Warrior Sports
Warrior Sports is an American sporting-goods brand focused primarily on lacrosse and ice-hockey equipment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Warrior Sports is an American sporting-equipment manufacturer headquartered in Warren, Michigan. The brand is best known for products used in lacrosse and ice hockey, including sticks, shafts, skates, helmets, gloves, goalie masks, and protective equipment. Its modern identity grew from a lacrosse innovation business into a broader specialist sports-equipment operation within the New Balance corporate group. The company was founded in 1992 by David Morrow, a former lacrosse player. Its name reflects Morrow's connection with the Brother Rice Warriors lacrosse team in Birmingham, Michigan. Warrior initially established itself through titanium lacrosse shafts. Their combination of low weight and strength was presented as a significant technical development in lacrosse equipment, and Morrow helped demonstrate the technology during his playing career with the Princeton Tigers, where he also became an NCAA player of the year. Warrior expanded beyond its original lacrosse focus after New Balance acquired a controlling interest in the privately held company in 2004. In 2005, Warrior entered ice hockey through the acquisition of California-based Innovative Hockey. A further acquisition, Boston-based Brine Sporting Goods, followed in 2007 and strengthened Warrior's presence in lacrosse. These transactions gave the brand a broader product portfolio and access to established hockey and lacrosse distribution, technology, and customer relationships. The brand also made a short-lived move into soccer. In 2012, Warrior began producing soccer kits and training equipment and became the kit supplier for Liverpool beginning with the 2012–13 season. The arrangement generated high visibility, although some of the club's designs received mixed or strongly negative reactions from supporters and commentators. In 2015, New Balance announced its entry into the global soccer market. Sponsored clubs and players previously associated with Warrior were subsequently moved to New Balance, while Warrior returned its principal commercial focus to hockey and lacrosse. Warrior's hockey activities also extend beyond equipment branding. Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, the practice facility of the Boston Bruins and home venue of the Boston Pride, forms part of the Boston Landing development owned by New Balance's parent interests. The naming relationship connects Warrior with a prominent professional hockey facility, although the brand's principal business remains the manufacture and marketing of sports equipment. In July 2025, Warrior entered the ice-skate market with the Alpha Pro skate. This represented a further expansion of its hockey equipment range. Based on the available reference material, Warrior remains an active specialist brand operating under New Balance, with its principal identity centered on performance equipment for lacrosse and ice hockey rather than general sportswear or soccer.
History
Warrior Sports was founded in 1992 by David Morrow, a former lacrosse player from Michigan. The company's name came from Morrow's association with the Brother Rice Warriors lacrosse team in Birmingham, Michigan. From the beginning, Warrior pursued a specialist rather than general sporting-goods identity. Its first notable product was a titanium lacrosse shaft, promoted for combining strength with reduced weight. The shaft helped establish Warrior as an equipment innovator during a period when advances in materials were changing lacrosse-stick design. Morrow also showcased the technology during his playing career at Princeton, where he became an NCAA player of the year. The company remained privately held until New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. obtained a controlling interest in 2004. The relationship provided Warrior with the resources and corporate infrastructure to expand into adjacent sports. In 2005, Warrior acquired Innovative Hockey, a California-based manufacturer, and entered the ice-hockey equipment market. This move broadened the brand beyond lacrosse and gave it a second major sport in which to build a technical-performance reputation. Warrior continued its expansion in 2007 by acquiring Brine Sporting Goods, a Boston-based company with an established position in lacrosse. The transaction reinforced Warrior's lacrosse presence while adding further scale and market reach. After these acquisitions, Warrior's portfolio covered equipment for both lacrosse and ice hockey, including sticks, protective products, gloves, helmets, goalie masks, and related gear. The company later tested a more expansive sports-marketing strategy through soccer. In 2012, Warrior entered the soccer category with kits and training equipment for clubs in different markets. Its most visible arrangement was with Liverpool, whose kit-supply agreement with Warrior began on June 1, 2012. The first Liverpool home kit was launched in May of that year. The partnership gave Warrior international exposure beyond its traditional North American equipment categories. The designs generated varied responses: the home kit was generally recognized for a classic direction, while the 2013–14 away kit was widely criticized by supporters and media. Warrior's soccer activity was ultimately absorbed into New Balance's broader strategic plans. In February 2015, New Balance announced its move into the global soccer market. Clubs and players previously sponsored by Warrior were to be outfitted by New Balance, and Warrior reverted to its core hockey and lacrosse categories. This was a clear brand-portfolio decision: New Balance took the global soccer opportunity, while Warrior retained a more focused specialist role. Warrior has also been connected to hockey infrastructure through Warrior Ice Arena in Boston. The arena is the Boston Bruins' practice facility and the home venue of the Boston Pride, and it forms part of the Boston Landing development associated with New Balance. This relationship reinforces the brand's visibility in professional hockey, even though Warrior's main commercial activity remains equipment manufacture and sponsorship. In July 2025, Warrior entered the ice-skate market with the Alpha Pro skate. The launch expanded its hockey offering into a product category that complements its established hockey sticks, protective gear, and other equipment. Warrior therefore developed from a pioneering lacrosse-shaft manufacturer into a New Balance-owned specialist brand with a two-sport core, a brief soccer expansion, and continuing activity in high-performance lacrosse and ice hockey.
