United Football League ( 2009 - ) The United Football League ( UFL ) is an independent professional American football league that began play in October 2009 . The league currently has five franchises playing in markets where the NFL has no current presence . The league ' s defending champions are the Las Vegas Locomotives . The league primarily consists of players that have at one time or another played for a National Football League team . While the league has no connection with the NFL , and does not intend to have such a relationship in the future , some have speculated that it could become a minor or " developmental " league for the NFL . Other reports described the league as a " competitor " to the NFL . Some press articles have speculated that the UFL ' s business plan is to be present if or when the NFL and its players ' union reach the end of their contract in 2011 , giving players that would be locked - out or striking an opportunity to play somewhere else . If there is a lockout , the league would constitute the highest level of professional football in the United States in 2011 . History . Development and first season ( 2007 – 2009 ) . The UFL initially had plans to start with eight teams playing in targeted sites in the fall of 2008 . T . Boone Pickens and Mark Cuban had originally committed to the league as owners , but both backed out prior to the start of the 2009 season . On February 9 , 2009 , it was announced that Paul Pelosi , husband of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi , had stepped forward heading a group of investors who invested $ 30 million to purchase four franchises to play in the league ' s 2009 inaugural season . The league had identified approximately 21 cities with strong economic bases , passionate football tradition , and a high number of average TV viewing households as potential team locations . Target markets included : Austin ; Birmingham ; Columbus ; Hartford ; Las Vegas ; London , England ; Los Angeles ; Louisville ; Memphis ; Mexico City ; Milwaukee ; Monterrey , Mexico ; New York City ; Oklahoma City ; Orlando ; Portland ; Raleigh - Durham ; Sacramento ; Salt Lake City ; San Antonio ; and San Jose . 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 ) . One of the Redwoods ' games was moved to San Jose ; the other two were played in San Francisco . 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 , Long Island , and New Jersey . In addition , one of the Tuskers ' games was played in St . Petersburg , Florida , due in part to the fact that 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 . The truncated 2009 season was described by the league ' s commissioner as " a soft launch , " similar to the one used by the Arena Football League in its inaugural season in 1987 . Expansion ( 2010 – present ) . Before the 2010 season , the New York Sentinels relocated to Hartford , Connecticut , becoming the Hartford Colonials . The new name of the team 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 . 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 , Utah . On April 15 , 2010 , Omaha was granted an expansion team , called the Omaha Nighthawks . Mark Cuban , who had originally been mentioned as a potential franchise owner in the league ' s formative stages , loaned the league $ 5 million in April 2010 . He did not own an individual franchise and was not involved in day - to - day operations of the league nor any of its teams . In January 2011 , Cuban , the owner of HDNet , filed a federal lawsuit against the UFL for their failure to re - pay the loan by the October 6 , 2010 deadline . Beginning play in 2011 , 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 the team to the league and allowed bidding to be opened again . The UFL announced former TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia as the first head coach and president of the Destroyers in November 2010 ; however , in January 2011 , 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 remaining as the Destroyers ' coach . For possible 2011 expansion teams , all of the markets that were in consideration for 2010 ( Portland , San Antonio , Austin , and Salt Lake City ) remain in consideration , as well as the additions of Raleigh , North Carolina ; Los Angeles , California ; and Honolulu , Hawaii . In regards to future expansion , Huyghue has said that they " may never have more than eight teams " depending on the league ' s economic situation . During UFL Championship Week 2010 , the league announced it had what at the time was 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 was confirmed . After the consolidation of Florida into Virginia , the league has reduced their goal to six teams , with the location of the sixth franchise not yet confirmed . In addition , the league plans on starting the 2011 season in early August , and ending in late October , and eliminated weeknight games from the schedule . The league also announced its intentions to begin playing on Sundays in August before the NFL season begins . Contraction ( 2011 ) . 