LOS ANGELES – Dec. 15, 2023 – The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster today announced it has acquired Summit Lacrosse Ventures, a lacrosse events operator. Summit Lacrosse Ventures will continue to operate their portfolio of events, which includes the Lake Placid Summit Classic, while managing the PLL’s existing youth lacrosse operations.  

As part of the acquisition, Summit Lacrosse Ventures CEO Ashley Gersuk Murphy, Principal & Strategic Advisor George Leveille, Brand & Event Director Kevin Leveille, and Program & Event Manager Eric Witmer will join the PLL team. Ashley Murphy will be named the PLL’s Senior Vice President of Youth Lacrosse, Kevin Leveille will join as VP of Sales Strategy, Eric Witmer as Director of Operations, and George Leveille will serve as a Community and Development Relations Advisor to the PLL.

“Summit Lacrosse Ventures is a proven partner of the PLL – after working with Ashley and her team to run our inaugural Opening Weekend Classic youth tournament alongside PLL Opening Weekend, we wanted to develop more ways to work closely with their talented team of operators,” said Mike Rabil, co-founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “Their alignment with our mission and dedication to growing the game through fun, experiential events make them an ideal addition to our team, and will be a key force in achieving our goal to get more sticks in people’s hands.”

The PLL recently assigned its eight teams to home cities, marking the league’s biggest investment since its inception in 2018. As part of the league’s effort to grow the game and build fan affinity in each team’s home location, the PLL will make new investments into youth lacrosse participation. Building on its existing PLL Academy, PLL youth programming will establish community driven, team-branded programming that is focused on increased participation, access to the sport, and fostering a deeper connection between PLL teams and the next generation of athletes.

“I have respected Mike, Paul, and the entire PLL team’s vision and contribution to our sport since the league’s inception – we’re thrilled to join forces to continue to grow the game through thoughtful, experience-based youth tournament programming, in keeping with the philosophies we’ve advocated over nearly 35 years in lacrosse operations,” said Ashley Murphy, CEO of Summit Lacrosse Ventures, and now Senior Vice President of Youth Lacrosse at the Premier Lacrosse League.

Since launching in 2018, the PLL has continued to invest in youth programming that reduces barriers to entry, encourages participation, and instills passion in the game. Through its PLL Academy and PLL Verified programs, the PLL has supported nearly 20,000 lacrosse players across the US.

To learn more about the Premier Lacrosse League, and its youth lacrosse programming, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com.

About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos Sports Partners, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by  Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).