USFL To Birmingham: Plans To Be Announced Soon

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Talk of the newly revamped United States Football League and its arrival in Birmingham has been ongoing for months, but an announcement by the league at the end of January is expected to put more clarity on when the league will begin operations in the Magic City.

Monday, the league issued a statement that it will reveal plans Jan. 25 for its eight teams to play 43 games in the city at Protective Stadium. Fox Sports has committed $150 million over three years to the USFL’s operations and will be the league’s official broadcast partner, according to an AL.com report.

Here is what is already known about the new USFL venture:

• Fox Sports owns the league and has committed $150 million over three years to its operations.
• The league would play all its 43 games in Birmingham in a "bubble" format similar to the National Basketball Association's 2020 season.
• The season would run from April 15-July 3 next year
• The teams would not have a location affiliation at first, but the idea is to showcase the league in the "Birmingham bubble" in hopes that cities could eventually "claim" a team in the 8-team league.
• Birmingham will contribute $500,000 to USFL expenses, with Jefferson county matching

The Birmingham City Council earlier this month approved a resolution for mayor Randall Woodfin to execute an agreement with the USFL’s ownership group to provide up to $500,000 of in-kind services to mitigate the cost of playing eight to 11 USFL games at Legion Field, with the remaining games to be played at Protective Stadium.