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 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 , the UFL announced it would delay the start of its season until mid - September due to financial issues and they will keep their games on HDNET & Versus . The league was in negotiations with CBS & TNT for coverage . After this postponement , the league confirmed it was considering even further contraction , with 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 forth with a four - team league . Rules . In an approach similar to previous football leagues , the UFL mostly adheres to standard NFL and football rules with a few differences of note : The William Hambrecht Trophy . The trophy given annually to the UFL champions is The William Hambrecht Trophy , named after the Las Vegas Locos owner and UFL founder . When the trophy was first awarded in 2009 ( fittingly to Hambrecht and the Locos ) , the " Hambrecht " resembled similar qualities to the Vince Lombardi Trophy . It featured the star from the UFL logo with a streak coming off of one of the corners down onto the base . This design was scrapped after year one . For the 2010 season , the " Hambrecht " went under serious reconsideration for the design . Once ultimately decided , the " Hambrecht " now featured two bases in the shape of the UFL logo connected by four columns with a UFL football on a kicking tee placed on the top base . The new design received positive feedback from the players and coaches who competed for the original prize in the 2009 season , as many considered it a new beginning from a luke - warm inaugural season . Game scheduling . The UFL will begin to schedule its games on non - traditional evenings for pro football . For 2011 , the league plans for games on Friday nights , Saturdays , and Sundays for the month of August . Though these games may conflict with high school and college football events in some locations , the UFL ' s scheduling plan is different from that of the National Football League , which is prohibited under federal anti - trust exemption law ( 15 U . S . C . § 1291 ) 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 the second Saturday in December ( 15 U . S . C . § 1293 ) . Financial structure . The UFL ' s pay structure includes a player salary cap range of $ 12 – 20 million per team with a staff salary cap of $ 3 million per team . They hope to be paying at least 10 players on each roster in excess of $ 1 million . In the initial truncated six - week season , the four teams reportedly had total of $ 16 million in labor costs , reflecting the shorter season . In 2009 , actual salaries seemed to be lower than advertised , however . 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 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 pays for all housing expenses for its players . In another similarity to the XFL , teams can 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 $ 50 , 000 with a bonus of $ 10 , 000 if on the losing team of the Championship Game and $ 20 , 000 if on the winning team . Starting quarterbacks earn a $ 200 , 000 salary . With most players earning $ 6 , 250 per game , this is roughly on par with the average per - game salaries in the Canadian Football League and , adjusted for inflation , the XFL . There was a significant delay in payments after the 2010 season , due to a revenue shortfall , a severe underestimation of expenses , and a delay in a $ 50 , 000 , 000 subsidy from one of the UFL ' s owners . Each player is 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 wishes to sign a UFL player must 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 . Each team is unofficially tied to 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 . Owners pay $ 30 million to buy a half interest in a team . The league itself owns the other half . The UFL plans for each team to eventually sell shares to the public that they hope could raise another $ 60 million . Television and media . For the first two seasons , all league games except for two were carried nationally by either Versus cable television network or Mark Cuban ' s HDNet . The only exceptions were two games involving the Hartford Colonials , games that Versus originally held rights to , that were given to New England Sports Network in 2010 . In 2009 , Versus carried eight games ( including the championship ) , mostly on Thursday nights , while HDNet carried the remaining five . All games are available in high definition . Versus ' new play - by - play team for 2010 consists of former XFL announcer Craig Minervini on play - by - play , Doug Flutie as color analyst , ex - NFL linebacker Ryan Nece on the sidelines and Damon Hack of " Sports Illustrated " included . HDNet has Kenny Rice as play - by - play commentator , Paul Maguire as color commentator , and Ron Kruck and Paul Crane on the sidelines . The New England Sports Network has Mike Logan for one game and Brett Haber for the other game , with Scott Zolak providing color commentary and John Chandler and Tony Terzi on the sidelines . All of the games are webcast for those fans who don ' t have either of the stations . In 2010 , all five UFL teams signed agreements with local radio stations to carry play - by - play , a marked contrast from 2009 , when no games were carried on radio . The Hartford Colonials broadcast on WPOP and broadcast two games locally on NESN that don ' t air on HDNet or Versus . The Florida Tuskers broadcasted on WYGM . The Locos broadcast on KWWN ( or KBAD when conflicts arise ) . KHTK carries Mountain Lions games , while KOZN is the radio home of the Nighthawks . Training facilities . During 2009 , the UFL used two sites for the teams ' training camps and regular season practices , with California and Las Vegas using a $ 20 million facility constructed by the City of Casa Grande , Arizona , and Florida and New York practicing at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando after failing to come to terms with Vero Beach , Florida on the use of that city ' s former Dodgertown facility . Beginning in 2010 , the league ' s teams train and practice in facilities in their own home markets .