- 2025
Alpha Pro skate launches
[1]Warrior entered the ice-skate category with the Alpha Pro skate.
- 2015
Soccer sponsorships transfer to New Balance
[1]New Balance's global soccer entry led to Warrior-sponsored clubs and players being outfitted by New Balance, with Warrior returning to hockey and lacrosse.
- 2012
Warrior enters soccer and begins Liverpool kit partnership
[1]Warrior introduced soccer products and became Liverpool's kit supplier from June 1, 2012.
- 2012
Controversial #ninjaplease campaign is withdrawn
[1]Warrior suspended a lacrosse-related Twitter promotion after criticism over its hashtag and its implications.
- 2007
Brine Sporting Goods acquisition
[1]The acquisition of Boston-based Brine Sporting Goods strengthened Warrior's position in lacrosse.
- 2005
Entry into ice hockey through Innovative Hockey acquisition
[1]Warrior expanded into ice hockey by acquiring California-based Innovative Hockey.
- 2004
New Balance obtains controlling interest
[1]New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. acquired a controlling interest in the privately held Warrior business.
- 1992
Warrior Sports is founded
[1]David Morrow founded Warrior Sports in Michigan, naming the company after the Brother Rice Warriors lacrosse team with which he was associated.
Products and positioning
A performance-oriented specialist equipment brand serving lacrosse and ice hockey athletes, with a heritage in lightweight, durable lacrosse technology and a history of athlete, club, and league sponsorships.
Lacrosse equipment · 1992
Titanium lacrosse shafts
Warrior began with titanium lacrosse shafts designed to offer a combination of strength and low weight. The shafts formed the technical foundation of the brand and helped establish its early reputation as an innovator in lacrosse equipment.
Lacrosse equipment
Lacrosse equipment
Warrior's lacrosse range includes sticks, shafts, and protective equipment. Lacrosse remains one of the brand's two principal categories and reflects its founding heritage and continuing specialist positioning.
Ice hockey equipment · 2005
Ice hockey equipment
Following the acquisition of Innovative Hockey, Warrior developed an ice-hockey portfolio covering sticks, gloves, helmets, goalie masks, skates, and protective gear. Hockey became a central pillar of the brand alongside lacrosse.
Soccer apparel and equipment · 2012
Soccer kits and training equipment
Warrior produced soccer kits and training equipment during its soccer expansion beginning in 2012. The program included high-profile club sponsorships, including Liverpool, but was later discontinued under the Warrior name when New Balance entered global soccer.
Ice hockey skates · 2025
Alpha Pro skate
The Alpha Pro skate marked Warrior's entry into the ice-skate market. It expanded the brand's hockey offering beyond its established stick, glove, helmet, goalie, and protective-equipment categories.
Controversies
2012
Criticism of the #ninjaplease marketing campaign
A Warrior Lacrosse Twitter campaign using the hashtag #ninjaplease was widely criticized as inappropriate. Some African-American Major League Lacrosse players protested and raised the possibility of withdrawing from the league if the issue was not handled properly. Warrior suspended the campaign, while Major League Lacrosse removed related references.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Liverpool kit partnership
United Kingdom · International
Warrior became Liverpool's kit supplier from June 1, 2012, using the partnership to increase international visibility while entering soccer from its traditional lacrosse and hockey base.
Outcome. The partnership provided global exposure but ended when New Balance transferred the soccer sponsorships to its own brand after entering global soccer.
- 2012#ninjaplease Twitter promotion
United States
Warrior Lacrosse used the hashtag #ninjaplease in a Twitter promotion offering entry into a footwear raffle. The campaign drew criticism within lacrosse and among African-American players in Major League Lacrosse.
Outcome. Warrior suspended the promotion, and Major League Lacrosse removed references to it after the controversy was brought to organizational officials.
Brand decisions
2025
Launch of Alpha Pro ice skateProduct launchBackground
Warrior had an established ice-hockey equipment business but had not previously been identified in the reference material as an ice-skate manufacturer.
Action taken
Warrior entered the ice-skate market with the Alpha Pro skate.
Aftermath
The launch expanded Warrior's hockey portfolio into skates.
2015
Return from soccer to a hockey-and-lacrosse focusStrategyBackground
Warrior had entered soccer in 2012 and supplied Liverpool as well as other clubs and players. New Balance subsequently announced its own entry into the global soccer market.
Action taken
New Balance transferred Warrior-sponsored clubs and players to the New Balance brand and directed Warrior back toward hockey and lacrosse.
Aftermath
Warrior's soccer program was discontinued under the Warrior name, leaving the brand concentrated on its established specialist sports.
Sources1 sources
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