Usfl 2022 (Birmingham, Mobile, Detroit: rent, homes, high school)

[OldBankhead]

A tough loss, but... maybe it's what those boys need before the playoffs.

[OldBankhead]

Going to the ship... and actually finishing an inaugural season... which is more than we can say for the AAF and XFL 2.0.

[TimCity2000]

USFL back for second season


The USFL will come back for a second season and expand into more markets, Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks told SBJ in an exclusive interview.

While it was generally expected that the spring football league would embark on a second season, this marks the first time that the USFL has confirmed that it will play in 2023.

Shanks, who also serves as chairman of the USFL's board of directors, said that the league will continue to have its league office in Birmingham, where it has played all of its games this season. But the USFL’s eight teams will play out of between two and four markets next season, meaning each market will house multiple teams. Eventually, the plan is for all the teams to be in their home markets. “We’re talking to those cities now in terms of how many we’re going to be in locally,” Shanks said during a telephone interview over the weekend.

The league, which plays its inaugural championship game this weekend, will not expand the number of teams next season beyond eight, but it expects to add more teams by 2024.

“We’ve always had an expansion plan that could potentially come into play in year three and beyond,” Shanks said. “Next year, it will still be eight teams, but they will play in multiple cities, so we’ll get more home markets involved.”

The USFL will keep roughly the same schedule next season: starting just after the Masters and concluding July 4 weekend.

“We have a multi-year plan to build this football business,” Shanks said. “If anything, the success of season one makes me even more excited than we were before going into Season 2 and beyond."

The decision to embark on a second season is noteworthy, as several spring leagues, including the Alliance of American Football and two versions of the XFL, failed to make it past one year. A third version of the XFL is slated to launch next spring and compete with the USFL.

[TimCity2000]

As much as I've enjoyed having them in Birmingham, I think 4 markets would be good next year. Maybe group Philadelphia / New Jersey, Michigan / Pittsburgh, Houston / New Orleans, and Birmingham / Tampa? You would still end up with lopsided attendance for half the games.

If only 2 markets, I have to assume they would do them by North / South... although I don't know which one would get the North. Pittsburgh might be the most central of those.

[mcalumni01]

https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingh...Pos=0#cxrecs_s


When the USFL called Birmingham its host city on Jan. 25, 2022, hundreds of players, coaches and personnel moved into the Magic City this spring, some for the first time.

In what is typically a slow business season for the city, players have made themselves at home and learned the ins and outs of their new city.

“I just thought (Alabama) would have a lot of trees and stuff,” Pittsburgh Maulers defensive tackle Boogie Roberts said. “I was totally wrong. Birmingham has a lot to offer.”

For some, this past spring was their first time in the state of Alabama. But as some players explored the city’s history a bit more, they found that it shared similarities with others they have experienced.

“I did some research on Birmingham before coming here, and (it) said that Birmingham was a small world,” said New Jersey Generals safety Paris Ford. “To me, this is like the Pittsburgh of the South.”

What was not shocking for these USFL players was the food scene in Birmingham.

The players were familiar with the high-quality food scene in town and have enjoyed the restaurants. Some even receive free meals when they go out to eat. What makes the players’ experience at Birmingham restaurants even better is how the staff treat them when they dine in.

“They always have a big smile on their faces, and they always interact with us,” Ford said.

Not only have the local restaurants and level of fan support exceeded expectations, but the facilities around the greater Birmingham area have as well. Teams apart of the USFL don’t have their own facilities to use throughout the season. Teams have travelled to various parts of Birmingham to practice for each game. Every site has done its best to make sure the teams have everything they need. For Aubrey, the helpful nature of people in Birmingham has helped him stay focused during the three-month season.

Playing in an unfamiliar place can be tough for some athletes. But for these players, small things about Birmingham have made their stay feel like they’re in a familiar place.

“I went to the Botanical Gardens, which were absolutely gorgeous,” Aubrey said. “I’m from Dallas, so we get a lot of the same weather. But Birmingham gets a lot more greenery, and it’s a lot prettier than Dallas. I’ve really enjoyed driving around and looking at all the trees and going up and down the hills.”

Players were surprised by the slow pace of Birmingham during the spring. However, as soon as the season started, these athletes saw the city come to life. Local businesses in Birmingham welcomed the players with open arms. The players also were surprised fans stopped them regularly to ask questions about the USFL.

“I was like, ‘Wow, (the fans) are really keeping up, and they’re passionate about the league,’” Roberts said.

That level of passion and interest is tenfold for members of hometown favorite, the Birmingham Stallions. Wearing the host city’s name on your jersey is a special opportunity for Stallions players. To them, the success of the team has been due to thousands of fans packing into Protective Stadium every weekend.

“They (the city of Birmingham) are pulling for us,” said Birmingham Stallions kicker Brandon Aubrey. “They’ve been incredibly welcoming, very friendly and they’ve done their best to support us, and it shows up in the games as well.”

Aubrey expected to play in front of as few as 200 fans, so seeing Protective Stadium at half of its 47,100-seat capacity was a shocking, but welcome sight.

To the players, all these aspects of Birmingham make it a good host city. The next stop for some teams is Canton, Ohio, for the USFL playoffs. The USFL plans to host a spring 2023 season and keep Birmingham the league headquarters.

Their time in Birmingham may be ending for now, but the players were glad to call the city home for a few weeks.

“The Birmingham fans have showed up all season, so just a huge thanks to the fans,” Roberts said. “It’s been huge how they’ve welcomed us.”

[OldBankhead]

Opening night was pretty special. Year 2 should be even bigger...

https://imgur.com/a/P9gWI85

[OldBankhead]

Giddy up!

[MinivanDriver]

That was a really good game last night. I think this might be a going concern.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

That was a really good game last night. I think this might be a going concern.

I agree about it being a great game last night! And about the need for future games to be played in markets other than always Birmingham. The good quality of the play this whole season was a very pleasant surprise!
Players play hard and bring it every game! For the league's future success, I think it's important that some of the new markets be markets that don't already have major sports teams. Careful consideration should be given to the MANY possible cities to determine their interest.

[OldBankhead]

Originally Posted by columbusboy8

I agree about it being a great game last night! And about the need for future games to be played in markets other than always Birmingham. The good quality of the play this whole season was a very pleasant surprise!
Players play hard and bring it every game! For the league's future success, I think it's important that some of the new markets be markets that don't already have major sports teams. Careful consideration should be given to the MANY possible cities to determine their interest.

Their plan laid out from the very beginning was only for year one to be all in Birmingham. Year 2 was supposed to be at least one more hub, possibly 3 more, and then by year 3 to hopefully have all the teams in their own home stadiums.

I don't understand the surprise or criticism or general shock (not you in particular) of people that seem blown away by the fact FOX had all the games here when it was exactly what they said they were going to do. Canton only came up because of the World Games, otherwise they would have had the playoffs at Protective as well... which thank goodness because of all the whining of how the games were rigged and the Stallions had an unfair advantage all year... and couldn't win outside of Protective... (what now?)

Until they expand the league, though, the only markets that will get a shot to host will be of those teams already in the league, and out of all of them, Birmingham is the only one that doesn't have major league sports, so there's really no chance of any sort of "careful consideration." The road map is and has already been laid out.

They'll probably do one northern hub next year and it's going to be between somewhere in Michigan, somewhere in NY/NJ, or somewhere in Pennsylvania. But... I hope they can do four so they'll be less whining when my Stallions repeat and we can see how many butts these other towns will put in the seats during the summer.