As a part of the pre-game festivities and shenanigans of NFL Sunday on FOX Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson announced a merger of the USFL and the XFL that will be called the UFL – United Football League.
Along with giving die hard football fans an additional 10 weeks of football; it also gives football players an extra outlet to show off their skills in hopes of earning an NFL contract.
The new UFL will feature eight teams:
Birmingham Stallions with Skip Holtz as head coach
Houston Roughnecks – formerly the Gamblers – with Curtis Johnson as head coach
Memphis Showboats with John DeFilippo as head coach
Michigan Panthers with Mike Nolan as head coach
Arliongton Renegades with Bob Stoops as head coach
D.C. Defenders with Reggie Barlow as head coach
San Antonio Brahmas with Wade Phillips as head coach
St. Louis Battlehawks with Anthony Becht as head coach
The action kicks off on March 30, 2024 with USFL champions Birmingham Stallions battling the XFL champion Arlington Renegades.
Training camp begins on February 24 in Arlington, Texas.
Tickets for the entire 10 game season are on sale now.
Russ Brandon will be President and CEO of the new league with Daryl Johnson heading up football operations.
Broadcasting executives and administration are both anxious for the new league and season to begin with Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer for FOX Sports Eric Shanks saying, “FOX is football, and the success of the USFL has proven that there’s a bright future for spring football. The opportunity to bring together our tow leagues – each with a commitment to advancing broadcast practices, rule innovations, and community – only furthers the potential of the United Football League and solidifies its spot on the sports calendar.”
Chairman of ESPN Jimmy Pitaro noted, “the United Football League — a powerful combination of the XFL and USFL — will provide passionate sports fans with an entertaining, innovative, and action-packed season. With compelling storytelling across traditional and digital platforms, fan-friendly innovations, and tremendous reach, this visionary league is well-positioned, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”
Founder, CEO, and Chairwoman of The Garcia Companies Dany Garcia said, “the new venture is possible because of a shared visionary mindset, a profound passion for the game, and first-hand experience living and creating the opportunities that football makes possible. As a unified spring league, we are able to deepen our commitment to unlocking and surpassing the dreams of our players, coaches, staff and fans. This league represents continued legacy and evolution, and we look forward to building the universe of spring football.”
And founder and CEO of Seven Buck Companies Dwayne Johnson said, “from day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation. As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans – a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the ‘hardest workers in the room’ mentality to make their dreams come true.”
Founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners Gerry Cardinale summed it all up by saying, “when you combine the entertainment and marketing expertise of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, the broadcast and network reach of FOX and ESPN, and the strategic capital and company building mentality of RedBird, there is a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique — a valuable and scalable live event entertainment platform that will continue to work closely with the NFL on innovation and player development and have a legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four. “