National Gridiron League (United States)
The National Gridiron League (NGL) was a proposed gridiron football league. In 2022, after three years of postponed seasons, the organization rebranded as the United Football League (UFL).[1], prior to the current UFL (formed from the merger of the 2020s USFL and XFL leagues). In 2024, the NGL resurfaced to claim to be launching in 2025.
Sport | Indoor football |
---|---|
Founded | 2017 |
Founder | Joe E. McClendon, III |
President | Joe E. McClendon, III |
No. of teams | 12 |
Country | United States |
Official website | https://www.gongl.com |
A number of cases in the past and multiple seasons cancellation have raised questions about whether this is a legitimate league or a scam[2][3] and the United Football Players Association had warned prospective players from signing with the league.[4]
Prior to the postponed 2019 season, the league logo used was a near copy of the former United Football League, while many of the team names and logos are also copies of former football teams. League chairman Joe E. McClendon III said that those trademarks had expired and it makes good business sense to recycle them in an attempt to capture the already existing fan-bases.[5]
History
editNational Gridiron League (2018–2021)
editInitially the league announced that it had planned to start play as an indoor football league in spring 2019, with 12 teams aligned in two divisions[6] starting on March 30, 2019, and conclude with the inaugural Gridiron Bowl game on August 10, 2019, in Biloxi, Mississippi.[7] However, the league pushed back the announced start of the inaugural season to May 2019 amid reports the league had not had finalized leases for many of its teams.[8][9][10]
By April 2, team coaches informed the players the season was canceled as the league was not going to be able to honor their original contracts and that none of the team staff or coaches had ever been paid.[11][12] League chairman Joe McClendon announced the following day that league had postponed its inaugural season to 2020 citing organizational changes in personnel and the suspension of operations of the Alliance of American Football.[13] Its personnel later sued the league over their claims of non-payment for their work.[14]
The league continued pursuits of a 2020 season including announcing player signings and scheduled Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for January 24–26, 2020.[15] However, all OTAs were canceled the evening of January 24 after players had started arriving.[16] The league then announced that teams would be allowed to play outdoors.[17] The 2020 season was postponed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
The league originally announced a 2021 schedule with all games to be held outdoors as a traditional spring league.[19] On January 31, 2021, the league announced it would play all games at single location, without confirming the site,[20] with a planned start date of April 10.[21] It was pushed back again to May 1 with the season to take place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at an unannounced venue.[22][23] As of April 2021, no venue in Fort Wayne was ever secured.[24]
On April 10, 2021, Joe McClendon and several others showed up to protest at the Glenbrook Square mall in Fort Wayne claiming the city is not holding up to the agreed deal to aid the players in providing hotel accommodations.[25] The players had been told the city would cover the costs of their hotel bills, but had been given notice to evacuate their rooms the morning of April 10 when the rates had not been paid. The city of Fort Wayne responded that they had never made any commitments or arrangements with the league at all, they had only had a few meetings with McClendon to point him where to look for community engagement, venues, and lodging.[26] On April 12, the city then stated they would have no further discussion for a partnership with the league.[27]
On the evening of April 12, McClendon met with the players in the hotel conference room where they were staying and told them the Fort Wayne event was cancelled and they would not be getting any aid in paying for the rooms from the city or the league. A player then physically attacked McClendon over being stranded in the city and frauded out of the tryout fees, travel, and accommodation rates. McClendon insisted there would still be a 2021 season, but in a different city and claims the league must play this year due to taking out a PPP loan that must be used.[28][24] He also stated that when Visit Fort Wayne, the city's visitor bureau, had contacted him about having the season in the city, that they would provide lodging in the city. Visit Fort Wayne countered with saying they had only agreed to find rooms for the players, not pay for them, but that they would advocate with the local hotels for lower rates.[24]
UFL rebrand
editIn August 2021, a new website was created under the name United Football League (UFL), stating it is a continuation of two former leagues of the same name (the UFL from the 1960s and the unrelated UFL that operated from 2009 to 2012) and that it had purchased the teams from the now-defunct NGL.[29] However, the new league is a rebrand of the same organization behind the NGL, including still having occasional references to itself as the National Gridiron League within the new website left over the web address move.[1][30] It originally proposed a 2022 season with many of the 11 of the 12 teams from the NGL, but the season was postponed to April 2023 with 14 proposed teams.[31] Players were charged $75 to participate in a league tryouts.[3] The UFL plans to play an 8-on-8 football in a modular-built stadiums.[32] In February 2023 it was reported that the construction plans for football stadium next to Oklahoma City's Crossroads Mall have been halted after McClendon didn't pay $10,000 deposit that was part of the lease agreement.[33]
