football

USFL to Play in Birmingham for First Season; Debut Game on Fox, NBC

The debut game will air on both Fox and NBC, making it the first scheduled sporting event to air on competing broadcast networks since 1967

Getty Images/ Winslow Productions

The newly re-formed USFL will play every game in the same city during its inaugural season.

The eight-team professional football league owned by Fox Sports will debut on April 16 with the Birmingham Stallions against the New Jersey Generals. All the games will be in Birmingham, Alabama.

The game will be aired on both Fox and NBC, making it the first scheduled sporting event to air on competing broadcast networks since both CBS and NBC televised Super Bowl I in 1967.

From 1983-85, the original USFL played spring league games before folding.

“The first game played in any new league is itself historical and having the USFL’s inaugural game simulcast by NBC and Fox makes it even more so,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer. “It’s rare when two competitors can come together and see how cooperation can lead to long-term benefit.”

Most games will be at Protective Stadium, the 45,000-seat home to UAB games since opening in October. Others will be played at Legion Field.

The North Division includes the Generals, the Michigan Panthers, the Philadelphia Stars and the Pittsburgh Maulers.

The Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits will make up the South Division.

Training camps open March 21 after a player selection meeting. Each team will have 38-man rosters with seven players on a practice squad. Each player will receive base pay and be eligible for victory bonuses.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us