New UFL investor Mike Repole plans market changes, expansion

The United Football League is planning a series of market changes after adding entrepreneur Mike Repole to its investment group and giving him full authority over its business operations.

In an interview with ESPN, Repole said the league will move at least two of its home markets and possibly four in time for the 2026 season. One of the new markets will be Columbus, Ohio, where the team will play in Historic Crew Stadium, home of the MLS’ Columbus Crew. The league has not yet finalized any other new markets, nor has it decided which markets it will leave. The number of teams will remain at eight, Repole said.

Repole made clear, however, that he prefers markets that have smaller stadiums than some of the college facilities the UFL has played in for the past two years. Capacity in Columbus will be around 21,000. He said that “venue and attendance” are his top priorities in creating a more lively perception of the league.

“The vibe hasn’t been to where it should be,” he said. “You can hear a pin drop when someone runs 80 yards. That’s not so good. Nobody wants to turn on the TV and see 10,000 fans in a 65,000-seat stadium. It’s like watching a COVID game.”

The UFL has found attendance success in St. Louis, where the Battlehawks have averaged nearly 30,000 fans per game in The Dome at America’s Center. But the remainder of the markets have averaged paid attendance between about 5,000 and 12,000. In 2024, only one team played in a stadium with a capacity less than 20,000 — the D.C. Defenders at Audi Field. The other seven home stadiums had capacities between 40,000 and 65,000.

Repole suggested that an improvement in game-day atmosphere will elevate the league’s popularity. He said that if he isn’t able to drive attendance to an average of 10,000 to 15,000 per game for each team, “I’m going to take all the blame out there.”

Repole, who cofounded Vitaminwater, Smartwater and BodyArmor and then sold them to Coca-Cola, will join an ownership group that also includes RedBird Capital Partners, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, FOX and ESPN. He has laid out a bold vision for expanding to 10-12 teams within the next five years and to get to 16 teams — half the size of the NFL — within 10 years.

The landscape of spring football has been littered with failed leagues ever since the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970. But in 2026, the UFL will become one of two leagues to make it to a third consecutive season, joining the original USFL (1983-85).

“We’re going to be aggressive as far as being nimble and scrappy and gritty and making aggressive moves,” he said. “If by 2035, if we can’t have 16 teams, I’m going to consider it a personal failure. This is it. Other leagues didn’t have the capital that this league has, didn’t have the media giants that this league has, didn’t have the entrepreneurs that this team has.”

The league has run from late March to early June in its two seasons, with a 10-game schedule each season.

In the short term, the league’s eight teams will continue to practice at one site, likely in Arlington, Texas. But Repole said that will change in the coming years. In the short term, it’s possible that teams will spend two or three days in their home market around games, rather than one, to give players and coaches more exposure to the local community.

“You can’t be a real league in five years and have your D.C. team in Arlington,” he said.