In February 2023 the league announced that training camp will start on March 31, 2023, with the season starting on April 22,[34] and published the teams rosters.[35] On March they announced the league will launch an exclusive streaming subscription service called UFL+[36] and also announced they will hold an "annual UFL Semi-Pro Draft".[37] The season start would later be delayed to May 13.[38] On May 15 the league announced that they are launching a new "Player Development Program", with players paying $1,000 for the opportunity to practice with the league teams,[39] and in turn will expand the roster and allow unlimited number of players on each team.[40] On June 15, 2023 - well after the planned starting date - the league announced they will cancel the 2023 season and will hold "team scrimmages" instead, "as the league works to promote team brands and develop sponsorships in each market for a start in 2024".[41][42] As of December 2023, no such scrimmages were held. Players were promised a salary of $50,000 a year, while head coaches were promised $65,000.[3]
In July 2023, an article in CBS6 Richmond revealed that McClendon never established any venue contracts or paid any of the contracted players or coaches prior to changing his phone number.[3] The Richmond Iron Horses' head coach was quoted: "It's a whole hoax. It's a fraud. It's called you fooling me league, that's what it is."[3]
By December 2023, a different United Football League—a group backed by Fox Corporation, Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners—laid claim to the UFL name and brand.[43]
National Gridiron League (2024-)
editIn 2024 the operation returned to the National Gridiron League brand, with announced plans to launch an 18-team league in March, 2025.[44] [45]
Teams
editAnnounced 2019 teams
editAs of February 21, 2019. Cities in italics were locations identified by the league website, but no leases for an arena were confirmed to have been signed in the listed location.[46] Since the postponement, all arena references on the league website have been removed and most coaches have either been changed or moved on to other leagues.
2020 teams
editAs of March 26, 2020.[52] No home venues were confirmed to have been signed in any listed locations although they were listed on the posted schedule.[53]
2021
editOriginal outdoor venues were listed on the league ticket purchasing website,[65] but were not confirmed by any of the venues themselves. Later plans were for a single-site season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Division | Team | Location | Venue | Head coach | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Conference | ||||||
North | Indiana Blue Bombers | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium | Micheal Coleman[66] | ||
Louisville Firebirds[a] | Jeffersonville, Indiana | Jeffersonville High School | Devin Redd[68] | |||
Pittsburgh Pioneers | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | George K. Cupples Stadium | Quentin Jones[69] | |||
South | Atlanta Wildcats | Jonesboro, Georgia | Hines Ward Field at Tara Stadium | Julius Gant[70] | ||
Virginia Beach Destroyers | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Virginia Beach Sportsplex | Tim Medlin[71] | |||
Virginia Iron Horses | Salem, Virginia | Salem Football Stadium | Jermaine Hampton[72] | |||
Western Conference | ||||||
North | Arkansas Twisters | Little Rock, Arkansas | War Memorial Stadium | Ryan Yarborough[73] | ||
Kansas City Kapitals | North Kansas City, Missouri | North Kansas City High School | Adrian Perez[74] | |||
Saint Louis Stampede | Sauget, Illinois | GCS Ballpark | Vacant[75] | |||
South | Baton Rouge Redsticks | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | BREC Memorial Stadium | B. J. Cohen[76] | ||
Houston Bighorns | Webster, Texas | Challenger Columbia Stadium | Jerrian James[77] | |||
Mississippi Mudcats | Jackson, Mississippi | Smith–Wills Stadium | Christopher Parker[78] |
2022
editListed members of the United Football League as of September 18, 2021.[79] There were no listed venues for any of the teams.
Division | Team | Location |
---|---|---|
Central | Arkansas Twisters | Little Rock, Arkansas |
Baton Rouge Redsticks | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
Houston Bighorns | Houston, Texas | |
Mid-West | Chicago Blue Bombers[a] | Chicago, Illinois |
Kansas City Kapitals | Kansas City, Missouri | |
Saint Louis Stampede | St. Louis, Missouri | |
North | Pittsburgh Pioneers | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Richmond Iron Horses[b] | Richmond, Virginia | |
Virginia Beach Destroyers | Virginia Beach, Virginia | |
South | Atlanta Wildcats | Atlanta, Georgia |
Birmingham Steeldawgs | Birmingham, Alabama | |
Mississippi Mudcats | Jackson, Mississippi |
2023
editListed members of the United Football League of February 28, 2022.[82] There are no listed venues for any of the teams.
