The Premier Lacrosse League announced that their quarantined PLL Championship Series will be played at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.
Zions Bank Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located right outside Salt Lake City and is home to the Real Monarchs in the United Soccer League and the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby. PLL players and support staff will stay at a nearby hotel and on-site at the newly constructed Real Salt Lake Training Academy. The league estimates that fewer than 300 people will be quarantined on location during the PLL Championship Series.
According to Sports Illustrated, representatives from Utah’s Zions Bank Stadium reached out to the PLL expressing interest in hosting the tournament shortly after Paul Rabil’s announcement on the TODAY Show that it would forego its 2020 touring season and instead host a 16-day, 20-game tournament to crown the league’s champion.
Rumors that the PLL were considering Utah began shortly after the league announced the PLL Championship Series. More evidence mounted when Archers LC goalie and University of Utah assistant coach Adam Ghitelman posted a picture of himself and fellow Utah assistants Marcus Holman and Will Manny training with other Archers players Eli Gobrecht, Mike Simon, Curtis Corley, Grant Ament and Ian MacKay.
The PLL planned to play in Salt Lake City, Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium in Week 11 of its originally scheduled touring season before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted them to cancel their touring season and replace it with the PLL Championship Series. The league reportedly considered locations in the mid-atlantic, southeast and midwest, before deciding on Zions Bank Stadium. The tournament, which will run from July 25 through August 9, will be played without fans, with games being televised on NBC’s network of channels and their streaming platform NBC Sports Gold. Players are required to quarantine two weeks prior to travelling to Utah, and will be tested upon arriving and during the length of the PLL Championship Series.
What are your thoughts on Zions Bank Stadium being chosen as the site of the 2020 PLL Championship Series? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.
