraft Group. The raise followed a four-year broadcast rights agreement signed with ESPN in March 2022 that put all 47 PLL games on ESPN, ESPN+ or ABC. The league reported that viewership rose 29% from 2019 to 2021 on NBCSN and that ticket revenue increased by 56% over the same period, and a June 2022 game on ABC set a league record with 452,000 average viewers. The PLL was founded in 2018 as a touring professional lacrosse league built around player equity and a single-entity ownership model, and it absorbed Major League Lacrosse in 2020. The round was labelled a Series D by the league's investors.
Jun 2021Undisclosed stageArctos Partners (lead); The Kraft Group (lead); Joseph Tsai (lead)-The Premier Lacrosse League announced on 2 June 2021 a new funding round co-led by the Kraft Group, the holding company of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Arctos Sports Partners and returning investor Joe Tsai Sports, the vehicle of Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai. The league did not disclose the size of the round or its valuation. Co-founder and chief executive Mike Rabil said the money would go towards media, technology, partnerships and youth lacrosse expansion. Arctos co-founder and managing partner Doc O'Connor, who had previously held an independent seat on the PLL board, took Arctos' seat as part of the investment. The round was announced two days before the league opened its third season at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The PLL was founded in 2018 by brothers Paul and Mike Rabil as a touring professional lacrosse league, merged with Major League Lacrosse in 2020 and signed a streaming agreement with Peacock as part of a three-year deal with NBC in 2021. Existing investors at the time included the Raine Group, Brett Jefferson Holdings, CAA, Bolt Ventures, the Chernin Group, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Blum Capital. The league said it hoped to double its yearly revenue compared with 2019 and to reach profitability by 2024.
Feb 2019Undisclosed stageJoseph Tsai (lead); Brett Jefferson (lead); The Raine Group (lead)-The Premier Lacrosse League announced on 12 February 2019 that it had closed its Series A funding round, led by J Tsai Sports, the sports investment vehicle of Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai, Hildene Capital Management president Brett Jefferson and returning investor the Raine Group. The amount raised was not disclosed. The league said the capital would fund league operations, team- and player-focused original programming and the expansion of its executive team, and would give it additional resources to keep its infrastructure stable. Tsai, a minority owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, owner of the WNBA's New York Liberty and owner of the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League, said J Tsai Sports was proud to support the vision of the league's founders and players. The round followed the league's initial funding round led by the Raine Group in 2018, which also included the Chernin Group, Blum Capital and Creative Artists Agency. The PLL was co-founded by lacrosse player Paul Rabil and his brother Mike Rabil, announced itself in October 2018 and began its first season in June 2019 as a touring league with six teams and a broadcast deal with NBC Sports. It earns revenue from media rights, sponsorship and ticketing.
Jan 2018Undisclosed stageThe Raine Group (lead); TCG; Creative Artists Agency; Blum Capital Partners$3MThe Premier Lacrosse League raised its initial funding round in 2018, led by the Raine Group with participation from the Chernin Group, Blum Capital and Creative Artists Agency; SportsPro dated the Raine-led initial round to September 2018, and co-founder Paul Rabil later described it as a seed round of roughly US$3 million. The round financed the launch of a new touring professional field lacrosse league founded by Paul Rabil, the sport's best-known player, and his brother Mike Rabil, a serial entrepreneur. The PLL was set up as a direct competitor to Major League Lacrosse, which had been the main professional outdoor league since 2001, after Rabil and a group of investors had tried and failed to buy MLL in 2018. The league was officially announced on 22 October 2018 and by then had signed about 140 players, offering higher salaries, health benefits and equity-style participation, and it secured a broadcast agreement with NBC Sports. It began play in June 2019 with six teams in a 14-week tour through 12 major-market cities rather than using home cities. The Raine Group returned as a co-lead of the league's Series A in February 2019, alongside J Tsai Sports and Brett Jefferson. The PLL earns revenue from media rights, sponsorship and ticketing.

Who has invested in Premier Lacrosse League?

18 investors have backed Premier Lacrosse League across its funding rounds, including Joseph Tsai, TCG, The Raine Group, Arctos Partners, Ares Management and Thirty Five Ventures.

Lead investors include Ares Management, Joseph Tsai, TCG, Arctos Partners, The Kraft Group and 2 other investors.


