Major Series Lacrosse announces major expansion, increased regular
season game schedule planned for 2017
TORONTO, ON – Following last weekend’s Major Series Lacrosse Board of Governors’ meeting
in downtown Scarborough, MSL Commissioner Jim Brady announced his support for future
expansion of the MSL to a total of 70 clubs, with a proposed timeline of introducing 64 new
teams ahead of the 2017 season. The league's owners also announced their support for the
expansion proposal on each of their individual Twitter pages.
Expansion
Currently, there are six Major Series Lacrosse clubs in Ontario: Brampton, Brooklin, Cobourg,
Oakville, Peterborough and Six Nations. MLS' current expansion plans call for a total of 70
teams by 2017. “With the high number of great players currently competing in the minor and
junior ranks of Ontario, there is no foreseeable reason why the MSL couldn’t support a 70 team
season,” said Brady. “We’ve been in touch with multiple markets and potential owners. It is an
ideal time to expand our operations.”
Under the current format, teams in the Major Series Lacrosse league compete in an 18 game
season. That said, an increase of this size will result in the schedule being revised to 82 games.
When asked about how a quadrupling of playing requirements might affect his player base,
Oakville Rock owner Jamie Dawick stated, “We are very supportive of the MSL’s plans to
increase the number of opponents we will face. Here in Oakville, we have an endless supply of
players. We literally have players for days. We really had no choice but to turn the TRAC into a
24-hour facility. Sometimes it’s like a zoo in there.” Brooklin Redmen owner Wayne Colley
agreed with Dawick’s assessment. “We’re sincerely looking forward to playing teams from
Windsor to Ottawa to Timmins. I just love long bus rides.”
The Visionary: Jim Brady
"There’s no shortage of demand for MLS expansion teams, and we believe the opportunity
exists to grow beyond our current plans," reiterated Brady. "During the next few months, we will
evaluate the possibility of growing the league to over 100 teams and establish a process and
timeline should we decide on further expansion. The bottom line here is that the WLA is always
going on and on and on about their how great their league. It’s time to put Ontario’s Major
Series Lacrosse in the spotlight."
The Teams
The following page contains the list of planned expansion teams for the 2017 season.
Please note that this list is currently pending OLA Board of Governors Approval.
Alphabetical Listing of Proposed MSL Teams For 2017 Expansion:
1. Akwesasne
2. Ajax
3. Arthur
4. Barrie
5. Belleville
6. Brampton (second team)
7. Brantford
8. Brockville
9. Burlington
10. Caledon
11. Cambridge
12. Centre-Wellington
13. Clarington
14. Cornwall
15. Fort Erie
16. Gloucester
17. Guelph
18. Halton Hills
19. Hamilton
20. Huntsville
21. Innisfil
22. Kahnawake
23. Kawartha Lakes
24. Kenora
25. Kitchener-Waterloo
26. Kingston
27. Lincoln
28. London
29. Markham
30. Midland
31. Milton
32. Mimico
33. Mississauga
34. Nepean
35. New Tecumseth
36. Newmarket
37. Niagara
38. North Bay
39. North Perth
40. Northumberland
41. Oakville (second team)
42. Orangeville
43. Orillia
44. Oshawa
45. Ottawa
46. Owen Sound
47. Pembrooke
48. Peterborough (second team)
49. Pickering
50. Sarina
51. Sault Ste. Marie
52. Shelburne
53. Simcoe
54. Six Nations (second team)
55. St. Catharines
56. St. Thomas
57. Stayner
58. Sudbury
59. Sun County
60. Timmins
61. Thunder Bay
62. Toronto Beaches
63. Toronto Stars
64. Tri-Town
65. Uxbridge
66. Wallaceburg
67. Welland
68. West Durham
69. Whitby
70. Windsor