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The New York Riptide are leaving Long Island.
The professional lacrosse team that plays in the NLL announced on Wednesday that the franchise will be moving its operations from the island to Ottawa, Ontario, following this season.
Founded in 2018 by GF Sports and Entertainment, the Riptide played all of its home games at the Nassau Coliseum. After experiencing low attendance numbers, averaging about 4,500, as well as facing an uncertain future at Nassau Coliseum, the team has decided to head north.
The team will rebrand as the Ottawa Black Bears and will play at the Canadian Tire Centre, the home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.
“On behalf of the entire organization, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Long Island community,” read a statement from the organization. “For the past five years, we have had the honor of calling Long Island our home and the privilege of playing at the iconic Nassau Coliseum.”
This marks the end of the third indoor pro lacrosse team to play on Long Island. The others were the New York Saints (1989-2003) and the New York Titans (2006-2009), both of which also played at the Coliseum.
The Riptide, which are 5-5, will finish out the rest of their season at the Coliseum. Here are the remaining regular season home games:
- Saturday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. vs Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Saturday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. vs Saskatchewan Rush
- Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. vs Albany Firewolves
Top: New York Riptide’s Larson Sundown (#68) engaging with fans at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. (Credit: Facebook/ New York Riptide)
