USFL 2022: Birmingham to host all football games in inaugural season
The USFL is a new, independent American football league controlled by FOX Sports through NSFL HoldCo, LLC, a new business entity. (Source: USFL)
The reborn United States Football League announced Birmingham, Alabama, will host all games during its inaugural season this year.
"We're coming to Birmingham!" the league tweeted Tuesday.
According to FOX Sports, the games will be held at Protective Stadium, part of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, with a number of additional games also staged at historic Legion Field. The first game will feature the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 16 and will air on FOX, according to the outlet.
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"Birmingham is one of America's most dynamic and welcoming cities with world-class facilities highlighted by the state-of-the-art Protective Stadium, now home to the USFL," Edward Hartman, USFL executive vice president of business operations told FOX Sports. "Located downtown, it's within walking distance to the hotels where players will reside and many other amenities. We can't wait to make football magic in The Magic City on April 16, when the hometown Stallions take on the Generals to kick off the inaugural USFL season."
The USFL is a new, independent American football league controlled by FOX Sports through NSFL HoldCo, LLC, a new business entity. The eight-team league will hold a player selection meeting Feb. 22-23, and training camps will open March 21.
Each USFL team will carry a 38-man active roster, plus a seven-man practice squad, and players will receive base compensation and be eligible for victory bonuses.
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The season will run from April to June, followed by the playoffs. FOX Sports will carry 22 of the 43 games, with 12 broadcast on FOX and 10 on FS1.
FOX Sports said the eight teams will be split into two divisions: North and South. Each team will play 10 games, with each team within the division playing each other twice and once with a team from the opposite division. The top two teams will then play in a championship game.
The teams include: Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.
Brian Woods —a co-founder of the new USFL — will serve as the league's president of football operations. Joining the new USFL as head of officiating is former NFL vice president of officiating and FOX Sports' NFL and college football rules analyst Mike Pereira. And FOX Sports’ Hartman will serve as executive vice president of business operations.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.