Professional lacrosse is coming to Oshawa.
The FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), formerly located in Albany, N.Y., will play their first season in Oshawa this year.
The announcement of the new professional team was made at a press conference on Sept. 9 at the Tribute Communities Centre (TCC).
The move makes the FireWolves the seventh Canadian franchise in the NLL.
“This can’t be done without a partnership,” said CEO Oliver Martin.
Oshawa’s mayor, Dan Carter, underscored that partnership with a $50-million commitment to modernize the TCC, announced in April.
According to him, people coming to watch the nine FireWolves games “will have a huge impact in our local economy.”
“The spillover in regards to the restaurants, the shops that are in downtown. I think that’s going to be huge,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see after the first season, doing an analysis about what was the economic impact here. I think it’s going to be tremendous.”
Carter, NLL Commissioner Brett Frood, head coach Glenn Clark (originally from Pickering), and Todd Powless, vice-president of recreational lacrosse for the Oshawa Blue Knights, were all in attendance.
The press conference started with an honour song dedicated to the team by Ojibwe elder, drummer and activist Dorothy Taylor.
The mayor is confident that Oshawa and Durham Region have the infrastructure to host more than 5,000 fans for the new lacrosse team.
“I think it’s already there. We’re working with the hotels, we’ve got transit, we’ve worked with our EMS and police departments,” he said.
Carter said bringing in the FireWolves will help to ensure the TCC is as active as possible.
“We want to see the building filled not only with the Oshawa Generals and FireWolves,” he said. “We also have concerts and events here.”
After three years at MVP Arena in Albany, news of the FireWolves’ potential relocation leaked in mid-August following approval from the NLL board of governors.
Martin said the team had to decide in a matter of a couple of days whether to continue with its six-year lease in Albany.
Ultimately, it opted to call the Oshawa home for at least three years, with the possibility to extend for another three, recognizing the importance of stability and longevity for the team.
“We’re hoping this is it. This is our home,” said Martin.
Most NLL teams have experienced several relocations throughout their history. Before Albany, the FireWolves, formerly the New England Black Wolves, spent five years in Uncasville, Conn.
In the last year, the FireWolves received at least half a dozen offers from venues. So why Oshawa?
“Lacrosse has been in the area for 1,200 years, maybe even more than that,” said Powless, who is Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Territory.
He founded the Oshawa Minor Lacrosse Association with his wife, Susan, in 2009. Holding an 1870s lacrosse stick made in Oshawa, Powless said, “Having the FireWolves here is a big thing.”
He said by working together, the FireWolves and minor lacrosse clubs in the region can grow together.
Powless is committed to that partnership and hopes to see the team flourish.
Moving to Oshawa, although done at “meaningful” (but undisclosed) expense entirely covered by the FireWolves, was a necessary step for the growth of the league, according to Martin.
He said attendance numbers weren’t reaching expected levels in Albany.
“On average, we were adding only 300 new fans every game, which is pretty minimal, but the fans we did have, incredible fans.”
Operational costs are expected to decrease since relocating to Oshawa, but the main focus is to grow this market and fill the TCC.
Carter emphasized his commitment to a longstanding partnership with the team.
“You do not walk alone,” he reiterated.