When student-athletes graduate from college and pursue a professional career in lacrosse, they are thrust into the spotlight, but sometimes with little experience being in the spotlight as a leader. The well-rounded experience for collegiate athletes, from training to tutoring, is not a typical offering at the next level, despite the gradual shift in professional men’s lacrosse from its “weekend warrior” approach to a full-time profession.

But the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) is providing a new avenue for professionalism within the sport.

First, Team STX established a semi-pro dynamic within a post-collegiate club atmosphere in 2012. Then, the United Women’s Lacrosse League (UWLX), currently in its second year, offered the first semi-professional opportunity for women to play after college on four organized teams with a chance to claim a league title.

Now, set to launch in 2018, the WPLL, founded by Michele DeJuliis, the former commissioner of the UWLX in its inaugural season in 2016, will focus on personal and professional development, offering unique programming that cultivates confidence, courage, leadership and emotional intelligence beyond the field. 

“We’re prioritizing that character development, so we can help them excel in life on and off the field,” DeJuliis said. “We want to help them become better role models. Some of them get out there and don’t know what they’re doing or realize what their power is – how they can actually impact these young women.”

The WPLL offers more than camps and clinics for the sport’s rising stars – they will get the same non-cognitive training as the pros.

“It really gives us the opportunity to harness that potential in a generation of lacrosse players becoming a generation of high-impact leaders,” DeJuliis said.

Establishing a foundation and internal programs for youth players within the WPLL provides an elite lacrosse experience with an additional edge. The professional players will make it a priority to provide feedback to the next generation. More details will be announced before the league’s draft in August.

“Our pro players are responsible for reaching out, making those connections and checking in on those kids to really close that relationship,” DeJuliis said. “These players won’t be out of touch. We want the players to really connect with these kids and have the opportunity to be leaders in our sport. For kids to have the opportunity to look up to these heroes is going to be exciting.”

The mission of the WPLL as a two-part operation “designed to support the growth of girls and women to excel in life” on and off the field, as stated on the league’s website, directly aligns with the mission of US Lacrosse “to fuel the sport’s growth and enrich the experience of participants.” The two entities will support each other in the growth and development of the women’s game and its players, DeJuliis announced Thursday.

“There will be a number of initiatives that the WPLL and US Lacrosse will work on together to help increase the visibility of the women’s game, celebrate the traditions and trailblazers in the women’s game, promote athlete development and create opportunities for participation, at all levels of play,” said Ann Carpenetti, vice president of lacrosse operations for US Lacrosse, which runs a world-class national team program. “We are excited about the WPLL’s emphasis on women’s lacrosse leadership, commitment to player and character development and giving back to the community.”

In working with US Lacrosse, the support provided to the female professionals and young women at the grassroots level will be tenfold. Sharing a drive to reach the Olympic Games one day, the WPLL will aim to shape U.S. women’s national team – and international – players into the leaders of today, tomorrow and the future, like Alex Aust, Taylor Cummings, Dana Dobbie, Alice Mercer, Katie Schwarzmann and Kayla Treanor, who have all entered their names into the inaugural WPLL draft pool.

“That’s my goal – to really put the players first, grow this sport and provide opportunities for these women and young women to just play the game at a higher level, get this character development and really help them figure out who they are,” said DeJuliis, a U.S. gold medalist and Hall of Famer who is excited to work with US Lacrosse in building ambassadors for the game. “Inspire them, empower them and connect them.”

The WPLL will be driven by a player-first mentality. It is “for players, by players,” and those players will understand that they are the No. 1 priority.

“That’s something I stand strong on,” DeJuliis said. “Ultimately, we want this to be an Olympic sport and we want this to foster an environment where they can be creative and innovative and take their skill level to the next level. While doing that, why can’t we make them awesome people? Let’s help them with leadership development and branding. That’s our focus.”