It’s been a long road to confirming the location the USFL plans to use for its central hub.
Back in October reports started making the rounds that the USFL was in talks with representatives from the city of Birmingham to host the entirety of their 2022 season. The proposal outlined the leagues plans to house all eight franchises in Birmingham for 2022, with the possibility of hosting as many as four in 2023.
Additionally, the league agreed to give Birmingham two promotional spots per game. Considering that the city reps were only asking for one, this was just the cherry on the top.
A majority of the games would be played out of the new Protective Stadium, with some being housed out of Legion Field.
It was just earlier this week that the Birmingham City Council officially approved their portion, giving the USFL access to Legion Field for 11 games, and would become home to the leagues training camp.
Additionally, this would net the USFL another $500,000 in funding.
Although the news is still yet to be made official, Edward Hartman (USFL EVP Business Operations) shared an image on social media that definitely raised a few eyebrows.
👀 🐴 @USFL pic.twitter.com/WZdrzRSnV1
— Edward Hartman (@EJHartmanCA) January 14, 2022
The image in question shows a Birmingham Stallions banner, promoting the upcoming 2022 USFL season.
With all the loose ends around the deal seemingly finalized, it looks as if we’re getting closer to hear from the USFL in official capacity.
AL.com reporter Roy S. Johnson also shared an image of the banner, giving his take on the situation as well.
It can’t get much more official than this: although the @usfl has not formally confirmed its commitment to playing its inaugural season in Birmingham this spring, one sign downtown is pretty clear. #BirminghamStallions pic.twitter.com/kYfHjfbjSI
— Roy S. Johnson (@roysj) January 14, 2022
In the past we’ve written about the USFL’s three year plan, and a central hub for the first season is a huge part of that. Ultimately, this is going to be a big cost savings procedure for the league, and can only help them get their feet off the ground.
We’re still a few months out from when the USFL will officially kickoff, and there’s still a lot left to learn. That being said, it seems as one big item is about to be checked off the list.
During the latest episode of The USFL Podcast, The REF and Zach actually spoke about when they though the timing would be on the leagues central hub, and it looks like the gang may be spot on. Make sure you tune into the latest episode!
Do you plan on attending a USFL game this season in Birmingham? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
