San Diego, Calif. (February 11, 2013) – The United States Football League (USFL) announced today that it has signed a confidential agreement with an established real estate development company to build multiple commercial developments throughout the United States, with the centerpiece of each development to be a mid-sized stadium to host a USFL team.
The USFL and its development partner have identified and secured the first five of these markets and plan to begin construction on stadiums to seat up to 20,000 fans in time for the league’s inaugural season, which is scheduled to kick off in the spring of 2014. The markets include locations in Southern California, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama.
Additionally, the USFL has made significant strides toward bringing a team to Ohio, and has been working closely with multiple other cities to ensure that it reaches its goal of securing teams in eight markets for its debut season.
“It is still the USFL’s goal to secure eight teams for our launch in 2014, and we feel that with a mixture of joint-ventured teams and other ownership groups we will achieve our goal,” said Jaime Cuadra, the USFL’s President and CEO. “Due to the delicate nature of the development process, we will wait to disclose the specific cities until a later date.”
Each development will contain a USFL football stadium, a sports and entertainment complex and residential and retail space. The USFL and its development partner plan to build the new developments across the spectrum of small, mid-size and large markets, with the goal of bringing economic development to underserved areas and creating jobs and a sustainable economy for these selected cities.
In striking this deal, the USFL gains an experienced development partner with the resources and ability to quickly construct stadiums that will fit the needs of an emerging and state-of-the-art sports league. The development company benefits by securing an anchor tenant for developments in five of its locations across the United States.
A significant part of the league’s vision for operating its teams in these new markets is to ensure that the league’s presence makes a positive impact on communities. Each of the new developments is designed to benefit their communities by creating more than 3,000 employment opportunities in industries such as construction, retail and hospitality while providing new, affordable housing options and increasing and sustaining commerce within the city limits. Additionally, throughout the year each USFL team will contribute to ongoing community service efforts that to better the community in which they play.
“We’re tremendously excited about this partnership,” Cuadra said. “Not only is this a milestone achievement as far as moving us closer to kicking off in 2014, but it will help us tremendously as we move forward with securing sponsorships, negotiating media packages and eventually bringing aboard general managers, coaches and players.”
The USFL is designed to allow players an opportunity to play professionally, with the aim of continued development for its athletes. The league will be structured as a single-entity business. All player and coach contracts will be owned by the USFL, and each team owner will be a member-operator of the league.
The USFL will operate independently of other professional football organizations, but will establish a collaborative environment with similar entities in order to create the relationships that provide its players and personnel with the best opportunity for exposure and training to advance their careers to the highest level of the sport.
The USFL will endeavor to prepare players for life after playing football by providing mentorship and counsel to expand the athletes’ awareness of opportunities inside and, especially, outside of football. Additionally, the USFL plans to enhance the fan experience by providing greater access to its players and employing technology to improve the viewing experience for its fans.
