The inaugural Athletes Unlimited lacrosse season schedule includes unprecedented broadcast and streaming slate

• Athletes Unlimited's inaugural lacrosse season begins Friday, July 23.
• 56 of the world's best lacrosse players will compete in a four-week season in Maryland.
• A record 22 games will air on broadcast TV, while 8 games will stream on Facebook and YouTube.

Professional women's lacrosse is about to light up TVs across the country.

Athletes Unlimited - the innovative network of professional sports leagues that brought softball and volleyball to the masses - is kicking off its inaugural lacrosse season in July. More than half of the league's 30 games will air on broadcast television, and another eight will stream online.

"We have put together a distribution plan that will provide the widest ever visibility for pro women's lacrosse," Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof told Insider. "It combines cable television exposure as well as digital distribution and importantly won't require any additional subscription fees."

CBS Sports Network will serve as Athletes Unlimited's lead television partner for the 2021 lacrosse season. The network will air seven games, including weekly matchups of the league's top two teams and the championship game on August 22. Fox Sports is picking up 15 games of its own, with 11 airing on FS1 and the remaining four on FS2.

The additional games will stream on Athletes Unlimited's Facebook and YouTube channels. Between those online platforms and the league's TV partnerships, Athletes Unlimited is providing unprecedented viewership access to women's lacrosse fans in the United States and abroad.

"Our approach at Athletes Unlimited is to provide wide access to fans," Patricof said. "We are excited to be delivering on that."

The group of 56 players participating in the 2021 lacrosse season include national champions, All-Americans, world champions, Tewaarton Award winners, US national team members, and more.

Some of the biggest names in the world of lacrosse - including Taylor Cummings, Kylie Ohlmiller, and Alex Aust - will compete during the league's inaugural four-week campaign.

Additionally, 13 graduating college seniors will be invited to participate in the upcoming season held at Maureen Hendricks Field in Boyds, Maryland. Athletes Unlimited will host a college draft on Facebook and YouTube Tuesday, June 8 to announce the invitees.

But even with an impressive slate of athletes already locked in and more to come through the draft, Patricof and his team at Athletes Unlimited say they are not resting on their laurels.

"We have always said the number one criteria for success is player satisfaction," Patricof said. "We are honored that so many great players have signed on but our focus as an executive team is all about making the experience great and continuing to improve so they want to return."

Part of that effort has come in the form of the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse Player Executive Committee. The group of lacrosse icons and celebrities have directed the league on "who to invite to play, the rules and format of the game," as well as "discussions about distribution," according to Patricof.

"We feel strongly that level of coordination and getting their input early and often will be an ultimate key to success," he added.

Likewise, Athletes Unlimited has congregated former lacrosse players and power players across the sports world to consult the league on decisions ahead of and throughout the upcoming season.

The resulting Media Advisory Board comprises Emmy winners, Senior Vice Presidents, COOs, and more from the likes of Yahoo Sports, SC30 Inc., DraftKings, NFL Films, and Wasserman.

"We have been working with the board since the beginning of the year and they have been providing great insight into our approach to game production as well as strategy for social and digital," Patricof said. "The key insight from all of them has been how we can actively engage fans on game days and non-game days. Too often sports can be insular and only look at what's been done in their sport before. For us, having outside voices and perspectives makes sure we don't do that."

The inaugural lacrosse season will employ an athlete-centered model in which players earn points based on team wins and individual performance. The player leaderboard will change in real time, and at the end of each week, the top four point earners will become the leaders of reshuffled squads for the following week's games. The newly-minted captains will have the opportunity to select the players for their teams via a draft that will be streamed on Facebook each Tuesday.

And though Athletes Unlimited's successful softball and volleyball campaigns were both inventive and player focused, Patricof says the lacrosse league is "innovating a little more on the game itself then we have in softball and volleyball."

"We all love the college lacrosse game but as we have seen World Lacrosse is innovating with a new format for the Olympics and our version falls somewhere in between," Patricof said. "We think fans are going to love the fast pace of Athletes Unlimited."

Still, Patricof and his team are leaving room to alter the product if necessary.

"That said, if we have missed in any way we will change going forward," he added. "It's all about constant innovation driven by the players and fans. We have no agenda other than that."

Athletes Unlimited's inaugural lacrosse season begins Friday, July 23. Check out the full schedule below: