Nach ewig langem Versteckspielen macht die UFL jetzt endlich mal Nägel mit Köpfen: Die offizielle Seite wurde gelauncht.
Gut, sehr viel Konkretes erfährt man noch nicht, aber es ist ein gutes Zeichen und es gibt ein hübsches Logo.
Interessantester Satz auf der Seite:
ZitatFootball is growing in popularity internationally and the UFL plans to travel abroad for both exhibition games and expansion cities.
Press Announcement (via UFLAccess
ZitatUNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES TRAINING CAMP FACILITY IN CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA UFL Debuts New Logo & Launches Website NEW YORK, NY (December 1, 2008) - The United Football League, a new professional outdoor fall football league, will kick-off its inaugural season in the Fall of 2009. The UFL, featuring high quality traditional football played by world-class athletes, was created to meet the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football. Serving communities with pride and passion, the UFL will provide fans with affordable, innovative and entertaining game-day experiences. The UFL was founded by Bill Hambrecht, Chairman & co-CEO of WR Hambrecht + Co. Mr. Hambrecht, along with Tim Armstrong, President of Advertising and Commerce, North America & Vice President, Google, Inc. are the primary investors in the UFL. In its initial year, the UFL will have six teams; three on the East Coast and three on the West Coast and will compete on Thursday and Friday evenings. Former NFL executive Michael Huyghue will serve as the League’s first Commissioner. “The UFL is a new venture of affordable entertainment that will take advantage of the abundance of athletic football talent available and will provide it to more fans in more cities,” said UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue. “We are encouraged by the overwhelming response from potential owners and stadium operators and are anxious to begin building UFL franchises in various cities across the country, and possibly abroad.” In an effort to share resources, foster talent pools and enhance greater camaraderie amongst the players, the UFL has partnered with the city of Casa Grande, Arizona to create a training complex. On the adjacent property of the current Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort, a $20M state-of-the-art athletic facility is being built that will encompass eight playing fields, four field houses, sports training and rehabilitation center, locker rooms, office space and other amenities for UFL year-long use. The UFL will train three of its teams together in Casa Grande while the other three teams will train in a similar environment in a location still to be finalized. The Francisco Grande Resort has a rich sports history dating back to 1959 when the then San Francisco Giants owner Horace Stoneham developed the property as a spring training camp for his popular Major League Baseball team. While Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal were honing their Hall of Fame skills on the property, the Resort also became an exclusive and intimate desert hideaway for Hollywood elites including John Wayne, Dale Robertson, Pat Boone, and Gale Gordon. More information about the city of Casa Grande can be obtained by visiting http://www.casagrandeaz.gov and the Resort by visiting http://www.franciscogrande.com. “I am very excited for our community, especially our youth, who will have the opportunity to attend and participate in sports clinics with world class athletes from the UFL,” said Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson. “The City of Casa Grande extends a warm welcome to the UFL and all of its teams.” The UFL has already partnered with two standout companies in the creation of a new logo and updated web presence. To help establish the UFL’s identity, the League called upon Landor Associates, one of the world’s leading strategic brand and design consultancies. The new UFL logo now emphasizes the broader love for the sport of football with a fun, celebratory feel that brings the fans closer to the game. The UFL also partnered with award-winning professional services agency Lightmaker, Inc. to create a top-notch interactive web destination, http://www.ufl-football.com, for the fans that will enable them to feel part of the football action. “As this will truly be a league for the fans, we are immediately launching a “Name Your Team” campaign via the UFL website for our potential inaugural cities,” added Commissioner Huyghue. “Fans can submit their favorite team names by visiting http://www.ufl-football.com and also stay abreast of all the latest UFL news. Fan participation is an integral component of the UFL and this campaign is just the first of many for the communities to truly embrace the teams. All names will be considered and winning entries will be recognized via the website and at inaugural festivities.” In January, the UFL will be announcing cities, owners and stadiums. Some cities that are in final negotiations and/or being discussed by the UFL include Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterrey (Mexico), New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. The UFL is also in negotiations with a major national sports cable network for a weekly national primetime game. An announcement on UFL’s TV partnership is forthcoming. The executives behind the UFL are experienced NFL franchise builders. Commissioner Michael Huyghue has over 20 years of NFL management experience and is considered the architect in establishing the Jacksonville Jaguars as the winningest franchise of the NFL within a five-year span in his role as the team’s Senior Vice President of Football Operations. The League’s COO is Frank Vuono who significantly expanded the scope of NFL Properties as its Vice President of Retail Licensing and has personally managed marketing and licensing programs for many sports and entertainment personalities and properties including Steve Young, Hakeem Olajuwon, the San Francisco 49ers and Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The UFL also has hired a number of former senior NFL executives to oversee team and league operations. About The UFL The UFL was developed to fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football by providing a high quality traditional football league comprised of world class professional football players. The UFL will serve the communities with pride, dedication and passion, and uphold a leadership role in the development of football worldwide. The UFL will provide every fan with an affordable, accessible, exciting and entertaining game experience. Featuring quality, outdoor professional football played in the fall, in its inaugural year, the UFL will include six teams in its inaugural year. Scheduled to debut in September 2009, the UFL has offices in New York, NY; Jacksonville, Fla. and Rutherford, N.J. and is led by Commissioner Michael Huyghue.