July 18, 2016
A professional sports league is moving its headquarters to the Philadelphia region.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced on Monday the new headquarters has relocated to Conshohocken in Montgomery County. The league will still operate a sales office in New York, its home since 2001.
“We welcome the National Lacrosse League to Pennsylvania and we wish them well in their efforts to grow enthusiasm and interest in one of North America's oldest sports,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “This move underscores the economic strength of the Philadelphia region for attracting new businesses and organizations.”
Conshohocken was selected due to a recent surge of development, according to the NLL.
League commissioner Nick Sakiewicz also has strong ties with the Philadelphia region. He served as the co-founder and CEO of the Philadelphia Union, a Major League Soccer team that plays its home games in Chester.
“It’s no secret that Philadelphia has immense enthusiasm for professional athletics, and the City of Brotherly Love has not been shy to embrace the fast-growing game of lacrosse,” Sakiewicz said. “In staking territory in Conshohocken, just a few miles away from downtown, we’ll have prime access to the city’s diehard fanatics, as well as connections to the top sports executives in the country. This region’s passion for competitive play will help take this league to its greatest heights, continuing to entertain and captivate audiences nationwide.”
Sakiewicz and Union fans had a complicated relationship during his tenure, which began in 2007. Fans organized a demonstration last year, demanding that management field a better team.
That eventually led to Sakiewicz's ouster in October.
The NLL is a nine-team league that was founded in 1986. The Philadelphia Wings were a founding member of the NLL, but relocated and were renamed the New England Black Wolves in 2014.
