Boston, Mass. (Jan. 29, 2013)– Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league (MLL), Lacrosse Xtreme and Shooters Lacrosse, in conjunction with St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission and Al Lang Stadium, announced today that the Rochester Rattlers home opener against 2012 MLL Champion Chesapeake Bayhawks will be played at historic Al Lang Stadium, in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. MLL returns to the Sunshine State for the second time, after a successful All Star Game in Boca Raton last season, as it contemplates future expansion. “We are excited to return to Florida after a successful All Star Game last season,” said Major League Lacrosse Commissioner David Gross. “The Tampa Bay area is rich with sports tradition and we look forward to bringing the best in professional lacrosse to its passionate fans.” The event is being supported by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, a department of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, whose mission is to generate positive economic impact by hosting professional, collegiate, youth and amateur sporting events in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. “This is an exciting opportunity to continue growing the St. Petersburg/Clearwater brand as a world-class destination for sports tourism,” said St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commissioner Kevin Smith.  “We’re fortunate to have partnered with Major League Lacrosse on this, and we look forward to even greater things to come.” The game will take place at historic Al Lang Stadium, currently the home of the North American Soccer League’s Tampa Bay Rowdies and past spring training home to Major League Baseball’s NY Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. “We are thrilled to have Major League Lacrosse in our city,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. “Lacrosse continues to grow in our area and I’m excited that area residents and visitors will have the chance to watch the best lacrosse players in the world compete at Al Lang.” “We are extremely proud to host our first Major League Lacrosse Event at Al Lang Stadium,” said Steve Nadel of the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission.  “Events like these are wonderful ways for us to showcase historic Al Lang Stadium, the destination, and for the community.” Lacrosse XTreme, Tampa Bay’s source for lacrosse gear, will also organize a youth tournament as well as other ancillary events to turn the day into as full showcase of youth and professional lacrosse. “We believe that this game is the natural progression of the sport,” said Mike Barsanti, owner of Lacrosse Xtreme. “Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the state of Florida from youth through College; this event will help put our area on the map for lacrosse.  Our great partners of the MLL, City of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Sports Commission and Al Lang Stadium are supporting us to ensure this game is a huge success.” Tickets for the event will go on sale February 2 at the 2013 Lacrosse Jamboree in Clearwater. Tickets will also be available (along with full event information) through the event website http://www.MLLTampaBay.com, and at www.LacrosseXtremefl.com, www.tampalacrosse.com and directly at www.extremetix.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the Lacrosse Xtreme store at 204 E. Bearass Ave. in Tampa. About Lacrosse Xtreme Lacrosse Xtreme is the local area family run retail store based in Tampa. It was started over three years ago by The Barsanti Family, seeing a need for higher quality equipment, large selection, reasonable prices and most importantly knowledgeable personal service. We support the local teams, leagues, tournaments, camps and clinic all in the name of growing this great game. For more information go to http://www.lacrossextremefl.com About Shooters Lacrosse Shooters Lacrosse is Tampa Bay’s off season head quarters. Shooters originated in 2004 to help provide players of all ages and levels, the opportunity to continue to play and learn the game. Since 2004, Shooters has become the largest local provider of off season leagues, clinics, camps and tournaments in the Tampa Bay area by providing excellent instruction at very reasonable prices. www.tampalacrosse.com About Visit St. Pete/Clearwater  Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater (VSPC) is a department of Pinellas County Government and is the official destination marketing organization for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area. VSPC is charged with enhancing the county’s economy by increasing direct visitor expenditures and job development, training and retention in the tourism industry. The organization works domestically and internationally to develop and enhance sustainable tourism for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area in both the leisure and meetings markets and targets consumers, travel media, the travel industry, meeting and conference planners, sports promoters and film producers with research driven marketing programs touting beaches, sports, arts and culture and nature-based opportunities. For more information:  VisitStPeteClearwater.com About Al Lang Stadium Al Lang Stadium is situated on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront next to the Salvador Dali Museum and Mahaffey Theater, 7,200-seat facility with berm seating opened in 1977, replacing Al Lang Field which was built in 1947. The iconic stadium used to be home to the Tampa Bay Rays spring training, as well as several other Major League Baseball teams over the years. It is the current home of the North American Soccer League’s (NASL) Tampa Bay Rowdies who were the 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl Champions. Al Lang Stadium is designed to showcase a variety of events, including International Baseball, and Collegiate Baseball Championships.