The United Football League’s 2024 season underscored the importance of spring football and that the league, with eight teams and possibly growing, is here for the long run.
The UFL was born out of the merger of the USFL and the XFL. This time last year, officials were waiting for government approval before it could get the signal to officially kick off. Now, with their legs underneath them and not having to worry about bureaucratic red tape, the league can really hone in on its core values and really take off.
Gone are the days of wondering whether a spring football league can be sustained. Football fans have seen the likes of NFL Europe, the first iterations of the UFL and XFL, and the Alliance of American Football have all come and gone. This version of the UFL is already three seasons in and have no plans to stop.
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UFL CEO Russ Brandon said the league is way past the term “one hit wonder” with the fourth season of spring football around the corner – and that’s thanks to the support at the top.
“What it comes down to is the deep commitment from the top of that ownership group with Dany (Garcia), Dwayne (Johnson), RedBird (Capital), FOX and ESPN,” Brandon said. “These leagues are expensive to run and you have to think differently.”
Brandon noted that training camp and practices are all run out of Arlington, Texas, and both teams are chartered on one plane to and from games.
“You have to think differently while keeping the incredibly high standard that we built there when it comes to nutrition, strength and conditioning, our performance science tea, our athletic training team … we’re very, very proud of that.”
Former UFL players have already made an impact in the NFL.
Kickers Jake Bates and Brandon Aubrey have become premier kickers for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys respectively. KaVontae Turpin was also an All-Pro returner for the Cowboys a few years ago.
A college football player or a person who has been out of the league for a few years could see the tangible results of playing in the UFL and possibly getting the call to the NFL.
Brandon had solid advice for a player on the fence about pursuing the UFL as an option.
“It’s an easy conversation. This is the premier league of opportunity and we deliver on every metric that an athlete is looking for,” he said.
UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE LAUNCHES EXPANSION PROCESS IN HOPES OF GROWING FROM 8 TEAMS
The former longtime Buffalo Bills executive pointed to the veteran experience each coach in the league has from Bob Stoops, Wade Phillips, Skip Holz, Ken Whisenhunt, Reggie Barlow, Mike Nolan, Anthony Becht and Curtis Johnson.
“These are incredible leaders, incredible developers. So, to that athlete, I think we have a pretty solid business model for them to take a look and see what the opportunity is to continue to get reps,” he said. “You don’t get reps sitting from January to April in the NFL when you’re waiting to go to OTAs and such.
“We fill a void in the football development calendar that I think works and is situated perfectly for our athletes.”
On the surface, it looks as though the UFL is successful.
But what does that look like to Brandon?
“I think there’s so many pillars to the term success. Obviously, you love to see people chance their dreams,” he told Fox News Digital. “We’re a league of opportunity. Across the whole foundation of our league, we’ve had 42 players from our league that are either on a practice squad, IR or are on an active roster from the last iterations of this league. So, we’re very proud of that.
“And that always comes back to the quality of the game on the field. So, working very diligently to always make sure that is the No. 1 priority. A focus of this league is the quality of the game on the field, which then leads to increased TV viewership, greater attendance.
“Just to watch out league become a 12-month-a-year property is really important to us. We’re looking at a variety of ways to continue to grow the game and our focus is advancing the game of football in every way possible.”’
The United Football League’s new season will open on March 28.
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