Premier Lacrosse League Investors

Investors in Premier Lacrosse League by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Joseph TsaiHong KongHong Kong4LeadFeb 2019
TCGUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA2LeadJan 2018
Arctos PartnersUnited StatesDallas, TX2LeadJun 2021
The Raine GroupUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadJan 2018
Brett JeffersonUnited StatesUnited States1LeadFeb 2019
Thirty Five VenturesUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJul 2022
Glen PowellUnited StatesUnited States1ParticipantJun 2026
FirstTracks VenturesUnited StatesDenver, CO1ParticipantJun 2026
Creative Artists AgencyUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantJan 2018
The Kraft GroupUnited StatesFoxborough, MA1LeadJun 2021
World Wrestling EntertainmentUnited StatesStamford, CT1ParticipantJul 2022
Warren Zeiders--1ParticipantJun 2026
ESPNUnited StatesBristol, CT1ParticipantJun 2026

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Acquisitions by Premier Lacrosse League

Premier Lacrosse League has acquired 1 company to date.

Last acquisition by Premier Lacrosse League was on December 16th 2020. Premier Lacrosse League acquired Major League Lacrosse for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Premier Lacrosse League

Major League Lacrosse
Description
Major League Lacrosse is a former American professional field lacrosse league that operated from 2001 until its merger into the Premier Lacrosse League in December 2020. It was organised by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, who founded the league in 2001, and for nearly two decades it was the main professional outlet for outdoor lacrosse in the United States. The league ran a city-based model with franchises such as the Boston Cannons, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws and New York Lizards, and it earned revenue from ticket sales, sponsorship and media rights. Its attendance and player wages came under pressure after the Premier Lacrosse League launched in 2019 and recruited many of its leading players. In the final 2020 season, played in a bubble in Annapolis, Maryland, the league had seven teams. After the merger only the Boston Cannons identity continued, as the Cannons Lacrosse Club of the PLL.
HQ CountryUnited States
HQ City
Boston
Deal Date16 Dec 2020
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Premier Lacrosse League Competitors

Premier Lacrosse League competitors include listed companies like Liberty Media, Rogers and TKO, and private ones like Suning Sports, TWG Global and LaLiga.

Public and private companies comparable to Premier Lacrosse League
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Suning SportsChinaNanjingPrivate--$2.6B-
TWG GlobalUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate--$40B-
LaLigaSpainMadridPrivate$4B-$28B6.9x
Liberty MediaUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$4.5B$1.4B$27B6.5x
RogersCanadaCanadaPublicly listed$16B$10B$18B3.4x
TKOUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$4.7B$1.3B$14B4.1x

Premier Lacrosse League Public Comps

Premier Lacrosse League is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Liberty Media, Rogers, TKO, MSG Sports, Sportradar, Manchester United, Atlanta Braves Holdings, MSG Rangers, Cannae Holdings and Juventus FC.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Liberty Media$4.5B$1.4B6.9x6.5x22.4x25.9x
Rogers$16B$10B3.5x3.4x5.2x7.6x
TKO$4.7B$1.3B4.9x4.1x17.5x10.5x
MSG Sports$1.2B$39M7.5x7.7x220.2x285.3x
Sportradar$1.4B$597M2.7x2.3x6.5x9.8x
Manchester United$910M$321M5.2x5.0x14.7x16.3x
Atlanta Braves Holdings$732M$98M5.6x5.3x42.2x79.8x
MSG Rangers$341M($24M)7.9x7.9x(113.8x)(106.3x)

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Common questions about Premier Lacrosse League

When was Premier Lacrosse League founded?Premier Lacrosse League was founded in 2018.
Where is Premier Lacrosse League headquartered?Premier Lacrosse League is headquartered in New York City, NY, United States.
Is Premier Lacrosse League publicly listed?No, Premier Lacrosse League is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Premier Lacrosse League raised?Premier Lacrosse League has raised $103M across 5 funding rounds.
What was Premier Lacrosse League's last funding round?Premier Lacrosse League's last funding round was a $100M undisclosed-stage round in June 2026, led by Ares Management and Joseph Tsai.
Who are Premier Lacrosse League's investors?Premier Lacrosse League's investors include Joseph Tsai, TCG, Arctos Partners, The Raine Group, Brett Jefferson, Thirty Five Ventures, Glen Powell, FirstTracks Ventures, Creative Artists Agency, The Kraft Group and 8 others.
Which companies are comparable to Premier Lacrosse League?Companies comparable to Premier Lacrosse League include Suning Sports, TWG Global, LaLiga, Liberty Media, Rogers and TKO.
How many companies has Premier Lacrosse League acquired?Premier Lacrosse League has acquired 1 company, including Major League Lacrosse.

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