The United States Football Association?

[Aaronhere]

http://usfaonline.com/USFA2.jpg

I found this in the article on the future of arena football in Las Vegas:

There could be competition for the local football dollar by two start-up leagues. The United Football League is considering placing a team here next August, and the United States Football Association plans to open in the fall of 2009.
http://www.lvrj.com/sports/10571261.html


And I found this on the Internet:
United States Football Association (USFA), a new professional football
organization, will be kicking off its inaugural season in the fall of 2009.

Commissioner and founder of the league, Adam McLean, was prompted to start a
new league in order to fill the void in markets where the National Football
League (NFL) does not exist. "There is a huge demand for professional
football teams in cities around the country where it is unlikely the NFL
would offer a franchise. That's where the USFA comes into play," said
McLean.

While the USFA will operate similarly to the NFL, there is no affiliation
between the two leagues. The USFA rules and regulations will operate much
like its rival, only with fewer penalties and restrictions. The majority of
USFA's franchises are in the 60 largest television markets in the country.

The USFA's strategy for success is to place teams into markets where the NFL
does not have a team, play during the fall season and offer a modest pay
scale for players and coaches.

McLean is well aware of criticism and skepticism following this announcement
but had this to say: "We do not consider the USFA a secondary or inferior
league to the NFL. We are offering cities across the country a chance to
have their own team to cheer for rather than an NFL team that may be located
hours away. To ensure long-term success for the USFA, we have to look at the
long-term picture and establish a fan base one season at a time. Part of
this plan is affordable ticket and concession prices in efforts to bring
working class American families back to the stadiums."

USFA franchises will be auctioned to prospective owners with bidding
beginning at $2 million per team with the exception of Los Angeles and New
York starting at $5 million. McLean says that the USFA will seek a
broadcasting deal.
http://www.usfaonline.com/about.htm

THIS USFA is different, I believe than this USFA:
The United States Football Alliance(USFA) is a full contact outdoor semi-pro minor league American football league, based in Sharon, Pennsylvania. The league is divided into NFC and AFC Conferences. Each conference is divided into equal divisions. The league was established in 2005 by Randy Goodnight and has been in continuous operation every year. The USFA has active teams in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan. Every year the USFA seeks to expand it's region of play and bring in quality teams to expand the team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Football_Alliance


Here is a proposed alignment for this new USFA:
http://www.usfaonline.com/conferences.htm
And here is a job opening posting I found as well on the Tampa Bay Craig's list site:
Reply to: info@usfaonline.com
Date: 2007-10-03, 6:01PM EDT
The United States Football Association, a new professional football league launching in the Fall of 2009 is currently seeking volunteers or interns to help launch the new league. This position could lead to a full or part time position. For more information, email info@usfaonline.com
http://tampa.craigslist.org/vol/439283869.html

Is this a legitimate new league, like the AAFL and UFL, or is something fishy here?

[firewolff]

I had read somewhere recently that there were two prospective outdoor leagues in the works. McClean says all the right things but 2009 is a long way away and I would certainly like more information if I were thinking about investing.

[preeths]

Seeking to build a new pro league with volunteers and interns is not a good sign.

[firewolff]

Seeking to build a new pro league with volunteers and interns is not a good sign.

Amen to that.

[Innocent Bystander]

The guy starting this league is Adam McLean. Here is a portion of an article from 2000 that relates.

"In spite of a now-crowded field of football leagues, Major League Football also plans to kick off next year, although in the fall. The 24-team league will place franchises in mid-tier, non-NFL markets--with the exception of New York and Los Angeles--and play a 14-game schedule. As of presstime, only an Orlando franchise had been sold (to league founder and commissioner Adam McLean). MLF does not expect to secure a national television contract, and hopes its teams will be able to survive on ticket, concession, and merchandise sales, which is a difficult task."

Here is the link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCL/is_10_29/ai_62804716

I remember the website from the first time around. The concept sounded exactly the same. Outdoor professional football in the fall. 24 team league in smaller markets. It appears to be the same markets that I recall from 7 years ago (although my memory may be a bit hazy). I don't think that this league would stand much of a chance playing in the fall up against the NFL and college football. The UFL starting a year earlier makes this sound like a non-starter from the get go.

[Fez]

The two leagues with any chance of making it are the AAFL and the UFL. These other leagues seem like one guy with a website.