National Gridiron League (United States)

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This article is about the proposed indoor American football league. For the Australia-based gridiron league, see National Gridiron League (Australia).
National Gridiron League
SportIndoor football
Founded2017
FounderJoe E. McClendon, III
PresidentJoe E. McClendon, III
No. of teams12
CountryUnited States
Official websitewww.nationalgridiron.com

The National Gridiron League (NGL) was a proposed gridiron football league. In 2021, after three years of postponed seasons, the organization has rebranded as the United Football League.[1]

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 McClendon 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.[2]

A number of cases in the past have raised questions about whether this is a legitimate league or a scam[3] and the had warned prospective players from signing with the league.[4] In 2021, players were told that their accommodations would be covered, only to find that they were responsible for the bills after staying several nights at a hotel in Fort Wayne, leading to a physical altercation with a player and Joe McClendon over the issue.[5]

History[]

National Gridiron League (2018–2021)[]

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[6] starting on March 30, 2019, and conclude with the inaugural Gridiron Bowl game on August 10, 2019, in Biloxi, Mississippi.[7] 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.[8][9][10]

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.[11][12] 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.[13] Its personnel later sued the league over their claims of non-payment for their work.[14]

The league continued pursuits of a 2020 season including announcing player signings and scheduled Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for January 24–26, 2020.[15] However, all OTAs were canceled the evening of January 24 after players had started arriving.[16] The league then announced that teams would be allowed to play outdoors.[17] The 2020 season was postponed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

The league originally announced a 2021 schedule with all games to be held outdoors as a traditional spring league.[19] On January 31, 2021, the league announced it would play all games at single location, without confirming the site,[20] with a planned start date of April 10.[21] It was pushed back again to May 1 with the season to take place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at an unannounced venue.[22][23] As of April 2021, no venue in Fort Wayne was ever secured.[24]

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.[25] The players had been told the city would cover the costs of their hotel bills, but had been given notice 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.[26] On April 12, the city then stated they would have no further discussion for a partnership with the league.[27]

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 the tryout fees, travel, and accommodations 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.[5][24] 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.[24]

Rebrand[]

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.[1][29]

Teams[]

Announced 2019 teams[]

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.[30] 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 Santo Stephens 2018
Indiana Blue Bombers Fort Wayne, Indiana Allen County War Memorial Coliseum[31] Kelvin Kinney 2018
Indiana Firebirds Evansville, Indiana Ford Center Nick Hart 2018
Pennsylvania Pioneers Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza Ryan Lingenfelder 2018
Virginia Destroyers Hampton, Virginia Hampton Coliseum Durwood Roquemore 2018
Virginia Iron Horses Roanoke, Virginia Berglund Center Jermaine Hampton 2018
Western Conference
Arkansas Twisters Little Rock, Arkansas Verizon Arena[32] Matt Diniak 2018
Baton Rouge Redsticks Baton Rouge, Louisiana Raising Cane's River Center Damon Mason 2018
Kansas Kapitals[33] Topeka, Kansas Kansas Expocentre Carlos Cavanaugh 2018
Mississippi Mudcats Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi Coliseum B. J. Cohen 2018
Saint Louis Stampede St. Charles, Missouri Family Arena Pat Pimmel[a] 2018
Texas Bighorns Beaumont, Texas Ford Arena[35] Josh Bush 2018
  1. ^ Resigned in 2019.[34]

2020 teams[]

As of March 26, 2020.[36] No home venues were confirmed to have been signed in any listed locations although they were listed on the posted schedule.[37]

Division Team Location Venue Head coach
Eastern Conference
North Dayton Firebirds[38] Dayton, Ohio Quentin Jones[a][39]
Indiana Blue Bombers Fort Wayne, Indiana Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium Micheal Coleman[40]
Pittsburgh Pioneers Greensburg, Pennsylvania Hempfield Area Stadium Vacant[41]
South Atlanta Wildcats Clarkston, Georgia James R. Hallford Stadium Julius Gant[42]
Virginia Beach Destroyers[43] Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach Sportsplex Stadium Vacant[43]
Virginia Iron Horses Salem, Virginia Salem Football Stadium Jermaine Hampton
Western Conference
North Arkansas Twisters Little Rock, Arkansas War Memorial Stadium Matt Diniak
Kansas City Kapitals Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Adrian Perez[44]
Saint Louis Stampede Sauget, Illinois GCS Credit Union Ballpark Jeffery Hunt[45]
South Baton Rouge Redsticks Baker, Louisiana Baker Stadium B. J. Cohen[46]
Houston Bighorns Cypress, Texas Cy-Fair FCU Stadium Jerrian James[47]
Mississippi Mudcats Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Christopher Parker[48]
  1. ^ Nick Hart resigned in 2020.[16]

2021[]

Original outdoor venues were listed on the league ticket purchasing website,[49] but were not been 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 Fort Wayne, Indiana Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium Micheal Coleman[50]
Louisville Firebirds[a] Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville High School Devin Redd[52]
Pittsburgh Pioneers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania George K. Cupples Stadium Quentin Jones[53]
South Atlanta Wildcats Jonesboro, Georgia Hines Ward Field at Tara Stadium Julius Gant[54]
Virginia Beach Destroyers Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach Sportsplex Tim Medlin[55]
Virginia Iron Horses Salem, Virginia Salem Football Stadium Jermaine Hampton[56]
Western Conference
North Arkansas Twisters Little Rock, Arkansas War Memorial Stadium Ryan Yarborough[57]
Kansas City Kapitals North Kansas City, Missouri North Kansas City High School Adrian Perez[58]
Saint Louis Stampede Sauget, Illinois GCS Ballpark Vacant[59]
South Baton Rouge Redsticks Baton Rouge, Louisiana BREC Memorial Stadium B. J. Cohen[60]
Houston Bighorns Webster, Texas Challenger Columbia Stadium Jerrian James[61]
Mississippi Mudcats Jackson, Mississippi Smith–Wills Stadium Christopher Parker[62]
  1. ^ Since the postponing of the 2020 season, the Dayton Firebirds were listed as the Louisville Firebirds as of August 2020.[51]

