The United Football League’s inaugural season is rapidly approaching! March 30th is just around the corner, and it’s time to get some of those looming questions answered on what the season will look like. Keep reading below to learn more about the exciting merger.
What is the UFL?
The UFL is a brand-new league that was formed to make spring football more sustainable and the season more exciting. This merger has been in the works for a long time and has finally come to life. The USFL and XFL make up this new league. Both the USFL and XFL were previous spring football leagues, but now, under the UFL, they act as conferences. Each conference has four teams, equally out to eight total teams playing in the United Football League. In the future, there could be more teams from each conference playing in the UFL but for the inaugural season, the league has gone with the top four competitors.
It might sound like a rather simple thing to merge these two leagues but in reality, there are hundreds of things to consider when doing a merger at this level of importance. For example, the former XFL president, Russ Brandon, will hold the same title in the UFL, but the former USFL president, Daryl Johnston, will now lead the UFL’s football operations. Many rules and regulations will have to be changed due to this merger but nonetheless, these changes don’t take away from the excitement of this brand-new league that will change the future of spring football for the better!
What Teams are in the UFL?
Now let’s talk about the teams that are making this new and exciting league possible! The UFL will have eight teams divided into two conferences, USFL and XFL. The teams from the USFL and XFL that did not make the cut for the UFL will be dismissed. The league is currently figuring out what will happen to the players that were on the teams of who were recently dismissed. Below is a list of the conference teams and their head coaches that are expected to participate in the inaugural UFL season.
USFL Conference
- Birmingham Stallions – head coach Skip Hultz
- Houston Roughnecks – head coach CJ Johnson
- Memphis Showboats – head coach John DeFilippo
- Michigan Panthers – head coach Mike Nolan
XFL Conference
- Arlington Renegades – head coach Bob Stoops
- D.C. Defenders – head coach Reggie Barlow
- San Antonio Brahmas – head coach Wade Phillips
- St. Louis Battlehawks – head coach Anthony Becht
The Future of The UFL
In the past, the USFL and XFL have notoriously been competing against each other for fans and prime time television spots. This merger between the two leagues aims to bring a bigger fan base to spring football by coming together and creating a bigger community with people who all share the same passion for football. The UFL has a bright future ahead of them!