NLL Insider

Last year's Champ Cup finalists are packing their bags for Orlando, Florida. (Photo: Dave Sanders)

After a summer’s worth of anticipation and speculation, the move from New York to Florida is official, the Titans organization leaving The Big Apple for Orlando, the franchise now known as the Orlando Titans, with former Rochester Knighthawks owner, Steve Donner, also in the mix.

From Press Release

The excitement and fast-paced action of professional indoor lacrosse is coming to Central Florida. On Wednesday, team president Steve Donner announced that the Orlando Titans would begin play in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) beginning in January for the 2010 season.

Orlando will play a 16-game schedule (8 home contests, 8 away games) in the NLL in a regular season that runs through mid-April. All home games will be played in the Amway Arena on weekends. Following the regular season, eight teams will qualify for a single elimination playoff – culminating in the Champions Cup Final in May.

“We are both pleased and excited to bring the NLL to Orlando and the Central Florida sports scene,” Donner said. “Although the game has its roots in Canada and the northeast, lacrosse is experiencing tremendous growth in Florida with the emergence of club and high school teams throughout the state.”

“We are excited that NLL action is coming to Orlando”, added NLL Commissioner George Daniel. “The Titans are the first professional lacrosse team in the state of Florida. We look forward to seeing the world’s best lacrosse players entertaining fans at the Amway Arena starting in January.”

Donner noted that careful consideration was given in bringing indoor lacrosse to Orlando. “Team owner Gary Rosenbach and I researched the Orlando market for nearly three years. We believe the excitement, the atmosphere and the affordability of the NLL will mesh well with Orlando’s demographics. In short, we believe in this market and we believe in this game.”

Unlike many expansion teams, Donner believes the Titans will not only be competitive but will also compete for a championship in their first season. The roster will be composed mainly of players from the 2009 New York franchise, which played in the Champions Cup Final last year. Ed Comeau, who won four NLL titles as an assistant coach for Toronto before winning as a head coach with Rochester in 2007, will serve as the Titans Head Coach.

Indoor lacrosse, also known as “box lacrosse,” was developed in Canada. It combines the physical play of ice hockey with the fast pace and play-making style of basketball. Each team has five runners (forwards and defensemen) and a goaltender on the floor during play. Each team dresses 18 players per game and substitutions are “made on the fly.” The game consists of four, 15-minute quarters with a shot clock in effect. An average of 25 goals are scored each game.

Founded in 1987 as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League, the NLL will enter its 24th season of championship play in 2010. Average attendance for the 2009 season was more than 10,000 fans per game, with several games played in front of crowds in excess of 16,000 fans. Total attendance exceeded one million fans for the fourth consecutive season. The NLL has eleven teams playing in major markets of the United States and Canada: Boston Blazers, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Edmonton Rush, Minnesota Swarm, Orlando Titans, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, Toronto Rock and Washington Stealth

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