United Football League
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| sport | American football |
| abbreviation | UFL |
| League foundation | 2007 |
| League dissolution | 2012 |
| Teams | 4th |
| Country countries |
 United States
|
| Title holder | Virginia Destroyers |
| Record champions | Las Vegas Locomotives |
| TV partner |
CBS Sports Network (2012) Comcast SportsNet (2011) HDNet , Versus (2009-10) |
| Website | UFL-Football.com |
The United Football League was an American football - league in the United States , founded in 2007, took up their gaming operations in 2009 and 2012 has been dissolved.
history
The UFL was founded with the aim of supplying large cities with football that do not yet offer professional football or where there is still potential for further teams. While the main competition in the form of the National Football League is mostly located in metropolitan areas with over one million inhabitants, the UFL is also represented in smaller cities such as Omaha or Hartford . According to the UFL, there are around 21 cities in the USA that have the economic basis, the interest and the TV market situation in order to be able to work successfully.
The first season opened with the Las Vegas Locomotives game against the California Redwoods on October 8, 2009. The average attendance of 9,305 in the premiere season fell short of expectations. In the second season, among other things, the well-known former NFL player Daunte Culpepper could be committed, which brought the league a little more attention. The average attendance rose to almost 15,000 for the regular season.
In January 2011 it was announced that the Florida Tuskers franchise will no longer exist. Players and coaching staff switched to the newly formed Virginia Destroyers team. In August 2011, the Hartford Colonials were dissolved. Before the start of the 2011 season, the UFL failed to achieve new television broadcasting rights. In addition, the league lost its existing nationwide TV partners, which resulted in only a few games being broadcast in regional programming. The UFL was still trying to expand the league. Candidate for a new team is u. a. Salt Lake City . In mid-October 2011 it was announced that the current season would be shortened and the last two match days would be canceled. The championship game was brought forward. The champions of the 2011 season were the Virginia Destroyers. The last season was canceled on October 20, 2012, about halfway through the season. The championship leader Las Vegas Locomotives was declared.
Game mode
The games took place on match days atypical for professional American football. The game was played on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. While there was overlap with high school and college football games, the NFL was avoided.
The season started in mid-September and closes in late November. There were ten game days, with each team playing four home and four away games and two days off. At the end of November, the two best teams met in the so-called Championship Game to determine the champion.
Rule differences
In contrast to the NFL , there were some rule differences. A selection:
- Intentional grounding - The quarterback is allowed to purposely throw the ball away to avoid a sack if it would otherwise be thrown back to the line of scrimmage .
- Instant replay - All game scenes are watched by the Replay Official in replay and, if necessary, regulated within 90 seconds.
- Overtime - In contrast to the Sudden Death rule of the NFL, both teams have the opportunity to play an attack phase. If both teams do not score points during their phase, the sudden death rule then applies. If the points are still tied after 15 minutes of stoppage time, the game is considered a draw.
- Touchdown celebrations - After the touchdown , players can only celebrate inside the end zone or in the areas of the players' benches.
Teams
| team | place | Stadion | Playing times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Locomotives | Las Vegas, Nevada | Sam Boyd Stadium | 2009–2012 |
| Omaha Nighthawks | Omaha , Nebraska |
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium (2010) TD Ameritrade Park (2011/12) |
2010–2012 |
| California Redwoods Sacramento Mountain Lions |
San Francisco and San Jose , California Sacramento, California |
AT&T Park , Spartan Stadium Hornet Stadium , Raley Field |
2009 2010–12 |
| Florida Tuskers Virginia Destroyers |
Orlando , Florida Hampton Roads , Virginia |
Citrus Bowl Virginia Beach Sports Splex |
2009-10 2011-12 |
| New York Sentinels (2009) Hartford Colonials (2010) |
East Rutherford , New Jersey (2009) Hempstead , New York (2009) Hartford , Connecticut (2009-10) |
Giants Stadium James M. Shuart Stadium Rentschler Field |
2009-10 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Audience numbers first season
- ↑ Audience figures for the second season ( Memento from December 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
Web links
- Official website of the UFL (English)