Photo courtesy of Tenille Lively

New York Titans vs. Toronto Rock in regular season game at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, FL on January 3rd

(Sunrise, Florida)--The National Lacrosse League (NLL), North America's professional indoor lacrosse league and the top professional league in the sport of lacrosse, has announced details surrounding the first-ever professional lacrosse game to be played in the state of Florida.  On January 3, 2009, the New York Titans will face the Toronto Rock in a regular season game at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL. BankAtlantic Center is the home of the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers.  The game will also be known as the Florida Lacrosse Cup. Gametime for the Saturday contest is scheduled for 8pm ET.  Tickets for this historic game will go on sale on Friday, September 26 at 10am ET and can be purchased at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.  Ticket information and other details can be found online at the event's official website, http://www.floridalacrossecup.com/, which launched earlier today.

The Florida Lacrosse Cup contest will mark the season-opening game for both clubs.  The 2009 NLL season will mark the 23rd season of professional indoor lacrosse.  The league consists of 13 teams across the US and Canada and features the world's best lacrosse players.  NLL teams play primarily in arenas used by NHL & NBA teams.  The league's average per game attendance exceeds 10,000 fans per game.

"We're proud to deliver the state of Florida's first-ever professional lacrosse game, and to have it here at BankAtlantic Center", said NLL Commissioner Jim Jennings at a press conference held earlier today.  "We definitely view South Florida as a place for future expansion, and we are bringing the game here on January 3rd to give fans a chance to experience the excitement of the NLL in person at this great venue."

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"We are absolutely thrilled to bring the National Lacrosse League to the BankAtlantic Center for the first time," said Sunrise Sports & Entertainment President & Chief Operating Officer Michael Yormark. "Professional indoor lacrosse is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, exciting product that South Florida sports fans will really enjoy."

Local efforts to make this game possible were led by Kevin Finneran, President of the Florida Lacrosse Group.  Finneran is a Fort Lauderdale resident who won five NLL championships during a 13-season professional lacrosse playing career.  The decorated veteran of the NLL continues to work full-time promoting the growth of lacrosse in South Florida, actively coaching at the youth level.

"We're excited to bring these two great teams to South Florida to give fans their first look at the National Lacrosse League", said Finneran.

Tickets for the game are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone (954-523-3309 in Broward County, 305-358-5885 in Dade County and 561-966-3309 in Palm Beach County) and at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and the BankAtlantic Center box office.  For more information, please visit http://www.floridalacrossecup.com/.  For more information on the National Lacrosse League, please visit http://www.nll.com/.