The Rock and Dany Garcia announce the United Football League.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia successfully led the XFL through one season in 2023 and following two seasons of the USFL, it was announced that those groups would be merging.
Johnson and Garcia joined Sunday's edition of Fox NFL Sunday on December 31 to announce that as a result of the merger, they were creating the United Football League.
They later issued a press release noting that the season would kick off on March 30.
UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE ("UFL") SET TO LAUNCH AS THE PREMIER SPRING FOOTBALL LEAGUE.
Russ Brandon to be President and CEO; Daryl Johnston will lead football operations
UFL season kicks off on Saturday, March 30, 2024 with the battle of the 2023 champions: Arlington Renegades vs Birmingham Stallions
NEW YORK, NY — December 31, 2023 — Today marks the official announcement regarding the launch of the United Football League (the "UFL"), the premier spring football league that will result from the merger of the XFL and USFL.
The 2024 season for the UFL is set to kick off on Saturday, March 30, 2024. Russ Brandon, former President and CEO of the XFL, will lead the UFL as President and CEO. Daryl Johnston, former USFL President of Football Operations, will lead football operations.
Today's news was first announced by Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson on FOX NFL Sunday. Additional details about team markets and football operations will be announced very shortly.
Partner Commentary
Eric Shanks — Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer of FOX Sports
"FOX is football, and the success of the USFL has proven that there's a bright future for spring football. The opportunity to bring together our two leagues — each with a commitment to advancing broadcast practices, rule innovations and the community — only furthers the potential of the United Football League and solidifies its spot on the sports calendar."Jimmy Pitaro — Chairman, ESPN
"The United Football League — a powerful combination of the XFL and USFL — will provide passionate sports fans with an entertaining, innovative, and action-packed season," Pitaro said. "With compelling storytelling across traditional and digital platforms, fan-friendly innovations, and tremendous reach, this visionary league is well-positioned, and we look forward to our continued collaboration."Dany Garcia — Founder, CEO and Chairwoman of The Garcia Companies
"This new venture is possible because of a shared visionary mindset, a profound passion for the game, and first-hand experience living and creating the opportunities that football makes possible. As a unified spring league, we are able to deepen our commitment to unlocking and surpassing the dreams of our players, coaches, staff and fans. This league represents continued legacy and evolution, and we look forward to building the universe of spring football."Dwayne Johnson — Founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies
"From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation. As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans - a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the 'hardest workers in the room' mentality to make their dreams come true."Gerry Cardinale — Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital Partners
"When you combine the entertainment and marketing expertise of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, the broadcast and network reach of FOX and ESPN, and the strategic capital and company-building mentality of RedBird, there is a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique — a valuable and scalable live event entertainment platform that will continue to work closely with the NFL on innovation and player development and have a legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four. "
The XFL had originally been a brand formed by Vince McMahon in 2001. It was brought back in 2020 for less than a full season before its abrupt closure due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In August of that year, it was announced that Johnson, Garcia, and Redbird Capital would be purchasing the defunct league for $15 million.
The UFL also has loose ties to McMahon. In 2017, McMahon applied for trademarks for both "UFL" and "United Football League" through VKM Ventures, LLC. These trademarks were later abandoned in June 2018. At the same time as those trademarks were filed, McMahon filed the trademark for the XFL through Alpha Entertainment, LLC.
McMahon, the longtime head of WWE recently participated in the merger that formed TKO Group Holdings which is now the parent company of both WWE and UFC. Fans can read The Rock's thoughts on that merger here.
