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85-636: The league also has a farm league which is the MBL Development League. The most notable club in the league is NS Matrix Deers , who also play in the ASEAN Basketball League . The champions of the league are eligible to play for the Basketball Champions League Asia qualifying rounds. In 2013, Malaysia National Basketball League ceased to operate. After four years of absence, MABA created

170-470: A UFL player was supposed pay a transfer fee of $ 150,000 (later lowered to $ 25,000) to the league. This fee was waived after the 2009 season but was more strictly enforced for 2010; in practice, no NFL team ever paid the fee, and the players who did jump to the NFL ended up paying the fee out of their UFL salaries. The league dropped the transfer fee for the 2011 season. For 2009, each team was unofficially tied to

255-606: A couple owners in hand, the UFL decided to go ahead and do a "soft launch" in 2009, similar to the one used by the Arena Football League in its inaugural season in 1987, rather than delaying play another year. The soft launch called for opening the league with fewer teams than planned and playing an abbreviated schedule. They hoped a functioning league would yield the UFL a superior position for attracting potential owners over competing leagues still under development (like

340-456: A deal to have their games broadcast on CBS sports. On the league's official website [1] on August 1, 2012, an official schedule for 2012, with the September 19 starting date and each team playing an unbalanced, eight-game schedule was posted, matching the earlier speculation. As of that time, final postseason plans remained undecided; the date for the championship game, Friday, November 16,

425-409: A half interest in a team. The league would own the other half. The UFL had difficulties finding willing owners the UFL leadership considered suitable. The UFL planned for each team to eventually sell shares to the public that they hoped could raise another $ 60 million. This never came to pass. Ultimately, the league accrued financial losses of between $ 120 million and $ 150 million over the course of

510-596: A high number of average TV viewing households as potential team locations. Target markets in the US included: Austin , Birmingham , Columbus , Hartford , Las Vegas , Los Angeles , Louisville , Memphis , Milwaukee , New York City , Oklahoma City , Orlando , Portland , Raleigh-Durham , Sacramento , Salt Lake City , San Antonio , and San Jose ; as well as international markets in London , Mexico City and Monterrey . With their planned launch date arriving soon and only

595-584: A lesser extent ARCA and its ARCA Menards Series since ARCA's buyout by NASCAR in 2018); Monster Jam 's Triple Threat Series; Overwatch Contenders ; the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship for Formula One ; and various other affiliated satellite tours of other individual sports, including the Challengers Tour of Professional Tennis. United Football League (2009%E2%80%932012) The United Football League ( UFL )

680-400: A national level league called Malaysia Pro League. In 2022, Malaysia Basketball Association announced the establishment of a new professional basketball league called Major Basketball League Malaysia , replacing Malaysia Pro League. Defunct/inactive teams Source: Men Women Minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as

765-564: A pair of divisions in the National Football League. In addition to this feature, the league held a draft on June 18, 2009, the UFL Premiere Season Draft . A second draft was held on June 2, 2010. The 2011 UFL Draft was held on May 2, with player selections announced via Twitter . No formal draft was staged prior to the 2012 UFL season . The original plan was for owners to pay $ 30 million to buy

850-551: A player salary cap range of $ 12–20 million per team with a staff salary cap of $ 3 million per team. The UFL hoped to be paying at least 10 players on each roster in excess of $ 1 million each per season. These players would provide name value and legitimacy for the league and would fast track the development of local fanbases and a national TV audience. The original plan was predicated on luring very wealthy owners like billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. The UFL however ultimately proved unsuccessful in securing commitments from enough of

935-478: A reserve team in the USL or officially affiliate with a separately owned USL team, but this was never strictly enforced. No formal relationship existed between NASL and the other leagues; NASL's commissioner had said he believed it would "stay that way for some time". However, MLS clubs started withdrawing their reserve sides from the USL system in 2020 amid rumors that MLS would relaunch its former MLS Reserve League in

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1020-447: A soft launch financially tolerable, player salaries had to be dramatically scaled back—pro-rated to reflect the shortened season. An agent representing two players with NFL experience, Jack Bechta, reported his clients were offered UFL contracts at a base salary of $ 35,000. He confirmed with other agents that $ 35,000 was the league mandated salary for skill players and $ 25,000 for punters, place kickers and long snappers, at least for