Personnel[]

  • Chairman and president: Joe E. McClendon, III
  • Chief operating officer: Larry Barlow
  • Director of football development: Eddie Brown (in 2019)

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Frequently Asked Questions". uflfootball.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021. Q. How many teams are there in the United Football League? A. The National Gridiron League is a collection of 12 franchises, broken down by two conferences.
  2. ^ "New Roanoke arena football league tells city leaders league is still on track". WSLS-TV. March 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "Reynolds: Players irritated by National Gridiron League's continued issues". Evansville Courier & Press. February 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "What We Know: NGL". UnitedPlayers.org. April 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "League pulls plug on bubble in city". The Journal Gazette. April 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "About Us". National Gridiron League. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Events". National Gridiron League. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Indiana Firebirds to play shorter schedule than originally planned". TristateHomepage.com. March 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "Will arena football actually come to Roanoke?". WSLS-TV. March 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Arena football could return to region". The Citizens' Voice. March 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Letter: Blue Bombers inaugural season canceled". WANE-TV. April 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Blue Bombers coaches not paid a cent, amidst potential folding of NGL". WPTA. April 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "Arkansas Twisters return pushed back to 2020". KATV. April 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "Former Indiana Firebirds president Jim Riggs sues National Gridiron League in federal court". Evansville Courier & Press. June 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "OTAS NEXT ON TAP FOR TEAMS". NGL. December 20, 2019.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "National Gridiron League, Evansville indoor football team leave players stranded". Evansville Courier & Press. January 31, 2020.
  17. ^ "NGL APPROVES TEAMS TO PLAY IN OUTDOOR VENUES". NGL. February 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "NGL TO DELAY 2020 START DUE TO HEALTH CONCERNS". NGL. March 12, 2020.
  19. ^ "NEW SEASON, NEW OUTLOOK". NGL. October 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "LEAGUE TO PLAY 2021 IN BUBBLE". NGL. January 31, 2021.
  21. ^ "LEAGUE SETS 2021 BUBBLE SCHEDULE". NGL. February 2, 2021.
  22. ^ "UPDATED: LEAGUE SETS 2021 BUBBLE SCHEDULE". NGL. March 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "FORT WAYNE TO HOST 2021 SEASON". NGL. March 6, 2021.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Football league founder "clears the air" after season in Fort Wayne ends before it begins". WANE.com. April 14, 2021.
  25. ^ "Football league protests at Fort Wayne mall over supposed deal with city". WANE.com. April 10, 2021.
  26. ^ "City of Fort Wayne says it made no commitments to football league". WANE.com. April 12, 2021.
  27. ^ "Players left stranded in Fort Wayne after National Gridiron League cancels season". WANE.com. April 12, 2021.
  28. ^ "About Us". uflfootball.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  29. ^ "The NGL has Completed its Rebranding into the UFL". xflnewshub.com. August 21, 2021.
  30. ^ "Indoor football team still hasn't returned lease agreement". The Journal Gazette. October 17, 2018.
  31. ^ "Coliseum OKs indoor football". The Journal Gazette. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  32. ^ "Arkansas Twisters to be part of National Gridiron League, play games at Verizon Arena". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. January 31, 2019.
  33. ^ "Indoor arena football team coming to Topeka in 2019". WIBW. June 21, 2018.
  34. ^ "Pat Pimmel Facebook post on March, 24, 2019". Facebook. March 24, 2019.
  35. ^ Gibson, Raegan (February 19, 2019). "Beaumont to welcome arena football, Bighorns team to Ford Park". KBMT. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  36. ^ "Teams". NGL. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  37. ^ "2020 schedule". NGL. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  38. ^ "Indiana Firebirds moving to Dayton". TriStateHomepage.com. February 28, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  39. ^ "Dayton Firebirds – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  40. ^ "Indiana Blue Bombers– Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  41. ^ "Pittsburgh Pioneers – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  42. ^ "Atlanta Wildcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  43. ^ Jump up to: a b "Virginia Beach Destroyers – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  44. ^ "Kansas City Kapitals – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  45. ^ "Saint Louis Stampede – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  46. ^ "Baton Rouge Redsticks – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  47. ^ "Houston Bighorns – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  48. ^ "Mississippi Mudcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  49. ^ "National Gridiron League Ticketing". NGL. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  50. ^ "Indiana Blue Bombers– Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  51. ^ "Teams". NGL. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  52. ^ "Louisville Firebirds – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  53. ^ "Pittsburgh Pioneers – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  54. ^ "Atlanta Wildcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  55. ^ "Virginia Beach Destroyers – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  56. ^ "Virginia Iron Horses – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  57. ^ "Arkansas Twisters – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  58. ^ "Kansas City Kapitals – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  59. ^ "Saint Louis Stampede – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  60. ^ "Baton Rouge Redsticks – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  61. ^ "Houston Bighorns – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  62. ^ "Mississippi Mudcats – Stats". NGL. Retrieved December 27, 2020.

External links[]

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