According to reports, the NLL will not bring in any new teams for the 2014 season. From commissioner George Daniel:
“Adding expansion franchises in a year with an expiring CBA is next to impossible as any new owner would want to understand the system before investing,” adds George Daniel, NLL commissioner.
No one filed applications to expand for the 2014 season. However, before the season Daniel mentioned New York, Pittsburgh, New England and Vancouver as places the league would like to return to in the future.
On January 7th, Daniel said this about expansion:
“We simply need more cities, especially in Canada, in order for us to gain the kind of critical mass and exposure we need to have with television networks and sponsors,” said Daniel “Three is not enough.”
Vancouver, Langley and Montreal have been talked about often when it comes to expansion. There have been rumors of the Boston Blazers returning in Connecticut or other New England areas as well.
The last time the NLL has positive team movement was in 2010 when the New York Titans moved to Orlando and the San Jose Stealth moved to Washington to become the 30th team in league history. However, the Portland Lumberjaxx also folded that season.
The last time an expansion team was added was in 2009 when the Blazers joined the league, after being announced for 2008 and later announcing they would play in 2009 instead. In 2007, the Edmonton Rush and Portland Lumberjaxx entered the league. Edmonton is the last successful expansion team.