1105-430: A total of $ 50,000 in the regular season; participants in the 2010 UFL championship game were paid a total of $ 10,000 each, with an additional $ 10,000 going to each player on the winning team. Starting quarterbacks earned a $ 200,000 salary. There was a significant delay in payments after the 2010 season, because of a revenue shortfall, a severe underestimation of expenses, and a delay in a $ 50,000,000 subsidy from one of

1190-656: Is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League . Minor league baseball is almost as old as the professional game itself, and at first consisted of attempts to play baseball in smaller cities and towns independent of the National League , the first true major league. Soon, scouts for the National League were traveling to watch minor league teams play and attempting to sign

1275-507: Is a manifestation of the franchise system used in North American sports , whereby the group of major league teams in each sport is fixed for long periods between expansions or other adjustments, which only take place with the consent of the major league owners. In Europe , and many other parts of the world, association football (soccer), basketball, american football, baseball, handball, hockey, etc. leagues have many divisions below

1360-576: Is in fact what happened; in addition to the championship game between Virginia and Las Vegas, the season concluded with a third-place game (on the same day) in Omaha between the other two teams, the first such game in outdoor professional gridiron football since the demise of the NFL's old third-place game, the Playoff Bowl , which was last contested in January 1970 following the 1969 season . Despite

1445-567: Is standard for sports in both countries , the formal promotion and relegation system is not used, although teams have been informally "promoted" from lower leagues up to Major League Soccer. The United Soccer League operates the USL League Two (formerly the Premier Development League, or PDL), a semi-professional league that has some age restrictions. The National Premier Soccer League operates at approximately

1530-556: Is the most prominent of the minor hockey leagues in North America. Minor League Cricket (MiLC) is a developmental league of Major League Cricket that began play in 2021. Other sports organizations considered to be minor leagues are golf's Korn Ferry Tour and Epson Tour , respectively affiliated with the PGA Tour and LPGA ; NASCAR 's Xfinity Series , Camping World Truck Series and Whelen All-American Series (and to

1615-556: The Arena Football League in the mid-2000s, prior to its bankruptcy and restructuring. Arena football is played under very different conditions, and the AFL had its own minor league, af2 , until 2009. Several other independent indoor football leagues that play a similar game exist. Similarly, the Canadian Football League , though it has developed ties with the NFL in recent years and has moved away from competing with

1700-548: The ECHL . On "the farm", the NHL team will develop young players, occasionally rehabilitate older players who are injured or whose quality of play has slumped. These teams, in turn, have lower-level minor leagues to draw players from and pass players down to. Minor professional ice hockey leagues should not be confused with Junior (amateur players) or Senior (semi-professional to amateur) ice hockey leagues. The American Hockey League

1785-679: The National Football League (NFL). The NFL and its teams have had working relationships with several independent leagues in the past, including the Association of Professional Football Leagues , the Atlantic Coast Football League , and most recently, the league owned-and-operated NFL Europe . In modern times, the NFL has developed players not ready for the active roster through each team's practice squad . Several NFL owners had purchased teams in

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1870-582: The United States Football League . On December 31, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced the formation of the modern United Football League . The remnants of the previous league ceded their social media handles to the 2024 UFL on April 6, 2024. The National Gridiron League attempted to relaunch as the UFL, using the existing trademarks and claiming to be a continuation of the original league. The UFL's original pay structure plan included

1955-689: The United States Soccer Federation , but through the affiliated United States Adult Soccer Association . The USL organization has announced plans to create a full women's developmental pathway, establishing the semi-professional third-level USL W League (USLW; not to be confused with its former W-League) in 2022 and planning to launch the USL Super League (USLS) in 2023. The USL has applied for U.S. Soccer sanctioning of USLS; it has not yet announced its sanctioning plans for USLW. The Major Arena Soccer League 2 (M2)

2040-429: The top-flight level as part of the football pyramid . In other parts of the world there is usually either a system of annual promotion and relegation , meaning that clubs have no fixed status in the hierarchy, or there is only one professional league per country in each sport, rendering the major/minor distinction irrelevant. While there are various semi-professional football leagues, none have any affiliation with

