This coming weekend, Tim Hortons Field will play host to its third professional sports league of the summer.

The CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Canadian Premier League's Forge FC are regular stadium tenants, and on Saturday and Sunday the new Premier Lacrosse League brings its six professional field lacrosse league teams to town for three games.

The PLL is a touring-model league and while its teams have season-long set rosters, they don't represent specific cities. Instead, each team plays a game against one of the others every weekend as part of a cross-continental tour, with the results counting in cumulative standings. Chaos currently leads with six wins and two losses, followed by the Whipsnakes at 5-2.

After the Hamilton stop, there's one more regular-season weekend in Albany, N.Y., followed by two weeks of post-season play and the league championship in Philadelphia on Sept. 21.

The PLL rivals the older Major Lacrosse League — in which Hamilton had a team, the Nationals, from 2011-13 — for field-lacrosse eyeballs, and bills itself as a more player-friendly league with higher salaries and, eventually, a chance for players to have equity in the league. It has attracted some of the top American talent in the game, as well as a smattering of Canadians, including former Hamilton star Brodie Merrill of Orangeville.

Based in Los Angeles, the PLL has well-heeled backers and a broadcast/streaming distribution contract with NBC Sports Group. Sportsnet World, SN 360 and SN Now+ will carry Saturday's game between Chrome and Atlas at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday's 6 p.m. match between the Whipsnakes and Redwoods. There's also a game between Chaos and Archers at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

In the eight previous stops — Boston, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Washington, Los Angeles and Denver — reported attendance has varied from 8,100 to nearly 17,000. Hamilton was chosen as the only Canadian venue because of its proximity to several strong minor, junior and senior lacrosse markets. It's also close to Buffalo and Toronto, which both have successful franchises in the National Lacrosse League — the winter pro box lacrosse loop.

The Tiger-Cats are partnering with the PLL for the field lacrosse weekend here as part of their agreement with the city which allows them four licensee events per year at the stadium. According to a PLL spokesperson, ticket-holders have access to the premium zone which features giveaways, a live DJ and player appearances.

Tickets are available at plltickets.com.

smilton@thespec.com

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- New professional field lacrosse league to play in Hamilton