(Above Image Credit: Sporting News)

You won’t have to wait any longer to witness a new football revolution!

One of the biggest announcements to kick off 2024 was the news of the XFL and USFL merging into one league. Now, the United Football League (UFL) is just days away from kickoff, and the anticipation is reaching a fever pitch as it gears up to shake the very foundations of spring football across the nation.

A total of 43 games will be played (40 regular games, two conference championships, and the UFL championship). Each team will have 10 regular season games and will get a chance to face their in-conference and inter-conference rivals throughout the season.

To help get you ready, let’s take a look at the history of two leagues on their path to becoming one, and the things you need to know about the UFL itself.

A Short Tale of Two Leagues

The USFL first formed in 1983 and lasted until 1985. During that time, players like Herschel Walker, Reggie White, and Jim Kelly signed with the league after college. It didn’t last long after they tried to expand the league with more teams and venues. Financial problems caused the league to fall apart during the 1985 offseason. They returned in 2022 with eight teams.

The XFL made it’s debut in 2001 when former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon wanted to create an alternative to the NFL. The league lasted only one season that year. It was bought back in February 2020 but lasted only five games due to the growing concern of COVID-19 that year.

Two months later, they filed for bankruptcy. It was purchased in August 2020 by Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and RedBird Capital Partners. The XFL returned last year under new management with eight teams.

At the start of 2024, the XFL and USFL announced they were going to unify each other into one league, forming the United Football League.

In a statement, XFL President 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, excited and really 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.”

Important Rules to Know

The rules of the UFL will be different to what you would normally see in the NFL. Here are some of the rules to know:

  • Kickoffs: Kickoffs will start at the 20-yard line and function like any traditional college/NFL kickoff. When a kickoff goes out of bounds, possession will be given to the receiving team 30 yards from the spot of the kickoff or at the spot the ball went out of bounds from.
  • Extra Points: After teams score a touchdown, they will have three options to score extra points by running or passing the ball. They can choose to score…
    • 1 point from the 2-yard line
    • 2 points from the 5-yard line
    • 3 points from the 10-yard line
  • Coach’s Challenges: Coaches are allowed to challenge any ruling only once. If they are unsuccessful, they will lose a timeout. If successful, no timeouts are lost.
  • Overtime Games: Overtime games will consist of alternating attempts to score from the opponent’s 5-yard line. No kicks are allowed. The teams will have three attempts to score to determine the game. If they use up the attempts, then the game continues until a winner is determined.

If you want to learn more about the UFL’s rules of the game, click here.

The UFL Teams

Eight teams will enter the UFL. These teams will be divided into two conferences: The XFL and USFL. Each one consists of four teams that played for these no-longer-separate leagues.

The XFL Conference teams are the…

  • Arlington Renegades
  • DC Defenders
  • St. Louis Battlehawks
  • San Antonio Brahmas

The USFL Conference teams are the…

  • Birmingham Stallions
  • Michigan Panthers
  • Memphis Showboats
  • Houston Roughnecks (formerly the Houston Gamblers)

The Stadium Venues

The home games of each team will be played in the following stadiums…

  • Protective Stadium (Birmingham Stallions)
  • Rice Stadium (Houston Roughnecks)
  • Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis Showboats)
  • Ford Field (Michigan Panthers)
  • Choctaw Stadium (Arlington Renegades)
  • Audi Field (D.C. Defenders)
  • The Alamodome (San Antonio Brahmas)
  • The Dome at America’s Center (St. Louis Battlehawks)

It was also announced that The Dome in St. Louis will also be the home of the UFL championship game.

Final Thoughts

This is a new beginning for spring football. While there aren’t too many fans out there, the UFL wants to bring a whole new perspective to a sport many of us in the nation love. So, maybe you’re more used to having one football league every season. Maybe you don’t think that a unified league can’t compete with what the NFL has.

In my opinion, this isn’t about trying to be just like the NFL. The UFL is a league of their own, wanting to give players a chance to live their dreams of being football stars. It doesn’t matter if the stage is not too big for them. All they would like to do is play the game.

It’s also an opportunity to give football fans the chance to come together and be a part of this brand new world while not having to endure the long, painful wait for the NFL to return. I simply ask that you give the UFL a chance and enjoy as these players get to live their lives as football players. Besides, you may never know if these players will soon find themselves making it to the NFL. This league might be their only chance to live out their dream.