| National Gridiron League | |
| Pixels: | 150px |
| Sport: | Indoor football |
| Founded: | 2017 |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Country: | United States |
| Website: | https://www.gongl.com |
| President: | Joe E. McClendon, III |
| Founder: | Joe E. McClendon, III |
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)., 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.
A number of cases in the past and multiple seasons cancellation have raised questions about whether this is a legitimate league or a scam[1] [2] and the United Football Players Association had warned prospective players from signing with the league.[3]
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.[4]
Initially 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[5] starting on March 30, 2019, and conclude with the inaugural Gridiron Bowl game on August 10, 2019, in Biloxi, Mississippi.[6] 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.[7] [8] [9]
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.[10] [11] 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.[12] Its personnel later sued the league over their claims of non-payment for their work.[13]
The league continued pursuits of a 2020 season including announcing player signings and scheduled Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for January 24–26, 2020.[14] However, all OTAs were canceled the evening of January 24 after players had started arriving.[15] The league then announced that teams would be allowed to play outdoors.[16] The 2020 season was postponed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]
The league originally announced a 2021 schedule with all games to be held outdoors as a traditional spring league.[18] On January 31, 2021, the league announced it would play all games at single location, without confirming the site,[19] with a planned start date of April 10.[20] It was pushed back again to May 1 with the season to take place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at an unannounced venue.[21] [22] As of April 2021, no venue in Fort Wayne was ever secured.[23]
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.[24] 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.[25] On April 12, the city then stated they would have no further discussion for a partnership with the league.[26]
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.[27] [23] 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.[23]
In 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.[28] 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.[29] [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.[2] 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.[2]
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.[2] 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."[2]
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]
In 2024 the operation returned to the National Gridiron League brand, with announced plans to launch an 18-team league in March, 2025.[44] [45]
As 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.
| Team | Location | Arena | Head coach | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||||
| Georgia Wildcats | Albany, Georgia | Albany Civic Center | 2018 | ||
| Indiana Blue Bombers | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum[47] | 2018 | |||
| Indiana Firebirds | Nick Hart | 2018 | |||
| Pennsylvania Pioneers | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza | Ryan Lingenfelder | 2018 | |
| Virginia Destroyers | 2018 | ||||
| Virginia Iron Horses | Jermaine Hampton | 2018 | |||
| Western Conference | |||||
| Arkansas Twisters | Verizon Arena[48] | Matt Diniak | 2018 | ||
| Baton Rouge Redsticks | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Raising Cane's River Center | 2018 | ||
| Kansas Kapitals[49] | Carlos Cavanaugh | 2018 | |||
| Mississippi Mudcats | Jackson, Mississippi | Mississippi Coliseum | 2018 | ||
| Saint Louis Stampede | Pat Pimmel | 2018 | |||
| Texas Bighorns | Ford Arena[50] | Josh Bush | 2018 |
As of March 26, 2020.[51] No home venues were confirmed to have been signed in any listed locations although they were listed on the posted schedule.[52]
| Division | Team | Location | Venue | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||||
| North | Dayton Firebirds[53] | Quentin Jones[54] | ||
| Indiana Blue Bombers | Micheal Coleman[55] | |||
| Pittsburgh Pioneers | Vacant[56] | |||
| South | Atlanta Wildcats | Julius Gant[57] | ||
| Virginia Beach Destroyers[58] | Vacant | |||
| Virginia Iron Horses | Jermaine Hampton | |||
| Western Conference | ||||
| North | Arkansas Twisters | Matt Diniak | ||
| Kansas City Kapitals | Kansas City Municipal Auditorium | Adrian Perez[59] | ||
| Saint Louis Stampede | GCS Credit Union Ballpark | Jeffery Hunt[60] | ||
| South | Baton Rouge Redsticks | Baker Stadium | B. J. Cohen[61] | |
| Houston Bighorns | Jerrian James[62] | |||
| Mississippi Mudcats | Christopher Parker[63] |
Original outdoor venues were listed on the league ticket purchasing website,[64] 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 | Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium | Micheal Coleman[65] | |
| Louisville Firebirds | Devin Redd[66] | |||
| Pittsburgh Pioneers | Quentin Jones[67] | |||
| South | Atlanta Wildcats | Hines Ward Field at Tara Stadium | Julius Gant[68] | |
| Virginia Beach Destroyers | Tim Medlin[69] | |||
| Virginia Iron Horses | Jermaine Hampton[70] | |||
| Western Conference | ||||
| North | Arkansas Twisters | Ryan Yarborough[71] | ||
| Kansas City Kapitals | Adrian Perez[72] | |||
| Saint Louis Stampede | Vacant[73] | |||
| South | Baton Rouge Redsticks | B. J. Cohen[74] | ||
| Houston Bighorns | Jerrian James[75] | |||
| Mississippi Mudcats | Christopher Parker[76] |
Listed members of the United Football League as of September 18, 2021.[77] 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 | Chicago, Illinois |
| Kansas City Kapitals | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| Saint Louis Stampede | St. Louis, Missouri | |
| North | Pittsburgh Pioneers | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Richmond Iron Horses | Richmond, Virginia | |
| Virginia Beach Destroyers | Virginia Beach, Virginia | |
| South | Atlanta Wildcats | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Birmingham Steeldawgs | Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Mississippi Mudcats | Jackson, Mississippi |
Listed members of the United Football League of February 28, 2022.[78] There are no listed venues for any of the teams.
| Conference | Team | Location | Venue | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Atlanta Wildcats | Kiwanis Stadium[79] | ||
| Charlestown Pirates | John McKissick Field[80] | Jarriel King[81] | ||
| Mississippi Mudcats | Mudcats Memorial Stadium[82] | Johnny Loper[83] [84] | ||
| Pittsburgh Pioneers | George K. Cupples Stadium[85] | Adam Cross[86] | ||
| Richmond Iron Horses | Chesterfield Technical Center Stadium[87] | Douglas Joyner III[88] | ||
| Rochester Firehawks | Rochester Community Sports Complex Stadium[89] | Jason Coleman[90] | ||
| Virginia Beach Destroyers | Cooley Field[91] | |||
| Western | Arkansas Twisters | Jacksonville High Stadium[92] | Jamie Washington[93] | |
| Baton Rouge Redsticks | Lamar Dixon Expo Center[94] [95] | |||
| Chicago Blue Bombers | Vago Field[96] | Theodore Brom[97] | ||
| Houston Bighorns | Cougar Stadium[98] | |||
| Kansas City Kapitals | Southwick Stadium[99] | Mick Pettengill[100] | ||
| Oklahoma City Wranglers | Crossroads Mall[101] [102] | J. D. Runnels[103] [104] | ||
| Saint Louis Stampede | Stampede Stadium[105] [106] | Antwyne Golliday Jr[107] |
Listed members of the National Gridiron League as of 2024.[108] 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 |