Spring football enters a new chapter in 2024, as the USFL and the XFL have formally announced plans to merge and begin play. The new league, to be known as the United Football League (UFL), is set to kick off on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

The leadership of the UFL will combine the operations of the former leagues. Russ Brandon, former president and CEO of the XFL, and Daryl Johnston, former USFL President of Football Operations, will be serving in the same roles at the UFL. Dwayne Johnson, who played a key role in the revival of the XFL, is among the investors involved with the new league.

The inaugural game of the UFL will feature the USFL's Birmingham Stallions and the XFL's Arlington Renegades, who were the champions of their respective leagues. The announcement did not disclose the additional teams that will be joining the UFL.

Both leagues have praised spring football for providing players an opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially secure a future in the NFL. Several players, such as Brandon Aubrey and Kavonte Turpin of the Dallas Cowboys, had successful careers in the USFL before making the leap to the NFL. For others, spring football offers a chance to play one last season before moving on to other endeavors.

Aside from its value for players, spring football also holds substantial broadcasting potential. Fox and ESPN have both secured broadcasting rights for the UFL. With baseball still in its early days and the NBA and NHL playoffs not yet in full swing, the UFL's games will fill a void in the sports calendar. Factoring in the growing interest in sports gambling, spring football is expected to be a viable program, even if it doesn't match the NFL's ratings numbers.

According to the Washington Post, five XFL teams - D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, San Antonio Brahmas, St. Louis Battlehawks, and Arlington Renegades - will join three USFL teams, Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, and Michigan Panthers. The fate of the remaining XFL teams, including the Orlando Guardians, Seattle Sea Dragons, and Vegas Vipers, along with the USFL's Houston Gamblers, New Jersey Generals, New Orleans Breakers, Philadelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers, remains uncertain. Players contracted to these dissolved teams will be subject to a dispersal draft.

Dwayne Johnson expressed his excitement about the new league, stating, "From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture, and innovation. As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting, and very cool for football fans."

The USFL had its first iteration in the early 1980s but disbanded after an unsuccessful attempt to move to the fall and compete directly with the NFL. The original XFL debuted in 2001 but faced swift challenges and eventually folded. The recent revival of the XFL was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to its merger with the USFL and the birth of the United Football League in 2024.