2125-467: The "NBA D-League") and NBA Summer League . The now-defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA) served some of the purposes of a minor league for the NBA for many years. However, there were no direct developmental agreements between CBA and NBA teams the way that there are between Major League Baseball and National Hockey League teams and their minor league affiliates. Pro Semi-Pro The sport with

2210-464: The 1980s, the UFL played all of its games in the traditional fall season, competing directly with the NFL, college football , and high school football . The UFL occupied the second tier of professional football in the United States, behind the National Football League. The UFL primarily consisted of players who had previously played for an NFL team. Although the league had no connection with

2295-443: The 2009 inaugural season. One of the players represented by the agent was a quarterback who received an offer of $ 35,000, although he stated that his negotiations revealed that teams are allowed to pay one quarterback more than the $ 35,000 salary. Bonuses were limited to $ 10,000 per player. In addition to the base salary, the league also paid for all housing expenses for its players. The league's initial salaries were roughly equal to

2380-658: The 2010 season, the New York Sentinels permanently settled in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the Hartford Colonials . The new name was chosen by fans through an online vote. The California Redwoods relocated to Sacramento, California, and chose the name Mountain Lions, also from a fan vote. In another change for the 2010 season, each UFL team would gain their own uniform color identity, loosening them from

2465-536: The 2011−12 season. The thought was that the NFL would fail to reach an agreement with the NFL players' union after the end of their collective bargaining agreement. This would have led to the 2011−12 NFL season being delayed or cancelled, leaving the UFL the only pro football available. The NFL did lock out their players, but the situation was resolved in July 2011, before the start of the NFL season. This negated any benefits

2550-503: The 2012 season had sued the league ownership for failure to pay their salaries. The Destroyers' business license expired on March 1, 2013, and that team's remaining offices were closed before that date. On March 28, 2013, a report in The Wall Street Journal noted that both the spring 2013 resumption and the fall 2013 season were canceled, and that if the league were to return, it would not have been until spring 2014 at

2635-663: The Hartford Colonials potentially on the chopping block. On August 10, 2011, the UFL announced that it would "suspend operations" of the Colonials and go forward with a four-team league. Jerry Glanville , a UFL consultant who had previously been announced as the new head coach of the now-suspended Colonials, began a listening tour of Chattanooga, Salt Lake City and Jackson, Mississippi , in October 2011 to gauge support for UFL expansion franchises. He has stated that of

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2720-659: The Las Vegas Locomotives), blue (Florida Tuskers), black (New York Sentinels), and lime green and white (California Redwoods). Each of the team jerseys had the same design template, complete with a horizontal arc across the top front that resembles the arc on the UFL's logo. One of the Redwoods' games was moved to San Jose; the other two were played in San Francisco (the move to San Jose was a short-notice move due to poor attendance in San Francisco; however,

2805-625: The NFL for talent, plays a visibly different game than the American game, and the two sports favor different types of skills; the CFL arguably holds major league status in its home territory of Canada . Several minor or developmental leagues, independent of the NFL, have come and gone. Some, such as the Alliance of American Football and Fall Experimental Football League (along with the FXFL's successor,

2890-441: The NFL, and had never intended to foster any such connection, some speculated that it could have become a minor or "developmental" league for the NFL, including the UFL's own commissioner. Early news reports had speculated that based on the UFL's initial plan the league would become a "competitor" to the NFL. The UFL seemed poised to capitalize on fan disgust with the NFL should the established league lock out its players prior to

2975-533: The New USFL, which at the time was trumpeting a spring 2010 launch). The markets chosen for the premiere season were New York City ( Sentinels ), Las Vegas (Locomotives), Orlando ( Florida Tuskers ), and the San Francisco Bay Area ( California Redwoods ). The league's short schedule made the kind of expensive promotional efforts often employed with a new league cost prohibitive. Additionally,

3060-698: The New York Sentinels), Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions (originally the California Redwoods), Florida Tuskers, and Virginia Destroyers. The Florida Tuskers and Virginia Destroyers were legally separate teams, but because the Tuskers folded before the Destroyers began play, the UFL assigned most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and the two are typically conflated for the purpose of league history. Only stadiums in which

