The National Lacrosse League is headed to Chicagoland.

NLL commissioner Jim Jennings today announced the addition of an expansion franchise at the brand-new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, northwest of Chicago, to begin play in 2007.

The announcement came as little surprise, as news of the pending expansion leaked out earlier this month.

"Chicago is a key market for us in the United States as the focal point of the Midwest. We are excited to be placing a franchise here and to have such a strong ownership group," said Jennings.

In another instance of NLL forgoing its stated plan of partnering with NHL or NBA teams and sharing arenas with those teams (see recently: Edmonton, Portland), the Chicago franchise is owned in part by Kevin Loughery, a former NBA player and head coach, and his son, Kevin, Jr.

"For those of you who have not yet experienced the indoor lacrosse game, you don't know what you are missing," said Loughery, Jr., who will serve as the team's governor.

"You will become hooked, just as we now are. By bringing a team to Chicago, we expect to continue to advance the growth of this wonderful sport not only in and around the city but in the entire Midwest."

The elder Loughery had more ambitious thoughts, reflecting on his stint as coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls in claiming that "this is the best thing I've done for Chicago since drafting Michael Jordan in 1984."

(Memo to Papa Lough: Just make sure the product on the turf is more Jordan than Sam Bowie.)

The team has already begun accepting deposits for season tickets, and a basic web site is up at ChicagoNLL.com. Look for a name-the-team contest soon.