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The UFL is doubling down.
Despite disappointing metrics in its second season after the USFL/XFL merger, it has attracted another major investor. And he has big plans.
Mike Repole, who cofounded vitaminwater, smartwater, and BodyArmor before selling them to Coca-Cola for more than $12 billion, joins RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, ESPN, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne Johnson as owners of the league.
“Football has clearly established itself as America’s most popular sport, with tremendous momentum and demand,” Repole said in the press release announcing the development. “There’s no better time than now to build a strong, sustainable spring league that unites players, teams, and fans. I’m honored to join the United Football League’s ownership group as we work to create something truly lasting and game-changing.”
The initial changes to the game reportedly include the relocation of half of the league, with Birmingham, Michigan, Houston, and Memphis franchises heading to new markets. In an interview with Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Repole confirmed that at least two and as many as four teams will move for 2026.
Repole also said that one of the new markets will be Columbus, with the UFL team playing at the MLS stadium built for the Columbus Crew.
He wants venues that feel alive. Which makes smaller stadiums critical.
“The vibe hasn’t been to where it should be,” Repole said. “You can hear a pin drop when someone runs 80 yards. That’s not so good. Nobody wants to turn on the TV and see 10,000 fans in a 65,000-seat stadium. It’s like watching a COVID game.”
As the facilities shrink, the teams could grow. Repole wants to double the size of the UFL, within the next decade.
“We’re going to be aggressive as far as being nimble and scrappy and gritty and making aggressive moves,” Repole said. “If by 2035, if we can’t have 16 teams, I’m going to consider it a personal failure. This is it. Other leagues didn’t have the capital that this league has, didn’t have the media giants that this league has, didn’t have the entrepreneurs that this team has.”
He’s right about that. The key will be to create an appetite for football when it’s not football season. That’s the fundamental challenge that all spring or summer leagues have faced.
Which means that the best way to succeed as an alternative league would be to play games during NFL season, on the days when the NFL isn’t playing games: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday.
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