3145-780: The San Jose game ended up being even more poorly attended). The league was unable to secure a fiscally reasonable deal for a stadium within New York City, forcing the league to have the Sentinels play one home game each in Hartford, Connecticut; on the campus of Hofstra University in Long Island , and in New Jersey . In addition, one of the Tuskers' games was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida , in part because

3230-509: The Short-Season A level eliminated from the minor leagues, and all leagues above Rookie level in the affiliated system renamed. Also, four independent leagues were officially designated as "MLB Partner Leagues". In 2022, the leagues renamed in 2021 reverted to their traditional names. The National Basketball Association has affiliated minor leagues: the NBA G League (formerly called

3315-623: The Tuskers shared ownership that year with the Tampa Bay Rays ; this was not reprised in 2010. The Florida Tuskers finished 2009 with a 6–0 record. The Las Vegas Locomotives were next at 4–2, the California Redwoods were 2–4, and the Sentinels were last at 0–6. The Locomotives played the Tuskers in the 2009 UFL championship game ; the Locomotives won the title on a field goal in overtime. Before

3400-426: The UFL announced it would delay the start of its season until mid-September due to financial issues. The league was in negotiations with CBS and TNT for coverage after Versus dropped the UFL as part of its rebranding to NBC Sports Network , but was unable to get any, and the league also lost its existing television partners. After this postponement, the league confirmed it was considering even further contraction, with

3485-428: The UFL ceased operations for the remainder of the 2012 season. According to head of public relations Larry Weismann, the league intended on resuming the canceled schedule some time in spring 2013, with those games counting toward the 2012 season standings, then come back yet again for the next season in fall 2013. By spring 2013, 78 players from the 2012 season, two head coaches from 2011 and four assistant coaches from

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3570-470: The UFL for their failure to repay the loan by the October 6, 2010, deadline. For the 2011 season, the UFL announced the addition of a franchise in the Hampton Roads ( Norfolk metro area) region of Virginia , originally owned by former CFL owner Jim Speros and managed by former NFL and USFL quarterback Doug Williams . Soon after Speros' ownership was announced, he relinquished control of

3655-419: The UFL might have hoped to reap from the labor dispute. The league was beset by frequent operational interruptions, stemming from systemic financial shortfalls, especially from summer 2011 onward. The United Football League announced on October 20, 2012, that it was ceasing operations immediately, after four weeks of play. The official line from the league was that they intended to resume operations and complete

3740-433: The UFL was arranging a broadcast TV deal with CBS Sports Network (a deal the league had desperately sought) to go along with regional supplemental coverage. However, May 1 came and went without any official announcement by the UFL on their future plans. The league had previously entertained input on the possibility of moving from a fall schedule to the spring. Michael Huyghue, the UFL's original commissioner, resigned from

3825-513: The UFL's owners. As of February 2011, the bonuses for the 2010 championship game remained unpaid, as did numerous other bills accrued by the league during the 2010 season. Most of these bills were eventually paid in March. According to reports that surfaced in May 2011, the base salary for players was reduced to $ 5,000 per game (including the championship), with only a $ 1,000 additional bonus for winning

3910-476: The UFL's scheduling plan was different from that of the National Football League, which is prohibited under federal anti-trust exemption law ( 15 U.S.C. § 1291, i.e., the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 ) from broadcasting any professional game within seventy-five miles of any inter-collegiate or high school game on any Friday or Saturday, beginning with the second Friday in September and ending

3995-626: The United Football League name. In 2018, he instead announced a new XFL , a brand used by McMahon's defunct football league that played one season in 2001; the new XFL began play in 2020 but went on a two-season hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, the XFL—by this time owned by Dany Garcia , Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners—re-filed for the UFL and United Football League trademarks ahead of its proposed merger with

4080-458: The advent of television; minor league clubs only survived in many markets because their major league affiliations included financial support. The trend began to reverse in the 1990s, as new independent minor leagues began for the first time in decades and have become successful to varying levels. In 2021, a major reorganization of the minor leagues saw the number of affiliated teams (i.e., those with formal links to MLB teams) reduced from 160 to 120,

4165-476: The average per-game salaries in the Canadian Football League and, adjusted for inflation, equivalent to the old XFL . In another similarity to the XFL, teams could offer a sizable performance bonus; former Locomotives starting quarterback J. P. Losman has stated that he received a "nice sized" bonus for winning the 2009 UFL championship game . In 2010, players earned $ 6,250 per game, for

