On March 30th in Arlington, Texas the newly formed United Football League will play its inaugural game when the Arlington Renegades take on the Birmingham Stallions. The UFL, a result of the merging of the two spring football leagues in the XFL and USFL, will comprise of eight teams that have survived the merger.
To kick off the UFL season will be the Birmingham Stallions travelling to take on the Arlington Renegades. Chocktaw Stadium will be the venue for the match, and with a capacity of 48,000 it will be interesting to see how well the debut game sells for the league.
Two big names to check out in that one, Stallions quarterback Matt Corral and Renegades punter Marquette King. Corral was a third round pick for the Carolina Panthers just two years ago, and has had a tumultuous time since his rookie season. An injury kept him out of 2022, and after initially making the Panthers 53 man roster he was waived and claimed by the New England Patriots. Soon after he chose not to join the Patriots practice squad and was released from the team.
Marquette King also returns to the UFL after joining last season, King was once an All-Pro in the NFL before his career stalled. A strong showing in the spring and these two might just find themselves in training camp for an NFL team once again.
In the following week all eyes should be on the St. Louis Battlehawks as they host their first home game of the season against the Arlington Renegades. Between all teams from the 2023 seasons of the USFL and the XFL it was St. Louis with the highest attendance rates.
In each of their games last season the Battlehawks had at least 33,000 fans in attendance, with an XFL record setting 38,310 in their week four matchup against the… oh wouldn’t you know it, the Arlington Renegades. If the UFL is to thrive then it is going to need attendance, and watch to see if this one can hit 40,000.
Not to forget, the grand finale for the inaugural UFL season, the championship between the USFL conference winner and the XFL conference winner will be played on June 16th at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Can you tell St. Louis has been dying for football? Chalk this one up as another opportunity for the UFL to draw record crowds as they close out their debut year.
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