- ^ Originally the Louisville Firebirds
2025
editListed members of the National Gridiron League as of 2024.[112] There were no listed venues for any of the teams.
Conference | Team | Location |
---|---|---|
Eastern | Atlanta Wildcats | Atlanta, Georgia |
Charleston Pirates | Charleston, South Carolina | |
Cleveland Gladiators | Cleveland, Ohio | |
Columbus Destroyers | Columbus, Ohio | |
Grand Rapids Rampage | Grand Rapids, Michigan | |
Richmond Iron Horse | Richmond, Virginia | |
Rochester Ragin' Rams | Rochester, New York | |
Tampa Bay Storm | Tampa, Florida | |
Virginia Beach Nighthawks | Virginia Beach, Virginia | |
Western | Arkansas Twisters | Little Rock, Arkansas |
Austin Wranglers | Austin, Texas | |
Louisville Firehawks | Louisville, Kentucky | |
Mississippi Mudcats | Jackson, Mississippi | |
Oklahoma City Owls | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
Portland Roughriders | Portland, Oregon | |
San Jose SaberCats | San Jose, California | |
Utah Blaze | Salt Lake City, Utah | |
Wichita Wild | Wichita, Kansas |
Personnel
edit- Chairman and president: Joe E. McClendon, III
- Chief operating officer: Larry Barlow
- Director of football development: Eddie Brown (in 2019)
References
edit- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". uflfootball.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
Q. How many teams are there in the United Football League? A. The National Gridiron League is a collection of 12 franchises, broken down by two conferences.
- ^ "Reynolds: Players irritated by National Gridiron League's continued issues". Evansville Courier & Press. February 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "They were promised thousands of dollars to join a new arena football league but never received a dime". WTVR. 19 July 2023.
- ^ "What We Know: NGL". UnitedPlayers.org. April 7, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12.
- ^ "New Roanoke arena football league tells city leaders league is still on track". WSLS-TV. March 22, 2019.
- ^ "About Us". National Gridiron League. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Events". National Gridiron League. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ "Indiana Firebirds to play shorter schedule than originally planned". TristateHomepage.com. March 12, 2019.
- ^ "Will arena football actually come to Roanoke?". WSLS-TV. March 12, 2019.
- ^ "Arena football could return to region". The Citizens' Voice. March 2, 2019.
- ^ "Letter: Blue Bombers inaugural season canceled". WANE-TV. April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Blue Bombers coaches not paid a cent, amidst potential folding of NGL". WPTA. April 3, 2019.
- ^ "Arkansas Twisters return pushed back to 2020". KATV. April 3, 2019.
- ^ "Former Indiana Firebirds president Jim Riggs sues National Gridiron League in federal court". Evansville Courier & Press. June 25, 2019.
- ^ "OTAS NEXT ON TAP FOR TEAMS". NGL. December 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "National Gridiron League, Evansville indoor football team leave players stranded". Evansville Courier & Press. January 31, 2020.
- ^ "NGL APPROVES TEAMS TO PLAY IN OUTDOOR VENUES". NGL. February 28, 2020.
- ^ "NGL TO DELAY 2020 START DUE TO HEALTH CONCERNS". NGL. March 12, 2020.
- ^ "NEW SEASON, NEW OUTLOOK". NGL. October 8, 2020.
- ^ "LEAGUE TO PLAY 2021 IN BUBBLE". NGL. January 31, 2021.
- ^ "LEAGUE SETS 2021 BUBBLE SCHEDULE". NGL. February 2, 2021.
- ^ "UPDATED: LEAGUE SETS 2021 BUBBLE SCHEDULE". NGL. March 8, 2021.
- ^ "FORT WAYNE TO HOST 2021 SEASON". NGL. March 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Football league founder "clears the air" after season in Fort Wayne ends before it begins". WANE.com. April 14, 2021.
- ^ "Football league protests at Fort Wayne mall over supposed deal with city". WANE.com. April 10, 2021.
- ^ "City of Fort Wayne says it made no commitments to football league". WANE.com. April 12, 2021.
