USFL, NFL Films and FOX Sports partner for 'United by Football: A Season in the USFL'
With the inaugural season of the United States Football League just days away, we're getting ready to take you behind the curtain in a way you've never experienced before to see what it's truly like to be a professional football player.
The USFL, NFL Films and FOX Sports are teaming up to produce "United By Football: A Season in the USFL," a 13-episode series that will capture the fascinating athlete personalities and the unique circumstances they find themselves in as they pursue their dreams in a new professional spring football league.
The one-hour series premiere airs Saturday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, leading into the USFL’s inaugural game. The prime-time matchup pits the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be presented live on FOX, NBC, and Peacock.
The 12 episodes following the season premiere will be 30 minutes in duration, first airing on FOX and preceding most USFL on FOX pregame or game coverage. Each episode will have an encore showing the following week on FS1 and Tubi.
"Everyone at FOX Sports and the new USFL is united by our love for football," said Bill Richards, EVP Production/Executive Producer, FOX Sports. "And the new league seeks to unite fans across the country who love the game as much as we do. To celebrate professional spring football, we’re giving fans unprecedented access by partnering with NFL Films to tell the stories of USFL players and coaches during the inaugural season."
"United By Football" will take fans behind the curtain of the USFL, starting in Birmingham with the inaugural USFL Player Draft held in February of this year and moving through training camps and a 10-week regular-season. To help celebrate the July 4 holiday, the series will conclude with the USFL Championship game in Canton, Ohio, where a winner will be crowned July 3 in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The series, without narration, will be driven by the players and coaches, their journeys, told through the signature storytelling lens of NFL Films. Teaming with NFL Films will help the USFL and FOX Sports deliver a world-class fan experience. Whether in the stadium or watching from home, fans will enjoy USFL football that is old-school physical and fast-paced modern.
"We here at NFL Films could not be more excited and eager to partner with the USFL and FOX Sports on this upcoming series," said Patrick Kelleher, NFL Films Vice President and Executive Producer. "The opportunity to document the start of a new professional league is incredibly rare, and we look forward to capturing the incredible sights and sounds throughout this inaugural season."
NFL Films cameras will have unfettered access, including robotic cameras in team meeting rooms. Players and coaches will wear microphones during practices and games. In addition, embedded crews will be with all eight teams, capturing the daily challenges these elite athletes and experienced coaches face throughout a demanding schedule and high-pressure competition.
"NFL Films and FOX Sports have well-deserved reputations for stoking passions in all football fans, so we couldn’t imagine a better partnership to tell the inside story of the new USFL," said Joel Santos, Executive Producer, FOX Sports. "Hundreds of hours of material will be filmed, screened, and edited to produce what will no doubt be seven compelling hours of programming for football fans across America."
