Series Premiere Kicks Off with One-Hour Special on Saturday, April 16 In Lead-Up to USFL Inaugural Game
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 30, 2022 – The United States Football League (USFL), NFL Films and FOX Sports are teaming up to produce United By Football: A Season in the USFL, a 13-episode behind-the- scenes pass that will capture the fascinating athlete personalities and the unique circumstances they find themselves in, as they pursue their dreams in a new professional spring football league.
The one-hour series premiere airs Saturday, April 16 at 6:30 PM ET on FOX leading into the USFL’s inaugural season kickoff game. The primetime matchup pits the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions at 7:30 PM ET and will be presented live on FOX, NBC, and Peacock.
The 12 episodes following the season premiere will be 30-minutes in duration. All shows will first air on FOX and will precede most USFL on FOX pregame or game coverage. Each episode will have an encore showing the following week on FS1 and Tubi.
“Everyone at FOX Sports and the new USFL is united by our love for football,” said Bill Richards, EVP Production/Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “And the new league seeks to unite fans across the country who love the game as much as we do. To celebrate professional spring football, we’re giving fans unprecedented access by partnering with NFL Films to tell the stories of USFL players and coaches during the inaugural season.”
United By Football, a FOX Sports original series produced by NFL Films, will take fans behind the curtain of the USFL, starting in Birmingham with the inaugural USFL Player Draft held in February of this year, and moving through training camps and a 10-week regular-season. To help celebrate America’s birthday, the series will conclude with the USFL Championship game in Canton, Ohio, where a winner will be crowned on July 3 in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The series, without narration, will be driven by the players and coaches, their journeys, told through the signature storytelling lens of NFL Films. Teaming with NFL Films will help the USFL and FOX Sports deliver a world-class fan experience. Whether in the stadium or watching from home, fans will enjoy USFL football that is old-school physical and fast-paced modern.
“We here at NFL Films could not be more excited and eager to partner with the USFL and FOX Sports on this upcoming series,” said Patrick Kelleher, NFL Films Vice President and Executive Producer. “The opportunity to document the start of a new professional league is incredibly rare, and we look forward to capturing the incredible sights and sounds throughout this inaugural season.
NFL Films cameras will have unfettered access, including robotic cameras in team meeting rooms and players and coaches wearing microphones during practices and games. In addition, embedded crews will be with all eight teams, capturing the daily challenges these elite athletes and experienced coaches face throughout a demanding schedule and high-pressure competition.
For some, playing in the new USFL will be their first taste of professional football, while others are fighting for one last shot to pursue their football dreams. Regardless of the goal, players and coaches alike will be “united by football” in their pursuit of individual and team success during the USFL’s inaugural season.
“NFL Films and FOX Sports have well-deserved reputations for stoking passions in all football fans, so we couldn’t imagine a better partnership to tell the inside story of the new USFL,” said Joel Santos, Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “Hundreds of hours of material will be filmed, screened, and edited to produce what will no doubt be seven compelling hours of programming for football fans across America.”
Ross Ketover and Pat Kelleher are executive producers for NFL Films. Keith Cossrow serves as senior coordinating producer collaborating with producers Chip Swain and Eric Reed and directors Terrell Riley, Shannon Furman, Kobi Theiler, and Kris Wilson.
UNITED BY FOOTBALL: A SEASON IN THE USFL
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(Schedule subject to change)
Date Time Network
Sat., April 16 6:30 PM ET FOX
Sat., April 23 11:30 AM ET FOX
Sat., April 30 7:00 PM ET FOX
Sat., May 7 2:00 PM ET FOX
Sat., May 14 2:30 PM ET FOX
Sun., May 22 3:30 PM ET FOX
Sun., May 29 1:30 PM ET FOX
Sat., June 4 2:30 PM ET FOX
Sun., June 12 3:30 PM ET FOX
Sat., June 18 3:30 PM ET FOX
Sat., June 25 2:30 PM ET FOX
Sun., July 3 6:30 PM ET FOX
Sat., July 9 4:00 PM ET FOX
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About the USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) is a new, independent football league that is not affiliated with the defunct 1980s league or its owners. The inaugural USFL season will kick off April 16 with eight teams split into two divisions: the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits in the South Division; and the Michigan Panthers, Pittsburgh Maulers, New Jersey Generals, and Philadelphia Stars in the North Division. Each team will play a 10-game regular-season in Birmingham. Playoff semifinals begin in Canton on June 25 between the top two teams in each division and a championship game on July 3 between division winners. The USFL completed its inaugural Draft on March 10 and players reported to Birmingham training camps on March 22. At the conclusion of training camps, each USFL team will carry a 38-man active roster plus a seven-man practice squad. Players will receive base compensation and are eligible for victory bonuses. NBC Sports and FOX Sports are the League’s official media partners and will broadcast all 43 regular- and postseason games on FOX, FS1, NBC, USA, or Peacock networks. Brian Woods is President of Football Operations, and former Dallas Cowboys standout and long-time NFL on FOX game analyst Daryl Johnston is Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Former NFL Vice President of Officiating and FOX Sports’ NFL and college football rules analyst Mike Pereira is Head of Officiating, and FOX Sports’ Edward Hartman is Executive Vice President of Business Operations. For more information, visit theUSFL.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses, and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports, and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, a licensing and commercial relationship with The Stars Group that created the FOX Bet sports betting platform and the FOX Bet Super 6 free-to-play game, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
About NFL Media
NFL Media is comprised of NFL Network, NFL Films, NFL.com, the NFL app and NFL RedZone. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, fans turn to NFL Network to receive information and insight straight from the field, team headquarters, league offices and everywhere the NFL is making news. Launched in 2003, NFL Network gives fans unprecedented year-round inside access to all NFL events, including the Super Bowl, Playoffs, regular season, preseason, Pro Bowl, Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend, NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine, Senior Bowl, league meetings, minicamps, and training camps. For fans on the go, all NFL Network programming can be streamed live through the NFL app and NFL Network app on smartphones, tablets, PCs, and connected TV devices (Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, PlayStation 4, Roku and Xbox One). Access is available for NFL Network subscribers of participating TV providers. For more information, go to NFL.com/nflnetwork.
