Aiming for a fall 2008 kick-off, the United Football League is taking a unique tact by inviting fans to vote on the location of its franchises.
Prospective fans of the new league can vote for teams to be located in eight of 12 proposed cities by putting up $5 to reserve a season ticket. Deposits made at http://www.ticketreserve.com will serve as a down payment if that city is selected, or will be refunded if the city is omitted.
Nominated cities include Austin, TX, Birmingham, AL, Columbus, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, KY, Memphis, TN, Oklahoma City, OK, Orlando, FL, Raleigh, NC, Sacramento, CA, and San Antonio, TX.
“We’re looking to distinguish it from other leagues to make it successful,” said UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue.
Along with giving the fans a voice in the franchise locations, the UFL intends to distinguish itself from other unsuccessful start-up football leagues like the USFL by playing a fall schedule on Friday nights and only drafting players who’ve previously been signed to National Football League contracts. It will also keep a lid on ticket prices and may offer fans equity in its franchises.
The tentative game plan is to offer fans one-third ownership of each team, with one-third held by each team owner one-third third retained by the league, according to Huyghue.
“You’ll have to grow this as a TV product to be successful,” he said. “That’s not going to happen in the first three years, so you have to have grassroots support.”
The UFL is plugging the fan ticket-voting for franchise cities with radio and print campaigns. The league is also conducting focus group research in each metro area to gauge levels of fan interest.
Los Angeles, which lost its NFL franchise, and San Antonio with its seldom-used football-ready Alamo Dome, would appear to be top prospects. A team in Austin would foster a natural local rivalry with the Alamo City in football-frenzied Texas.
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