National Lacrosse League owners voted today to immediately begin signing players to contracts for the upcoming 2004 season, paving the way for the regular season to begin on time on Friday, 26 December.

The contracts will be based on the terms of the previous collective bargaining agreement, a three-year deal which expired on 31 July. The owners could not agree on a new deal with the Professional Lacrosse Players Association, causing the union to go on strike last Saturday and the owners to decide today to impose their own rules.

"We are ready to turn our attention to what promises to be a great season," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said. "I’m confident that our players and fans feel the same way."

In a letter to players, his third since the strike began, Jennings wrote today that the union rejected an offer which included a $500,000 (American) salary cap and the establishment of a pension fund for retired players.

The pension fund, Jennings said, would replace direct payments from the league to PLPA.

"As I told you in my memo to you on Friday, league lawyers have issued a legal opinion that certain payments to the PLPA under the old CBA are illegal," Jennings wrote.

"In what we believe is a clear example of the PLPA's refusal to bargain, its current proposal includes retention of these payments to the PLPA. Despite the fact that the league could not continue to make these payments, we nevertheless did not want to reduce the monies received by [the players]."

Until a permanent use can be decided, the direct payment monies will be placed in an escrow account.

Negotiations on a long-term agreement are expected to resume soon. Conventional wisdom would suggest that a deal might be imminent, since PLPA previously stated its interest in renewing the previous CBA with some minor changes.

It might also be imminent if, as many around the league are predicting, Jennings' memos have the desired effect of convincing players to sign contracts despite the ongoing strike.