United States Football League (2010)

Infobox Sports league
title =United States Football League
current_season =
logo =
pixels =
caption =
Formerly =
sport =American football
founded =2008
fame =
motto =
inaugural =2010
teams =12
country =USA
champion =
most_champs =
qualification =
folded =
website = [http://www.newusfl.com/index.html The New USFL]
singles =
ceo =Tom Shapiro; CEO: Michael Dwyer
Director =
TV =
related_comps =
Founder =Michael DwyerThe United States Football League is a spring professional American football league currently in start up aiming for a 2010 inaugual season.

History

On August 23, 2008, a press conference revealed plans for The New USFL, a direct revival of the original United States Football League, [cite news|url=http://www.mediasyndicate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10118|title=The New United States Football League To Kick Off in February 2010 |last=|first=|date=2008-08-13|work=New USFL Press Release (PDF)|accessdate=2008-09-05] planning to start play in Spring 2010. Tom Shapiro, former Assistant City Attorney of Santa Barbara, California has been hired as Commissioner. Some new rules have been announced, many of which were adopted from previous leagues:

* Fans will be able to purchase stock in any franchise (see Green Bay Packers Board of Directors for an example of this type of ownership structure)
* No pre-season, just a 16-game regular season (adopted from the WFL)
* No touchbacks on kickoffs, if the ball goes out of the endzone, it will be placed at the 15 yard line (adopted from Arena Football League)
* Field goals of at least 51 yards will be four points (adopted from NFL Europe)
* A three-point conversion will be placed at the 10 yard line (adopted from the XFL)
* One foot inbounds for a catch (a rule in virtually every league except the NFL)
* No kneel downs (adopted from Arena Football League)
* Safeties are worth 4 points
* Overtime will be played like in college

The New USFL season is planned to begin in February and run for sixteen weeks plus playoffs, with a championship game at the end of June.

The league will introduce 12 franchises for the inaugural season, with hopes to grow to an eventual sixteen teams. Franchises have been awarded to ownership groups in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Jose, Portland, San Antonio (Northwest Divison), Orlando, Little Rock, New York - West Point and Baton Rouge (South-East Division). The other 3 franchises could go to Dallas, Houston, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Memphis, Mississippi, New Jersey or Alabama, with Alabama and Houston unlikely due to the presence of the All American Football League.

The league would be directly competing with the All American Football League for at least part of the season in professional spring football, if the AAFL survives its inaugural 2009 season. No city currently has teams in both leagues, though a few possible USFL cities already have AAFL teams (the AAFL has teams in Birmingham, Little Rock, Gainesville, Detroit, Knoxville and Houston).

Reference

External links

* [http://www.newusfl.com/index.html The New USFL]

ee also

* United States Football League (1982)
* List of leagues of American football