4250-428: The championship game. This contradicted the word of the commissioner, who had previously stated he aimed to increase compensation to $ 10,000 per game in March. Pay was further reduced to $ 3,500 per game for the 2012 season. Each player was under contract to the UFL through February of the following year, effectively creating a two-month non-compete clause after the season ends, and any NFL team that wished to sign

4335-618: The coming years; these rumors were proved correct by the 2022 establishment of MLS Next Pro . MLS Next (stylized in all caps) is a system of youth soccer leagues that are managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer . It was introduced by the league in 2020. Semi-professional and amateur leagues sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association are USL League Two , National Premier Soccer League , NISA Nation and United Premier Soccer League . The system, introduced in mid-2020,

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4420-417: The deep-pocketed owners their original plan required. By time the initial season began, the league had totally dumped its original salary structure to suit the reality of the soft launch. The league's original plan would have had the average UFL salary in the $ 240,000-$ 500,000 range, far in excess of the CFL's average salary. The short schedule gutted the league's ability to generate TV or gate revenue. To make

4505-478: The difficulties of 2011, UFL officials were on record as wanting to move ahead on future plans for the league. An April 2012 Las Vegas Review-Journal report indicated that the UFL would announce plans on May 1 to field a five-team league for the 2012 season, including the four 2011 teams plus a fifth expansion team. (The Review-Journal report mentioned San Antonio, Southern California , and Portland, Oregon, were expansion candidates.) The report also indicated that

4590-462: The earliest. The ownership lost or settled most of the lawsuits against them in 2014. As of 2016, all of the remaining non-liquid assets of the league were sitting in a warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida , with an estimated value of $ 100,000. The league still owes approximately $ 1,000,000 to the estate of Dennis Green ; under a court ruling, the league itself is liable for Green's salary, as

4675-406: The field, had done in 2010 after repeated delays of its announced inaugural schedule. However, on July 26, 2012, news broke that the UFL would indeed play a fourth season in 2012. Terms had not been finalized, but initial plans called for four teams playing an eight-game schedule (which would require an unbalanced schedule) on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning September 19, 2012. The league did reach

4760-490: The fourth season starts, a rebuilding and restocking of personnel will need to take place. To conserve much-needed funds the Virginia Destroyers relocated to much smaller office space by February 2012. The league remained silent throughout winter, spring and early summer 2012, raising fears that the league had quietly folded, in the same way the proposed All American Football League , without ever actually taking

4845-498: The large number of American-based teams is that minor league franchises will frequently move from city to city, and even between leagues. In contrast, Canadian cities more commonly host major junior teams, which develop teenage prospects prior to their move to the professional leagues. All National Hockey League teams have a farm team in the American Hockey League and often have a secondary affiliated team in

4930-518: The league $ 5 million in April 2010. He did not own a franchise and he was not involved in day-to-day operations of the league nor of any of its teams. In January 2011, Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and majority owner of HDNet (now AXS TV ), a cable channel and Web-streaming service which had broadcast some games of the league's inaugural two seasons, filed a federal lawsuit against

5015-893: The league announced Moglia would instead coach the Omaha Nighthawks. At the same time, the Florida Tuskers ceased operations in Orlando and moved to Virginia, with Jay Gruden initially remaining as the Destroyers' coach; however, Gruden was hired the next month by the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. For possible 2011 expansion, all cities that were in consideration for 2010 (Portland, San Antonio, Austin, and Salt Lake City) remained in consideration, as well as Raleigh, North Carolina ; Los Angeles; and Honolulu. In regards to future expansion, Huyghue has said that they "may never have more than eight teams" depending on

5100-513: The league as potential owners, but both backed out prior to the 2009 season. On February 9, 2009, it was announced that Paul Pelosi , husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , was one of four investors who had stepped forward to invest $ 10,000,000, plus a personal commitment to cover opening-season losses up to another $ 10,000,000 for a one-half interest in four franchises to play in the league's 2009 inaugural season. The league

5185-407: The league had a full schedule of three home games in the same stadium in only one of their selected cities, Las Vegas. During the week of August 10, 2009, the four team names and their uniform jerseys were revealed. Each of the uniforms (and the team logos and helmets that were unveiled on October 2) incorporated the UFL's signature color scheme into their designs, including silver (primary color for

