United Football League to kick off in October

by David Fucillo on Feb 9, 2009 11:29 AM PST in San Francisco 49ers News

A while back rumors began circulating about the opening a new league called the United Football League. Well, it appears this new league is going to kick off this October. The league will kick off with four franchises located in seven cities (no that's not a typo). They are Las Vegas/Los Angeles, New York/Hartford, Orlando and San Francisco/Sacramento. If I'm reading it correctly, that would mean the SF/Sacto team would play games in both San Francisco AND Sacramento. For now they're indicating they'll play their SF games at AT&T Park. While odds are probably high it will fail, it might actually be a decent business decision to play games in multiple locations. It keeps any interest relatively fresh.

According to the Sports Business Journal, the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is leading an investment group that will spend approximately $30 million on the four franchises. They're looking at the 2009 season as their soft opening before a full-scale 2010 season. The first season will start in October and after a 6-week season, culminate with a championship game over Thanksgiving weekend.

The most interesting aspect of teh SBJ article was at the very end:

Vuono and Huyghue said the NFL continues to offer assistance and cooperation in areas like officiating. With the demise several years ago of NFL Europa, the NFL could treat the UFL as a minor league.

The UFL ultimately will try to regionalize its teams so they are affiliated with specific NFL clubs.

Apparently Pelosi (Mr. not Nancy) was Paul Tagliabue's roommate at Georgetown so I'd imagine that gives him a tiny bit of pull with Der Kommissar now. There are plenty of players who end up out of football by the end of training camp, so why not have another opportunity for them? No league will ever be able to compete on the same level as the NFL, so the next best bet is either come up with something unique (like what was Arena Football) or try and get yourself in as the minor league.

Up to this point, college football has been the minor league for the NFL. If a league could develop into an affiliate league, you might have a better option on top of the practice squad. You get the non-roster folks a chance to compete and show their stuff outside of just practice. I don't know if it will ever work out, but I think there's definite value in it.

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Sounds cool, just one question – with the demise of AFL and the never-satisfied appetite of football fans nationwide, why not schedule the sport to occur during the football offseason? I’m not quite sure I understand.

I declare you Sanchez.

by Rishi on Feb 9, 2009 12:50 PM PST reply actions

foreals.

MURS for President!!!!!!!

by jtoj on Feb 9, 2009 12:52 PM PST up reply actions

good point

a summer league would be nice instead of having to deal with just baseball.

by J2daZ on Feb 9, 2009 1:18 PM PST up reply actions

Baseball sucks.

I declare you Sanchez.

by Rishi on Feb 9, 2009 1:57 PM PST up reply actions

Blasphemy!!!!

by Brendan Scolari on Feb 10, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions

Awesome!!

I can’t wait to see Thomas Clayton set the UFL all-time rushing record.

by methodrampage on Feb 9, 2009 1:09 PM PST reply actions

hah

by foosball4949 on Feb 9, 2009 1:41 PM PST up reply actions

Apparently you missed the memo...

… he’d probably be better off being a cornerback.

by sfgfan on Feb 9, 2009 3:37 PM PST up reply actions

LEAVE AT&T PARK ALONE, FOOTBALL GODS! FOOTBALL IS A GREAT SPORT BUT IT RUINS BEAUTIFUL BASEBALL PARKS!

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Feb 9, 2009 1:10 PM PST reply actions

Granted

I know that it would take A LOT more than a part-time home team in a fledgling, no-chance league to get anything actually screwed up at the park, but still I must stand by my initial reaction.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Feb 9, 2009 1:11 PM PST up reply actions

it's only 7 games

so maybe they just play 3 or 4 home games. imo they should play at a university’s stadium or something.

by J2daZ on Feb 9, 2009 1:21 PM PST up reply actions

Divide...

… 3 or 4 by two and MAYBE two games play at the booth.

I’m with HTS, though. Leave the baseball park be a baseball park.

by sfgfan on Feb 9, 2009 3:38 PM PST up reply actions

schedule

They start in October so the Giants will be long since done…oh BURN!

by David Fucillo on Feb 9, 2009 1:33 PM PST up reply actions

It will be two games at the most...

reason, their is 3 away games and 3 home games, the last game is championship game and I have no clue about that. Also they have to split those three home games between Sacramento and San Francisco, so it will probably, in the end, be equivalent to an emerald bowl game.

by StrictlyFootball on Feb 9, 2009 2:20 PM PST up reply actions

I’m actually referring more to what happened to both Candlestick and the Coliseum once football roped its way into both of those parks. Remember how nice baseball used to look on Oakland? There was a time once when Candlestick wasn’t a big concrete piece of crap.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Feb 9, 2009 3:06 PM PST up reply actions

Haha

by Brendan Scolari on Feb 10, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions

too late

the emerald bowl is at ATaT

MURS for President!!!!!!!

by jtoj on Feb 9, 2009 6:06 PM PST up reply actions

Wasn't there supposed to be a league in the southern states starting this spring?

by StrictlyFootball on Feb 9, 2009 2:22 PM PST reply actions

yeah

i thought so too. they were so supposed to be representing each state or something. looks like it’s struggling with the start of its inaugural season.

by J2daZ on Feb 9, 2009 2:32 PM PST up reply actions

I always thought

the CFL was the NFL’s minor league

by ro128487 on Feb 9, 2009 2:27 PM PST reply actions

minor league

I think the UFL wants to become an official minor league. The CFL is more the equivalent of the Northern League in baseball. It’s a minor league that’s unaffiliated with MLB. They get cast-offs that can’t really make it in the affiliated minors so they go independent. Rickey Henderson played for the independent Golden Baseball League.

by David Fucillo on Feb 9, 2009 2:35 PM PST up reply actions

CFL

It’s got some funky rules. NFL Europe was kinda more like the minor leagues. But NFL rosters are so big (with practice squads) that there really isn’t the need for a minor league system.

by methodrampage on Feb 9, 2009 2:58 PM PST up reply actions

Wasn't NanPo one of the ringleaders...

…in the “how dare the 49ers ever leave San Francisco!” movement?

I mean, not that she’s wrong in my humble opinion, but it’s kinda BS that her hubby is financing a football league.

BTW, CFL is of a lot higher standard than the Northern League. Guys come from the CFL and become successful in the NFL all the time (Hi Jeff). It’s more like Japan than the Northern League.

by Bitter Fan on Feb 9, 2009 4:11 PM PST reply actions