United Football League expands to Colorado Springs with new team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Professional football is coming to Colorado Springs.
The United Football League announced Wednesday that the city has been named as one of four U.S. destinations that will have its own pro team over the next two seasons.
In a news release, the UFL said the team will play its home games at Weidner Field, where the Colorado Springs Switchbacks soccer team plays.
The new UFL team will play its first home game on Sunday, April 11, 2027, the league said. The inaugural game will be aired on KRDO13 (ABC).
"Bringing professional football to Colorado Springs is a vote of confidence in our city and in what we have built downtown," Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said in a statement. "A UFL team will put Colorado Springs in front of a national audience, bring fans to Weidner Field, and give southern Colorado a professional football team to call its own. We are proud to welcome the UFL to the foot of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, and we look forward to seeing our community make this team its own."
The President of the Switchbacks FC, Brad Estes, says he worked closely with the leadership of the UFL to make a deal. He says the season will run from March through June.
"It's something that we've never had in this town; we think this is going to do very well, and we hope for a sellout of 8,000 plus...We'll have five home games, guaranteed. And if the team does well and earns a home playoff game, we'll have that home playoff game in June," says Estes.
Estes went on to say that this move will have a huge impact on the Colorado Springs sports economy.
"We project an impact of at least $5 million on an annual basis. For us to be able to showcase Colorado Springs, to showcase the Pikes Peak sunsets, it's going to be awesome for the city," says Estes.
The name, colors, logos and brand identity of the new UFL team in Colorado Springs will be unveiled at Weidner Field on October 25.
Other new UFL teams will be in Rhode Island, Utah and Oklahoma over the next two seasons, expanding the league to 10 teams, league officials said.
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