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5270-545: The league to turn a profit. While he did reach the 20,000 fan threshold in Sacramento in 2010 and 2011, the paying television contract never materialized. Hambrecht sustained losses of $ 40 million on the league. Six teams played in the UFL over the course of its history, no more than five in any given year. The teams that played in the league were: the Las Vegas Locomotives, Hartford Colonials (originally

5355-637: The league's economic situation. The league announced it would expand into the Hampton Roads region of Virginia prior to the start of the 2011 season, giving the Virginia Destroyers time to organize. During UFL Championship Week 2010, the league announced it had a seventh franchise in place, with Huyghue indicating that it would most likely be in Los Angeles, and that the team would not be officially announced until an eighth franchise

5440-403: The league's four years of play. Paul Pelosi's investment alone was between $ 10 million and $ 50 million, according to federal disclosure forms filed by his wife Nancy. For his part, Pelosi initially anticipated losing $ 6 million per year, based on an anticipated 20,000 fans per game, and hoped to make up the difference from a renegotiated television contract in 2011 that paid enough rights fees for

5525-475: The more talented ones away. Soon Major League Baseball began formal developmental agreements with some minor league teams, while others remained independent . Since it was first developed in the 1920s by St. Louis Cardinals executive Branch Rickey , the formal developmental affiliations have come to dominate minor league baseball, and the majority of minor leagues are part of the affiliated system. A general decline in minor league attendance occurred following

5610-501: The next most extensive system of minor league teams other than baseball is ice hockey . In North America, between 1988 and 2005, 233 minor league ice hockey teams played in a total of 160 cities in 13 minor professional leagues. The vast majority of these teams played in the United States, with only 21 of these teams based in Canadian cities. 123 of these minor professional teams played in the southern United States. One reason given for

5695-411: The owners had not personally guaranteed it. Hambrecht has also allegedly not paid the 78 players who sued him for back pay, even as the players won a $ 2.4 million judgment against Hambrecht. Frank Vuono, an executive with the UFL in its early existence, stated that Hambrecht had simply stopped paying the league's bills. The UFL abandoned its trademarks by 2017, when Vince McMahon filed a trademark on

5780-440: The position on January 31, 2012, citing in part the league's severe financial problems and philosophical differences with the league's owners on how to move forward. Instead, the league dispensed, at least for the time being, with a central office and owners Bill Hambrecht (Las Vegas) and Bill Mayer (Virginia) oversaw the league's business operations, while Locos' coach/president Jim Fassel overseeing football operations. Before

5865-467: The premier leagues in those sports . Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in various sports. They generally have lesser fan bases, much smaller revenues and salaries, and are used to develop players for bigger leagues. The minor league concept

5950-884: The same home stadiums as in 2011; the Mountain Lions moved to the Triple-A baseball stadium ( Raley Field ) of the Sacramento franchise of the Pacific Coast League , the Sacramento River Cats . In addition, the Las Vegas Locomotives also negotiated backup plans with Cashman Field in Las Vegas, although the team was able to play its first two home games at Sam Boyd Stadium . On October 20, 2012, after four weeks, continued financial shortfalls, an uncertain stadium situation in Las Vegas, and dramatically reduced attendances across all four markets,

6035-462: The same level as USL League Two. In 2013 Major League Soccer announced a partnership with the USL organization which began formal affiliation between some USL teams and MLS teams. The partnership continued to deepen through the 2010s; by the end of that decade, most MLS teams fielded their reserve teams in the USLC, while a few had their reserve sides in USL1 instead of the USLC. For several years, MLS nominally required all of its teams to either field

6120-471: The standard league colors. For 2010, the league indicated that five markets were under consideration for expansion teams: Omaha, Nebraska ; San Antonio or Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City. On April 15, 2010, Omaha was granted an expansion team, called the Omaha Nighthawks . Mark Cuban, who was mentioned as a potential franchise owner in the league's formative stages, loaned

6205-559: The still extant but non-paying The Spring League ), have explicit minor league and developmental aspirations. Others, such as the United Football League and both the 2001 and 2020 incarnations of the XFL, have sought to maintain independence and maintain a national profile while acknowledging the lack of funds (particularly from television, which is by far the NFL's largest revenue stream) that would be needed to compete for NFL-caliber talent. The UFL during its existence