- ^ "Players left stranded in Fort Wayne after National Gridiron League cancels season". WANE.com. April 12, 2021.
- ^ "League pulls plug on bubble in city". The Journal Gazette. April 13, 2021.
- ^ "About Us". uflfootball.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "The NGL has Completed its Rebranding into the UFL". xflnewshub.com. August 21, 2021.
- ^ "About Us". uflfootball.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ "UFL Corporate Partnership Guide" (PDF). uflfootball.com.
- ^ "Plans halted for semi-pro football team at Oklahoma City mall". KOCO.com. 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Training Camp Dates Set". uflfootball.com.
- ^ "Teams". UFL.
- ^ "UFL launches streaming subscription service UFL+". kansascitykapitals.com.
- ^ "UFL To Host Annual Semi-Pro Draft". vbdestroyers.net.
- ^ "Schedule". uflfootball.com.
- ^ "UFL Launches Player Development Program". uflfootball.com.
- ^ "UFL To Allow Unlimited Rosters". uflfootball.com.
- ^ "UFL To Host Team Scrimmages In 2023". uflfootball.com.
- ^ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report; June 19, 2023". oursportscentral.com. 19 June 2023.
- ^ Russell, Jake (December 31, 2023). "XFL, USFL announce merger to form the United Football League". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report by Dan Krieger March 11, 2024". OurSports Central. 11 March 2024.
- ^ NGL staff (January 18, 2024). "News: The New NGL to Launch March of 2025 - Official Site of the National Gridiron League (gongl.com)". gongl.com. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Indoor football team still hasn't returned lease agreement". The Journal Gazette. October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Coliseum OKs indoor football". The Journal Gazette. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Arkansas Twisters to be part of National Gridiron League, play games at Verizon Arena". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Indoor arena football team coming to Topeka in 2019". WIBW. June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Pat Pimmel Facebook post on March, 24, 2019". Facebook. March 24, 2019.
- ^ Gibson, Raegan (February 19, 2019). "Beaumont to welcome arena football, Bighorns team to Ford Park". KBMT. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ "Teams". NGL. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
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- ^ "Indiana Firebirds moving to Dayton". TriStateHomepage.com. February 28, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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- ^ "Atlanta Wildcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "Virginia Beach Destroyers – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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- ^ "National Gridiron League Ticketing". NGL. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
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- ^ "Mississippi Mudcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Stats - United Football League". United Football League. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "CHICAGO BLUE BOMBERS TO JOIN THE UFL". United Football League. August 19, 2021.
- ^ "RICHMOND IRON HORSES TO JOIN THE UFL". United Football League. September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Stats - United Football League". United Football League. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ "Wildcats To Host Games At Kiwanis Stadium". United Football League.
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- ^ "Loper named to coach Mississippi Mudcats". United Football League. 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Loper named to coach Mississippi Mudcats". Desoto County News. 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Pioneers Announce Cupples Stadium as New Home Stadium". United Football League. 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Pioneers Name Cross Head Coach". United Football League. 18 January 2023.
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- ^ "Iron Horses Name Joyner III Head Coach". United Football League. 18 January 2023.
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- ^ "Firebirds Name Coleman Head Coach". United Football League.
- ^ "Destroyers Will Host Games In Williamsburg". United Football League. 2 May 2023.
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- ^ "Twisters Name Washington Head Coach". United Football League. 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Redsticks to Build Stadium in Gonzales". United Football League. 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Lamar-Dixon Expo Center set to host Baton Rouge football team". weeklycitizen.com.
- ^ "Blue Bombers Announce Home Venue". United Football League. 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Blue Bombers Name Brom Head Coach". United Football League. 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Bighorns To Host Games At Cougar Stadium". United Football League. 7 March 2023.
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- ^ "Kapitals Name Pettengill Head Coach". United Football League. 4 February 2023.
- ^ "Wranglers to Build Stadium in OKC". United Football League. 13 November 2022.
- ^ "Crossroads Mall to be new home of semi-pro football team". KOCOnews.com. 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Wranglers Name Runnels Head Coach". United Football League. 27 January 2023.
- ^ "OKC to get new semi-professional football team in 2023". OKCfox.com. 15 December 2022.
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- ^ "Stampede Name Golliday Head Coach". United Football League. 17 January 2023.
- ^ "Teams - National Gridiron League". National Gridiron League. Retrieved August 6, 2024.