Next UFL team
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Next UFL team
Any guesses on the next UFL team? San Antonio, Salt Lake City, another city.......
Salt Lake is closer to Sac, LV and Omaha, save on travel.
Salt Lake is closer to Sac, LV and Omaha, save on travel.
- wellington
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That's a tough one. In general, I think both would make for great UFL markets. Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium is a good size for the UFL (they would have a realistic chance to sell out the stadium). Utah has always shown strong support for their teams (Jazz, Real Salt Lake). The advantage of San Antonio is that it is a large metro area and would expand the UFL's footprint into Texas.
- wellington
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[quote=""ca""]it should be detroit since we basically dont have an nfl team to compete with as for the other possible suitors of slc , austin or san antonio do they want they competion for the local popular college club s ?[/quote]
Detroit is a great sports town. The only issue is finding a venue. Commercia Park is an option, but it is an outdoor facility, right? The weather could be brutal. Another option is the Silverdome. I believe it was bought by a group of Canadian investors. I have no idea what they plan to do with it (tear it down/refurbish it), but that could be an option. There may be some smaller college venues in the area that could be an option.
Detroit could be a nice fit for the UFL. Although Detroit has been hard hit by the economic downturn, it is a great blue collar, sports town -- the fans are very loyal (they have to be to put with the Lions).
Detroit is a great sports town. The only issue is finding a venue. Commercia Park is an option, but it is an outdoor facility, right? The weather could be brutal. Another option is the Silverdome. I believe it was bought by a group of Canadian investors. I have no idea what they plan to do with it (tear it down/refurbish it), but that could be an option. There may be some smaller college venues in the area that could be an option.
Detroit could be a nice fit for the UFL. Although Detroit has been hard hit by the economic downturn, it is a great blue collar, sports town -- the fans are very loyal (they have to be to put with the Lions).
Expansion
Taking nothing away from Detroit, which is a great sports town, but the UFL wants to systematically stay away from NFL affiliated cities. As for the other choices, here are my takes:
1) Austin, TX - to play at the Longhorns soccer/track stadium which is 20,000 seats. San Antonio has been burned too many times by various football franchise incarnations and the civic leaders pretty much came out and said so. Plus, with Larry Coker and the UTSA program kicking off next year in the Alamodome the UFL will be hard pressed for premium dates and times. The fact of the matter, Austin has better corporate sponsorship (Silicon Valley of the South), has only one prime example of a team failing miserably (Wranglers of the Arena Football League who never sold out a game in their tenure), and a rabid fan base. Of course it is also a double edge sword because Burnt Orange rules the town, the University of Texas has 50,000 undergrads and 6th Street is a poor man's Bourbon Street, but it the Capitol of TX is a sleeping giant and is exactly the type of market the UFL needs to infiltrate.
2) Portland, OR - Trailblazers are similar to the Nebraska Cornhuskers; they always sell out. Another great market that has failed attempts of luring an MLB/NHL teams. With PGE Stadium being renovated for the new Major League Soccer franchise, they have the anchor tenant for the venue already set but could easily share it with a UFL to maximize dates. Like Austin and Salt Lake, has previously been mentioned specifically by the UFL as a city of interest.
3) Salt Lake City, UT - Another MLS affiliated market, Rio Tinto Stadium is grass so the UFL might have to invest in turf which would have the soccer slappies in an uproar. But, I do think that the city can support another franchise and have a nice regional rivalry with Las Vegas.
Other markets that I would suggest: Albuquerque (Lobos Stadium) , Louisville (Papa Johns Stadium), Norfolk (Old Dominion), and Rochester (Rhinos Stadium). Also XFL retreads like Memphis and Birmingham could enter the discussion.
1) Austin, TX - to play at the Longhorns soccer/track stadium which is 20,000 seats. San Antonio has been burned too many times by various football franchise incarnations and the civic leaders pretty much came out and said so. Plus, with Larry Coker and the UTSA program kicking off next year in the Alamodome the UFL will be hard pressed for premium dates and times. The fact of the matter, Austin has better corporate sponsorship (Silicon Valley of the South), has only one prime example of a team failing miserably (Wranglers of the Arena Football League who never sold out a game in their tenure), and a rabid fan base. Of course it is also a double edge sword because Burnt Orange rules the town, the University of Texas has 50,000 undergrads and 6th Street is a poor man's Bourbon Street, but it the Capitol of TX is a sleeping giant and is exactly the type of market the UFL needs to infiltrate.
2) Portland, OR - Trailblazers are similar to the Nebraska Cornhuskers; they always sell out. Another great market that has failed attempts of luring an MLB/NHL teams. With PGE Stadium being renovated for the new Major League Soccer franchise, they have the anchor tenant for the venue already set but could easily share it with a UFL to maximize dates. Like Austin and Salt Lake, has previously been mentioned specifically by the UFL as a city of interest.
3) Salt Lake City, UT - Another MLS affiliated market, Rio Tinto Stadium is grass so the UFL might have to invest in turf which would have the soccer slappies in an uproar. But, I do think that the city can support another franchise and have a nice regional rivalry with Las Vegas.
Other markets that I would suggest: Albuquerque (Lobos Stadium) , Louisville (Papa Johns Stadium), Norfolk (Old Dominion), and Rochester (Rhinos Stadium). Also XFL retreads like Memphis and Birmingham could enter the discussion.
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Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles, and Hawaii.
Yes, Hawaii.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... ls-hawaii/
http://www.theoutlookonline.com/sports/ ... 9485449300
Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles, and Hawaii.
Yes, Hawaii.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... ls-hawaii/
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