6290-446: The team played more than one game are listed. In an approach similar to previous football leagues, the UFL mostly adhered to standard NFL and football rules with a few differences of note: For the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the UFL scheduled its games on non-traditional evenings for pro football: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Though these games conflicted with high school and college football events in some locations,

6375-539: The team to the league and allowed bidding to be opened again. Williams later joined his alma mater Grambling State University as their head coach, resigning as Destroyers' general manager. The UFL announced the businessman Joe Moglia , also executive advisor to the head football coach of the University of Nebraska, as the first head coach and president of the Destroyers in November 2010; however, in January 2011,

6460-505: The third consecutive year. If a sixth team had been added, the schedule for each team would have expanded to ten games. The schedule for the 2011 UFL season , released June 9, 2011, confirmed that the league would be locked at five teams for the season, with no expansion. The 2011 season was to shift from a traditional late fall schedule to a late summer/early fall schedule beginning in August 2011 and ending in October; however, in July 2011,

6545-438: The three championships , appearing in (but losing) the third, and having a perfect record for the season at the time of the cessation of operations. The United Football League was founded by Bill Hambrecht and Tim Armstrong . The UFL initially had plans to start with eight teams with $ 12–20 million rosters playing in targeted sites in the fall of 2008. T. Boone Pickens and Mark Cuban had originally been in discussion with

6630-416: The three, at least "one has a UFL team and one may get a UFL team." On October 16, 2011, immediately after each team's fourth game, numerous reports indicated that the remainder of the 2011 season had been cancelled and that the 2011 UFL championship game between Las Vegas and Virginia would be moved up to the date of Virginia's last home game, which would have taken place against Omaha on October 21. This

6715-508: The unfinished 2012 schedule at an unspecified time in spring 2013, then revert to a fall schedule in fall 2013 without a full off-season. This announcement, however, was met with widespread skepticism from both within and outside the league, skepticism that was proven to be warranted as the league never returned. Over the course of the league's history, the Las Vegas Locomotives were the most successful team, winning two of

6800-419: Was a professional American football minor league based in the United States that began play in October 2009 and played four seasons, the final one being cut short in October 2012 . The small league, which never had more than five teams playing at one time, played most of its games in markets where the National Football League (NFL) had no current presence. Unlike most professional football leagues since

6885-531: Was active for the first time during the 2020–21 season. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy . The system covers the under-13, under-14, under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 age groups. The developmental pathway for players outside the collegiate system has so far been mostly an ad hoc affair, with semi-professional and amateur leagues including the former USL W-League . The current United Women's Soccer , UWS League 2 and Women's Premier Soccer League not being sanctioned directly through

6970-603: Was confirmed. As events would turn out, neither franchise would materialize. The league suffered a setback when they had to fold the Florida Tuskers in January 2011. The league moved most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and reassigned the coaching staff already in Virginia to Omaha, firing the previous Omaha coaching staff. After this, the league reduced their goal to six teams, with Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and new contender Chattanooga, Tennessee , still in consideration, and Los Angeles no longer in consideration for

7055-465: Was recognized and accepted as the second tier of professional football behind the NFL, with several former NFL stars playing in the UFL near the ends of their careers. High-level Low-level High-level Mid-level Low-level Below Major League Soccer several lower-level leagues operate on both sides of the U.S.–Canada border as part of the American and Canadian soccer pyramids. As

7140-462: Was set, although the location was not. Also left unanswered was the question of whether last season's unusual third-place game would be repeated. On September 6, a revised UFL schedule for 2012 was posted on the Omaha Nighthawks website [2] showing the season rescheduled to begin on Friday, September 28, and end on Saturday, December 1, along with the claim that CBS Sports Network was in full concordance with this revision. All teams but Sacramento used

7225-556: Was under the overall direction of William Hambrecht, a former Wall Street figure who had sold his old firm, Hambrecht & Quist, to what was then Chase Manhattan Bank for US$ 1.35 billion in 1999. Michael Huyghue , a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the head of a sports agency service, was the league's first and only commissioner. The league had identified 21 cities that they deemed possessed strong economic bases, passionate football tradition, and

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