The first game of the new USFL will air on both FOX and NBC on April 16 from Protective Stadium in Birmingham, the first time a professional football game has been featured on two network broadcasts simultaneously since Super Bowl I in 1967.
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks kicked off the USFL with an event at Protective Stadium this morning.
“I feel like it’s real for the first time,” Shanks said. Protective Stadium “looks good on television, as good as any stadium in the country,” he said.
The USFL will feature eight teams, all based in Birmingham for the first season. The Birmingham Stallions and the New Jersey Generals will play the first game Saturday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. That will kick off the 12-week season.
The rest of the teams are the Tampa Bay Bandits, the Philadelphia Stars, the New Orleans Breakers, the Houston Gamblers, the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Michigan Panthers.
The teams will begin a three-and-a-half week training camp in March. Legion Field will host 11 games and the rest will be played at Protective Stadium.
“The more you learn about this, the more exciting it gets,” said Skip Holtz, head coach of the Birmingham Stallions.
“There is going to be a home team,” he said. “The Birmingham Stallions are back.”
Holtz jokingly announced that retired NFL star Reggie Bush, a Fox Sports analyst who was sitting on the front row at the announcement today, would be on the Stallions. “I’ll call it, ‘you run it, you make me look good.’”
Bush, who is serving as a goodwill ambassador for the USFL, spoke to youth on Monday at the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Home in Birmingham as part of the USFL’s community outreach.
Fox Sports owns the USFL and NBC is its broadcasting partner. All games will be televised on various related networks, including 9 on NBC, 9 on USA Network and 4 on Peacock; 14 on Fox and 8 on FS1.
“It shows the commitment to making this a success,” said NBC Sports executive Jon Miller.
Brian Woods, a USFL co-founder and president of football operations, said the USFL will focus heavily on signing recent college football players. “We want to build the star power very quickly,” he said.
Tickets are available for $10 at USFL2.com and an adult ticket includes three free for kids.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said bringing the USFL to the city required regional cooperation.
“This is really, really a big deal for our community,” Woodfin said. “I look forward to cheering on the Stallions, not only here in this stadium but at Legion Field.”
Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens said that local leaders now need to focus on getting people to attend the games. “This will change the sports landscape in Birmingham for many, many years,” he said.
Bringing the USFL to Alabama was made possible by the construction of the new Protective Stadium in Birmingham, said State Sen. Jabo Waggoner. “It was a labor of love,” he said. “If we did not have this world-class facility, we would not be here today.”
State Sen. Rodger Smitherman urged football fans to “embrace this team, embrace this league.”
Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander said, “Y’all, this feels like a touchdown.”
See also: Reggie Bush visits Birmingham kids, promotes USFL
USFL announces plans for inaugural season in Birmingham
How the USFL came to Birmingham