urbanSTL

framer wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

Doesn't college football already serve as a de facto development league? 

Sure, but you can say that about college baseball, the CHL and college hockey, and college basketball. All of them have developmental leagues.

Auggie wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

I feel like a developmental league for the NFL is where they should be trying to go. But I feel like safety changes would have to be made since football is such an injury prone sport.

A team wouldn't want to draft a QB in the first or second round, send them to their development team, and have them get some major injury because they were playing full contact football.

Gerry Cardinale was specifically asked this and his response was he sees the UFL as a quote "shock absorber" because of how big the jump is from College to the NFL without a middle ground.

Auggie wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

framer wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

Doesn't college football already serve as a de facto development league? 

Sure, but you can say that about college baseball, the CHL and college hockey, and college basketball. All of them have developmental leagues.

Isn't a development league more of a place where the major league teams own and control the rosters of teams in smaller leagues, so that they can develop players they have under contract? College sports is many things, but it absolutely isn't that. The Cardinals have no say in how Missouri Tiger Baseball runs their teams. But they absolutely do have a say in how the Memphis Redbirds or Springfield Cardinals run theirs. The UFL could be that for the NFL, potentially. But NCIA can't as it's presently structured. (I think it should be restructured and made into that, but it wouldn't really be "collegiate" anymore at that point.)

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

Jul 24, 2025

Auggie wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

framer wrote: ↑

Jul 23, 2025

Doesn't college football already serve as a de facto development league? 

Sure, but you can say that about college baseball, the CHL and college hockey, and college basketball. All of them have developmental leagues.

Isn't a development league more of a place where the major league teams own and control the rosters of teams in smaller leagues, so that they can develop players they have under contract? College sports is many things, but it absolutely isn't that. The Cardinals have no say in how Missouri Tiger Baseball runs their teams. But they absolutely do have a say in how the Memphis Redbirds or Springfield Cardinals run theirs. The UFL could be that for the NFL, potentially. But NCIA can't as it's presently structured. (I think it should be restructured and made into that, but it wouldn't really be "collegiate" anymore at that point.)

Yes, more or less. What Framer was saying is that college football is where players develop before the NFL, which is true. But I would agree that the NFL teams would probably prefer to have a lot more control than they currently have.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... teams.html

UFL adds 3 teams, axes 3 teams, and shifts to smaller stadiums.

The new teams will play in Columbus, Louisville, and Orlando while Memphis, San Antonio, and Detroit lost their teams.

Additionally, the Arlington team is moving to Dallas and will be referred to as a "Dallas" team.

The Battllehawks will continue to play at the Dome, making the Dome the last remaining NFL-sized stadium in the league.

Honestly a good move. Sucks that San Antonio and Memphis couldn't support their teams. Memphis particularly would have been a good rivalry game for us should the league ever actually taken off.

dweebe wrote:

Auggie wrote: ↑

Oct 07, 2025

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... teams.html

UFL adds 3 teams, axes 3 teams, and shifts to smaller stadiums.

The new teams will play in Columbus, Louisville, and Orlando while Memphis, San Antonio, and Detroit lost their teams.

Additionally, the Arlington team is moving to Dallas and will be referred to as a "Dallas" team.

The Battllehawks will continue to play at the Dome, making the Dome the last remaining NFL-sized stadium in the league.

• Columbus goes to the old MLS stadium out in the suburbs: not the new one downtown.
• Orlando will play in the current MLS stadium. 
• Louisville will go to the women's stadium by downtown instead of the university football stadium. IIRC thats like 14,000 seats. 

If you’ve ever driven by on I 64, that new soccer stadium in Louisville is beautiful. And the drive to Louisville is easy and never crowded at least from I-57 on.


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I read a tweet from a Battlehawks player this morning that league management want the team to move from the Dome to Energizer Park.

Boo. Don’t support that. Energizer is too new to damage the pretty pitch. I found the tweet. It seems like hearsay and the Dome was featured in their most recent promo for the season.

We can outsell the MLS stadium.  I would think they want the extra ticket sales.  I hope with changes this year we still have a solid team.  Anthony Becht is headed to Orlando to help build their franchise.  I may have to unfollow him so as not to see the ra-ra around Orlando all season.  He posts a lot and I appreciated it as a fan of the Battlehawks.  100 days till the season begins.

dweebe wrote:

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Dec 24, 2025

Boo. Don’t support that. Energizer is too new to damage the pretty pitch. I found the tweet. It seems like hearsay and the Dome was featured in their most recent promo for the season.

Funny how Orlando, Dallas, DC and Houston's MLS stadiums are capable of hosting football but St. Louis isn't.

I know it can I’m just selfishly saying I’d like energizer to stay a high quality soccer pitch. The grass takes a beating when switching between football and soccer. Chicago Fire use Solider Field and the pitch/grass is always better before football season starts.

It appears to be part of broader league strategy to shift into smaller more "initmate" venues and a lot of them are soccer specific stadiums. I don't think it would be the end of the world, moving to a modern outdoor venue, although obviously it wouldn't be good for the Dome. If I had to predict I would guess they will be playing the 2027 season there.

I’d be very surprised if they let the UFL team tear up the field during soccer season.

dweebe wrote: ↑

Dec 25, 2025

jshank83 wrote: ↑

Dec 25, 2025

I’d be very surprised if they let the UFL team tear up the field during soccer season.

Again I ask, why can other soccer teams share but St. Louis' team incapable of it? Are we really that bad?

They seem to be really protective of the field here. Maybe that will change though

UFL announced 'Rams legend Ricky Proehl has been named the head coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks, returning to the team where he served as wide receiver coach in 2023'.