UFL officials say they expect to grow after inaugural season, capped by Birmingham's title (2024)

The timeline followed by the United Football League from inception to opening day created a rush job for everyone involved.

Coaches had from the start of January to Feb. 22 to complete their rosters and organize a plan for training camp. Players had five weeks of camp to find some semblance of chemistry with teammates.

In terms of the business side of professional football, the task also was formidable. The league had three months to market and sell tickets for eight teams, playing five home games each. That brief time frame, UFL officials say, is the biggest reason attendance in seven of eight cities largely struggled in 2024.

St. Louis earned the championship game, played Sunday at the Dome at America’s Center, based on proven support of the Battlehawks.

The league announced tickets distributed at 27,369, dodging the day’s big question with with no official figure for actual attendance, though the lower bowl appeared to be slightly less than half full. Birmingham rolled to a 25-0 win over San Antonio as quarterback Adrian Martinez ran for two touchdowns and threw for one and its defense held the Brahmas to 208 total yards.

“We haven’t had a full sales cycle,” league CEO Russ Brandon said. “Houston is one example. We went on sale for the home opener six days before the game. We had a facility change there and renovation. So getting into the schedule early (next season) with your sales, you can operate like a real business.

“Honestly, what we’ve been able to accomplish with ticketing and sponsorship across the board is pretty phenomenal.”

Brandon has not hesitated all season in saying the UFL will return next season with the expectation of being around “for the long haul.”

The Battlehawks averaged 34,379 fans for their regular-season home games and had 30,237 for their playoff game, which they lost to San Antonio. The rest of the league averaged around 10,000, with a high single-game attendance of 16,058.

Birmingham drew 10,287 for its conference championship game, against Michigan.

“We have expectations that these numbers are growing and about what we can do in the next 12 months, which is much more,” UFL owner Dany Garcia said.

Fans in the dome were overwhelmingly from the Battlehawks’ fan base. Occasional clusters of Birmingham and San Antonio fans pockmarked the sparse crowd with red and yellow.

“I’m here to support the league,” John Pleimann, of St. Louis, said. Pleimann, wearing a Battlehawks cap and feathered wings despite the temperatures above 90s degrees, stood outside among the tailgaters before the game.

“Even though we’re not playing, we’re still the best fans in the league,” Pleimann said.

For several out-of-towners, the championship game was their first reason to come to St. Louis.

Axel Hernandez drove 14 hours to get to St. Louis from San Antonio.

“It’s absolutely worth it,” Hernandez said. “Always got to support the home team.”

Birmingham native Brandon Varner and his girlfriend, Resha Swanson, of East St. Louis, drove from Chicago.

“The St. Louis fans in particular are extraordinarily passionate,” Varner said. “Birmingham is slowly catching on.”

With the game taking place on Father’s Day, there were a few dads in the crowd who received tickets as gifts.

Terrill Gurly said his daughter gave him a ticket. He was surprised to hear his hometown team wasn’t playing on Sunday.

“The Battlehawks aren’t playing in the championship?” Gurly asked when speaking with a reporter before the game. “Well, I’m still happy to be here. Get to spend time with my daughter. She’s grown now.”

Teams in the UFL are based in Arlington, Texas, during the season, giving them little opportunity to connect with home fans. They practice there all week before traveling to game sites.

All teams are owned by the league, which was created in a merger of the XFL and United States Football League. The merger was announced the last week of 2023 with a decision to play in 2024 despite the short preparation time. The season kicked off in late March.

“The reason our teams are (grouped) together is because of quality of care and structure,” Garcia said. “We can make sure athletes receive an excellent standard of care, food, oversight — everything we need. As we move into cities, we want the same level of investment. It’s a process, and eventually, these teams need to be in their cities. So we see that has evolution of growth.”

Brandon said the league is in “full planning mode” for 2025, with meetings planned for July. At that time, the site of future championship games will be discussed, and Brandon said he would like to focus on planning for two title games.

With teams being based in Texas for now, one challenge continues to be having everyone flying to games each weekend except when Arlington has a home game. Brandon said the first year went well in that regard.

“We have eight spinning plates in Arlington with facilities and getting teams to games,” he said. “To have that run completely flawless says a lot about our path.”