For years, spring football felt like a revolving door of “here today, gone tomorrow” leagues. From the original USFL of the 80s to the multiple iterations of the XFL, the ghost of professional football’s “off-season” was haunted by bankruptcy and failed TV deals.
But in 2024, everything changed. The United Football League (UFL) emerged not as a new competitor, but as a consolidated powerhouse, a “super-league” born from the merger of the XFL and the USFL. But who is actually pulling the strings?
The Ownership Trifecta: Media, Money, and Muscle
The UFL is a high-stakes joint venture. Ownership is split between three primary pillars that provide the infrastructure, the capital, and the star power necessary to survive where others failed.
Fox Sports (National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC): The owners of the 2022 iteration of the USFL, Fox Corporation remains a majority stakeholder. Their involvement is the “broadcast backbone” of the league, ensuring primetime slots and heavy promotion during NFL windows.
RedBird Capital Partners: This private equity giant, led by Gerry Cardinale, brings the institutional “smart money.” RedBird has a massive sports portfolio (including stakes in AC Milan and Fenway Sports Group) and provides the financial discipline required to manage a multi-city professional league.
Dany Garcia & Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: The faces of the XFL’s 2020 resurgence. Garcia, the first woman to own a major professional sports league, serves as a key visionary alongside Johnson. Their company, Seven Bucks Productions, provides the marketing engine and “lifestyle” branding that helps the UFL appeal to a younger, more digital-savvy audience.
The Game Changer: Mike Repole and Impact Capital
In late 2024 and heading into the 2025/2026 seasons, the ownership group expanded. Billionaire entrepreneur Mike Repole (the visionary behind Bodyarmor and Vitaminwater)—joined the group through his firm, Impact Capital.
Repole didn’t just bring his checkbook – he was brought in to head up the league’s business operations. Anyone with interest in the UFL and a Twitter/X account can already see his impact, using fan and influencer engagement to greatly scale the attention the league has. Furthermore, he has shown he is not afraid to make “big bets” and drastic decisions for the league, including the 2026 shake up in which the Houston Roughnecks, San Antonio Brahmas, Michigan Panthers and Memphis Showboats became the Houston Gamblers, Orlando Storm, Louisville Kings and Columbus Aviators.
League Leadership
While the owners provide the capital, the day-to-day operations are run by some elite football management veterans:
Russ Brandon (President & CEO): The former Buffalo Bills and XFL executive is the steady hand at the top. Brandon has been vocal about the league reaching “going concern” status, meaning it’s now viewed as a stable, long-term business rather than a risky experiment.
Daryl “Moose” Johnston (Head of Football Operations): A Dallas Cowboys legend and the former architect of the USFL, Johnston ensures the on-field product remains high-quality. He was instrumental in the decision to keep the “USFL” and “XFL” names as conference monikers to preserve existing fan rivalries.
Looking Ahead: Expansion and Stability
The current structure is built for permanence. Unlike previous leagues that owned all teams centrally with no path to expansion, the UFL is actively exploring a franchise model.
Reports indicate that the league is eyeing an expansion from its current 8-team format to 12 teams in the near future, and potentially 16 teams within the decade. Oklahoma City has already been announced for 2028 and will surely have at least one companion for the expansion. By diversifying ownership and bringing in local investment, the UFL is following the NFL blueprint: spread the risk, share the rewards, and keep the lights on long after the Super Bowl confetti has been swept away.
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