The launch of the merged United Football League was successful and the league will continue to play in the spring following the merger of the XFL and the USFL. One point of contention is the stadiums the UFL teams play in, as large, mostly empty stadiums was a downside of the earlier spring leagues. People’s opinions on the ideal stadium type or size for these spring football teams varies, but here we try our best to rank all 8 of them. Let us know if you agree or disagree in the replies!
8. Alamodome – San Antonio Brahmas
The most common complaints about UFL stadiums is that they are too large to create an exciting environment for their spring league teams or that the facilities are outdated. The Alamodome gets failing grades for both of these aspects. The 64K capacity facility that the San Antonio Brahmas call home is too large for a UFL team and the stadium, built in 1993 and not renovated since 2017, is showing its age as well. Though the Alamodome is a historic venue loved by many and arguably the only viable venue for a San Antonio UFL team (and they have proven themselves one of the best markets), it gets our distinction for worst stadium in the UFL. In fact, it’s not a great home for UTSA College Football either.
7. Ford Field – Michigan Panthers
Remember what we said about the two most common complaints for UFL stadiums? The home of the Michigan Panthers is certainly too large for a UFL team with a capacity of 65K. As far as the quality of facilities, Ford Field is about as old as the Alamodome (built in 2002 and last renovated in 2017), but it carries all the benefits of being the home of an NFL team. The Michigan Panthers have made a home here and it has already seen some legendary moments, while also keeping the Panthers in downtown Detroit, but we’d love to see the Panthers play in a more UFL oriented environment.
6. Choctaw Stadium – Arlington Renegades
This is the first stadium on our list that is a UFL appropriate capacity, in our opinion. Choctaw Stadium, which you may know as Globe Life Park from when the Texas Rangers played there, has a capacity of 25K for football games. This is a near perfect number. However, the home of the Arlington Renegades loses points for us because it is a retrofitted baseball stadium, meaning the seating arrangement is particularly weird with less than ideal sight lines, and also because the facilities are beginning to show their age at over 30 years old (the stadium opened in 1994).
5. Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium – Memphis Showboats
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, more commonly known as the Liberty Bowl, is arguably the most historic stadium on this list. This aura alone earns it some points in our book, though maybe that’s because we’re big college football fans too. But, operating since 1965 will show some wear and tear, though some extremely impressive renovations have been approved by the University of Memphis. Getting to and from the stadium generally gets mixed reviews, but the entire area being built around Liberty Stadium helps. A capacity of 50K makes it a bit airy, but for us personally, the clout of playing in the Liberty Bowl alone gets this to number five on our list. After all, it’s one of the most underrated stadiums in College Football.
4. The Dome at America’s Center – St. Louis Battlehawks
While not currently hosting an NFL team, The Dome at America’s Center was originally built in 1995 to host the St. Louis Rams. So, The Dome comes with some of the downsides we have mentioned for Ford Field, without the advantages of more modern facilities. So, why does it fall so high on our list? Being a dome is good, for starters, but the real advantages come from this stadium being in the heart of St. Louis. There is lots of accessible parking, including through an underground tunnel, and given the St. Louis Battlehawks are the primary tenant now, the whole stadium is built around them. Plus, good restaurants and tailgate infrastructure abound. We’re not giving extra credit for quality of fans here, but when the Dome is popping, it really is unlike any of the other stadiums on this list.
3. Space City Financial Stadium – Houston Roughnecks
Formerly known as TDECU Stadium, Space City Financial Stadium is the 40K capacity home of the Houston Roughnecks. This stadium is primarily the home of the Houston Cougars of college football. It is one of the newest stadiums in the UFL, opening in 2014, and is thus in better shape and has higher quality facilities than most other stadiums on the list. It is a pretty standard and straight forward football stadium, but it is built for football first, and also receives high ratings for accessibility, parking and cleanliness. The stadiums ranked higher than this one are those that really impress us.
2. Protective Stadium – Birmingham Stallions
Protective Stadium is the newest stadium on this list, opening in 2021. That alone comes with benefits like a quality 360 degree concourse, a state of the art massive jumbotron and locker rooms the players are sure to appreciate. The capacity of 47.1K is a bit large, but manageable, and generates a nice enough environment for a UFL game. The stadium was designed by Populous, one of the industry leaders in stadium design. It’s infinitely better than the prior Legion Field. Furthermore, Protective Stadium has lots of experience hosting spring football games, given it was one of the two hubs for the USFL from its creation. Though the University of Alabama Birmingham college football team is the main tenant, this is a great place for a UFL team to make a home.
1. Audi Field – DC Defenders
Those who have been to Audi Field should not be surprised to see it at the top of our list. And no, we’re not counting the Beer Snakes into the equation. Built in 2018, it is the second newest stadium on this list, and maintains that freshness and modernity to this day. It is the perfect size for a UFL team too, with a capacity of 20K. Perhaps that is what makes the stadium environment so exciting and gives “Rowdy Audi” its nickname? Audi Field is also in a fantastic location, in Southwest DC by the Navy Yard, sharing district with Nationals Park. This is a great place to spend a day with family or grab some drinks in the outdoor beer garden with friends in DC’s beautiful spring weather. Though Audi Field’s primary purpose is soccer, hosting DC United of the MLS and the Washington Spirit of the NWSL, it has great sight lines for football too and allows fans to get quite close to the field. In fact, Audi Field has been so successful as a home for the DC Defenders, many argue that MLS stadiums should be the go to for team relocation and expansion in the future. We’re inclined to agree.
Do you agree with our rankings? Let us know in the replies, then bookmark our UFL Homepage for news all season long!
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