Tonawanda Seneca Nation-The First Nations Junior “B” Lacrosse League (FNJLL) has expanded with an addition from Akwesasne. Officials report that at the conclusion of this past season, the league received an application from Akwesasne with intent to compete in the upcoming 2017 season. The franchise expansion application was presented at a meeting recently at the Tonawanda Seneca Nation by Kariwate Mitchell, who received full support in a unanimous vote of acceptance.

“I was happy about getting the team, our community and the surrounding area has a lot of players, a lot of lacrosse people and we have a lot of lacrosse fans. We are at a point now where we can easily have two Jr. teams here,” said Mitchell.

League Commissioner Bob Burr welcomed the league’s newest team and said that he looks forward to the upcoming season and seeing the newest product on the floor.

“The expansion could not come at a better time, Akwesasne is a lacrosse community,” said Commissioner Burr who also said that there are other interests for expansion but they are still being reviewed.

The Akwesasne team, which has yet to be named, will be playing teams as far west as the Seneca Warchiefs of Cattaraugus, while their closest road trip will be at the Onondaga Nation, located near Syracuse, New York. One team that the new Akwesasne franchise will not be playing against is the Akwesasne Indians of the Ontario Lacrosse Association, although many lacrosse fans would most likely enjoy watching that.

“The only way that the two teams from Akwesasne could possibly play each other would be if both teams qualified for the National Championship and that would be something special,” Mitchell said. The First Nations League has yet to win a National Championship, but they have been knocking on the door for the past few years, in 2015 the Seneca Warchiefs lost in the Founders’ Cup Championship to the Akwesasne Indians.

“I’m excited about this and I look forward to working with a group of dedicated lacrosse people,” Kariwate Mitchell concluded.