It’s a vision that has been percolating in San Diego Seals president Steve Govett’s mind for about 20 years, dating back to his early days with the Colorado Mammoth.

How can we stir up interest and create a premier event by bringing the National Lacrosse League outdoors?

“I’ve been addicted to this idea for a heck of a long time,” Govett said.

For Govett, the main hurdle has always been logistics. During his time with the Mammoth, he was intrigued by Denver’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as a potential stage and inspired by the major lacrosse events the venue held, the 2014 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship among them. But Denver isn’t exactly a tropical paradise when the league plays in the winter months.

“It just didn’t really make sense to try to make it happen there,” Govett said.

The fantasy gained new life when Govett joined the Seals, moving to a more forgiving climate for an outdoor event. He got close to actualizing the plan in 2020 when the Seals announced a game would be played at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California. But that was dashed when the base became a site for those returning from China with COVID-19.

So, it all remained a dream. Until now.

The NLL announced last week that San Diego will host the league’s first regular season outdoor game on March 4 at Snapdragon Stadium, with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs serving as the Seals’ opponent. The game will be played at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be distributed live on ESPN+, TSN.ca and the TSN app. Additionally, the game will re-air the same day on ESPNU at 11 p.m. ET.

“Sometimes, you have to market outrageously, and you have to do things that catch the interest of people,” Govett said. “We’ve talked about all these different ideas to continue to raise awareness for the Seals in a marketplace that is non-traditional to box lacrosse and lacrosse.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Govett said the Seals targeted multiple venues for a potential outdoor game. That included a spot right on the beach on the Strand near Coronado, California, on top of an aircraft carrier and the eventual destination in Miramar.

In each scenario, the Seals would have had to build a stadium from scratch. They won’t have to worry about that with Snapdragon Stadium while also enjoying the bells and whistles that come with a facility that was just completed this year.

“This is an opportunity to have some premium experiences, which our arena doesn’t allow for,” Govett said. “[Pechanga Arena, where the Seals host their games] is an arena built in 1966 with not a lot of amenities. This allows us to play in a state-of-the-art stadium with amazing jumbotrons and amazing electronic technology that we just don’t have. I think there will be a curiosity factor.”

From the players’ perspective, the change in scenery may not be as jarring as you’d expect. Of course, some on both squads have experience playing field lacrosse and understand the impact sun, wind and potential weather can have on a game. Adding further to the comfort level is the fact that both teams practice outdoors, one of the perks of residing in a warmer climate.

“It’s actually so strange,” Seals defenseman Cam Holding said. “You can practice outside year-round. It’s the middle of January and it’s 70 degrees outside and we practice. We hold all of our youth programming at an outdoor facility, too, so it’s not going to be that much of a shock for us.”

That doesn’t mean it will be any less cool when they hit the floor.

“You’re sitting there, you’re getting dressed, and you look over and you have this unreal sunset,” Holding said. “You’re like, ‘Holy cow,’ and you soak it in.”

“For most of us growing up playing lacrosse, you spend a lot of time in outdoor arenas, whether it’s in formal gameplay or you’re just out working on your skills,” Las Vegas transition player Erik Turner said. “The idea of playing an actual NLL professional game in an outdoor setting is a really special thing for a lot of us because it connects back to the roots of the game.”

And perhaps, there still may be an advantage to gain.

“Hopefully its sunny for the goalie,” Las Vegas transition player Connor Kirst joked.

While the spectacle should garner interest from casual fans, the Seals are also working to unite the city’s lacrosse community. San Diego State’s women’s team will be involved in the festivities, and all San Diego’s local boys’ and girls’ youth teams will take part in an opening ceremony to kick off their seasons. In addition to showing what the Seals are all about, the event marks an opportunity to raise awareness for the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship, which will be held at Snapdragon Stadium from June 21-July 1.

The matchup could be the first of many outdoor NLL games, with other markets like Las Vegas, Fort Worth and metro Atlanta providing the necessary temperatures to make this work. But of course, the league must see how the first one goes.

“If it was up to me, I’d love to do it every year,” Govett said.