United Football League: Coming to a city near you! tagged: , , , ,

United Football League: Coming to a city near you!

Posted by Emmett Jones in Football

ufllogo11 United Football League: Coming to a city near you!

…well maybe.

The UFL’s New York franchise (the Sentinels) is moving to Hartford.  Apparently its a move that has been in the making, at least in Commissioner Michael Huyghue’s mind, for quite awhile,

“I’m thrilled because I feel like I’m coming home to a market that I’ve always wanted to have a team in,” Huyghue said Monday. “I think Hartford is an unbelievable market. And when you consider that we’re moving the team from New York, when everybody says you have to have a team in New York … I think that’s a strong statement on just how good we feel about Hartford.”

Since the UFL was born last year, Huyghue has continually cited Hartford as a future market. The Sentinels played one of their three home games at Rentschler last year and it was apparent Hartford would get a franchise, either through expansion or relocation. (via Hartford Courant)

Apparently the move to Hartford in part, is part of the UFL’s strategy to put teams in non-NFL markets.  Seeing as how the UFL season occurs simultaneously with the NFL’s and the NFL’s immense popularity my only question is why that wasn’t the strategy in the UFL’s inaugural season.

Besides the moving of the New York franchise, look for a lot of activity from the UFL for their second season,

Besides the New York-to-Hartford shift, the UFL is expected to relocate the California Redwoods from the Bay Area to Sacramento and add two teams through expansion. San Antonio, Omaha, Salt Lake City, Louisville and Portland, Ore., have been mentioned as possibilities.

The ownership alignment will be the same — the league owns 50 percent of each franchise — and Hartford’s franchise will still be owned by New York financier William Mayer. But teams will have a stronger base in their market this year, with players and staff based in local markets.

I can’t say whether or not the UFL will succeed, but it does at least seem like they’re moving in the right direction.  Teams in non-NFL markets, creating stronger employee (and probably consumer) bases as well by tapping into the local markets…Lets sit back and see what they do, in season 2.

minor league team in a fledgling league.

Huyghue, commissioner of the United Football League, will be at Rentschler Field in East Hartford for an 11 a.m. press conference to announce the relocation of the New York Sentinels to Hartford.