With the PLL’s 2026 schedule release came the news that Salt Lake City and the Utah Archers will be hosting the opening weekend of the 2026 season at Zions Bank Stadium.
That means the Archers will be back in front of their home crowd from May 8-10.
“It’s really exciting,” All-Star short-stick defensive midfielder Piper Bond said. “We know how amazing the crowd has been there the last couple years.”
The Archers’ first Homecoming Weekend in 2024 was a tentpole moment for the club and the league as the Utah fans helped spark the Archers’ run to a second consecutive championship.
“Obviously, last year we didn’t perform how we wanted to and that was towards the second to last weekend of the year,” Bond said, referencing the Archers’ 0-2 weekend at home in 2025. “So, to be able to come back and start the season there and drum up the excitement that comes with week one, I think it sets the foundation to be a great weekend and give our hometown what they want to see right away.”
Bond is particularly excited about playing in Utah in May, when there will be plenty of snow covering the mountains surrounding Zions Bank Stadium.
“The backdrop is beautiful,” he said. “Just to have the mountains there from the field. Now, imagine some snow-capped mountains, it’s going to look even cooler.”
“You get off that flight, you see those mountains, you know what time it is,” Brett Dobson said. “It’s Archers time.”
The team is also ecstatic about the potential to play in the playoffs at home with Salt Lake City hosting the semifinals in 2026.
“I think we’ve got the best fan base in the league,” Dobson said. “Rewarding them with two home weekends, depending on if we can get there for the second weekend in the playoffs, is huge. For us as a team, knowing that we get to come back to our home is massive.”
“That’s fuel for the whole season, to be honest with you, to get back and do that,” Bond said. “To have that home playoff game feel and that extra buzz and that extra pressure and to be able to do it in front of your home crowd, that’s why you play sports.”
Dobson has fallen in love with Utah during his time there over the last few years. It’s a place he holds dear and where he’s excited to spend more time in the future.
“[I’m] really trying to put roots down in the community in Utah,” he said. “I’m extremely appreciative of it, because it means that we get to grow something special there, and I think that the fans can appreciate that and understand that.”
The opening weekend matchups for the Archers and the rest of the league will be announced at a later date.
