The Waterdogs want Philadelphians to embrace lacrosse: ‘There’s no better way to do it than winning’

Bill Tierney knows a thing or two about building a winning lacrosse program.

In 1988, his first year as Princeton’s head lacrosse coach, his team finished 2-13. He went on to win six national championships.

In 2024, the Philadelphia Waterdogs had a 2-8 record. Two years later, Tierney led the Waterdogs to win the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League Championship with a dominant 14-4 victory over the Denver Outlaws.

This is the Waterdogs’ second league title since the PLL’s inaugural season in 2018. They won their first in 2022. Their success is fueling fan interest in Philadelphia.

“We’re proud to have brought this championship to Philly so that we can be on board with all those other great franchises and championship programs in the city,” Tierney said.

» READ MORE: ‘It never gets old’: Homecoming weekend takes on extra meaning for some pro men’s lacrosse players

In total, Tierney has won seven NCAA championships — six at Princeton and one at Denver — and he became the first lacrosse coach to win a college and professional championship. But his lacrosse career began later than most.

When Tierney arrived at Cortland State in fall 1969, a friend who lived on his dorm floor was a lacrosse goalie and asked Tierney to shoot on him to help prepare for the season. Tierney, who never played lacrosse prior to that, eventually tried out for the team, and by his senior year, Cortland won a national championship.

“By sitting on the bench a lot I was able to listen to coaches and take a lot in,” he said. “So it was the best of both worlds.”

Tierney retired from coaching in 2023 and spent seven months away from the game before receiving a call about coaching the Waterdogs in the PLL.

Transitioning to the professional league came with a different challenge for Tierney, he said. Unlike college teams whose players practice together every day, PLL players balance lacrosse with full-time jobs and only practice together on the weekends before a game.

“The key is the culture,” Tierney said. “What you got to learn at the pro level with the lack of real contact with the guys is to dive in with them on their personal lives and them getting to know you better off the field. It took me a while to do that better than I did at first.”

Building those relationships off the field helped the Waterdogs create that championship-winning culture.

Philadelphia earned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 PLL College Draft after finishing 2-8 in 2024 and 2-6 in 2025. The Waterdogs selected CJ Kirst, who was the youngest player since 2009 to earn the 2026 PLL MVP award.

» READ MORE: ‘Dreams come true’: CJ Kirst joins his three brothers in the Premier Lacrosse League

Kirst won a national championship at Cornell in 2025 before receiving the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top college lacrosse player. He broke the PLL single-season record with 34 goals in 10 games and earned Championship MVP honors after recording seven points in the championship game.

“My motivation every weekend is just the excitement that I have when I go and play the game,” Kirst said. “I just love being a part of the locker rooms and showing up and being a part of something that is so much bigger than yourself. I pride myself in playing with a ton of passion and that is the fire inside me where I have so much joy playing the game.”

A Montgomery County native and 2026 PLL Attackman of the Year, Michael Sowers said winning is essential to building a fan base and growing the league in Philadelphia.

“When you’re trying to break into a new market, there’s no better way to do it than winning and especially in the city of Philadelphia, the city rallies behind winners,” he said.

In 2024, the PLL announced that each team would be tied to a home market, and the Waterdogs were assigned Philadelphia.

Its losing record made creating a local following difficult when the Waterdogs first relocated to the city in 2024.

“I remember being embarrassed to tell people I played for the Waterdogs because the first question they would ask is ‘How’d you guys do this year?’ And it was like, ‘Oh we’re 2-8, we sucked,’” Sowers said. “So, now to be able say we’re champions for the best team in the world, like that’s pretty cool.”

The Waterdogs are also trying to establish themselves in a city with a history in lacrosse. Sowers previously played for the Philadelphia Wings, whose National Lacrosse League franchise ceased operations on Sept. 10 after Comcast Spectator withdrew its ownership following the 2025-26 season.

“It’s as simple as winning,” Sowers said. “And unfortunately for the Wings, we just didn’t really win.”

The championship game on Sept. 20 showed the team’s and PLL’s growth.

ESPN announced that the Waterdogs and Outlaws game on ABC was the most-viewed championship game in PLL history, averaging 405,00 viewers.

Kirst has noticed more local fans supporting the team when they travel on the road each weekend from May to September.

“It’s very visible now when I’m on the field looking into the stands and seeing tons of purple,” Kirst said. “Obviously it’s a great representation of family and friends but I think now having little kids who are wearing the jerseys and showing support is truly special. Philadelphia is definitely gravitating towards being Water Dogs fans.”

Winning the PLL title is an opportunity to continue to build something lasting in Philadelphia.

“We’re in position, hopefully, to really create something special here and be in a position to win for the foreseeable future,” Sowers said.