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Detroit ― Following weeks of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Michigan Panthers, including speculation about possible relocation out of the state, the United Football League’s new co-owner said Monday that he’s “trying” to find a solution that could keep the Panthers from moving.
Mike Repole, who joined the ownership group of the UFL at the end of July, posted on X on Monday that the Panthers’ current venue, Ford Field, is the biggest obstacle for the franchise, and said he is monitoring the situation with Detroit City FC’s new stadium as a potential solution down the road.
Detroit City FC is spending $150 million to build a 15,000-seat stadium, which is scheduled to open in southwest Detroit in 2027. The soccer club released renderings and the stadium’s name earlier this month.
“I’m a big fan of Michigan Panthers and the @USFLPanthers,” Repole wrote on X on Monday night, in response to a fan asking about the future of the franchise. “Attendance was up this season but the venue remains the biggest obstacle in the market. Michigan is a passionate football state with a loyal fan base, but the current stadium options create too many challenges.
“That’s why I keep coming back to AlumniFi Field (the new DCFC stadium). I need more info. This is the exact type of venue I have in mind for the future of the (UFL). I’m trying.”
The Panthers have played at Ford Field, also home of the Detroit Lions, for the last three seasons, first as part of the United States Football League, and then as part of the UFL created by the merger of the USFL and XFL. The Panthers survived the merger, which made an eight-team league out of 16 teams from the previous two leagues.
The ownership group of the old USFL liked the prestige of playing at Ford Field; it gave the league some credibility. But the challenges are numerous, including the game-day cost for the league, which is reported to be among the most expensive in the league, if not the most expensive. The optics are another issue. Even though Panthers attendance has been among the best in the league, and has been increasing, that still leaves a lot of empty seats in 65,000-seat Ford Field, which doesn’t look great on television.
The Panthers drew more than 10,000 fans for four of its five home games in 2025, including 16,014 for its last home game, which was Jake Bates bobblehead day. They averaged almost 11,681 fans per home game in 2025, making Michigan the only UFL team to see an increase in attendance last season.
Yet, there have been reports and speculation about the future of the Panthers, whose roots date to the early 1980s and the old UFL. Panthers general manager Steve Kazor and head coach Mike Nolan, among the only remaining employees with the franchise after ticket and marking staff was let go after the season, said they have heard nothing definitive yet about the Panthers’ future. The UFL has declined to make Repole available to The News.
Michigan Panthers fans have started petitions to keep the franchise, and they hope to see the same fate as the Birmingham Stallions, who also were reportedly on the chopping block but have now been confirmed for play in 2025.
The UFL has confirmed at least one new city will be hosting a team in 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. The league website continues to list the eight franchises from 2024, including Michigan.
The Panthers went 6-4 in the regular season in 2025, before losing in the UFL championship game.
Relope, 56, who has a strong background in branding and marketing and also co-founded multiple beverages that sold to Coca-Cola for a combined $10 billion, joined the UFL ownership group that also includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Fox, Redbird Capital Partners and Dany Garcia. He’s been tasked to get more fans in the stands and eyes on the broadcasts for a league that’s already bucked the odds in lasting longer than most attempts at launching pro spring football leagues. TV ratings also were down 20% in 2025, from 2024, despite airing on ESPN and Fox platforms.
The product on the field has caught the attention of the NFL, though, with hundreds of UFL players signing some level of contract with NFL teams, 67 this year alone, including Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins. The MVP in the UFL in 2025, Perkins signed with the Carolina Panthers. Bates is one of the UFL’s best success stories, becoming the Lions’ starting kicker in 2024, after he went viral earlier in the year with his booming kicks for the Panthers at Ford Field.
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