Unsaddle the Birmingham Stallions. The three-time champions will ride no more.
After five seasons — the longest stint of professional spring football in the city’s history — the United Football League announced last week that it’s ceasing operations in Birmingham.
“Departing a market is never easy and this decision is not a reflection of the dedication shown by players, coaches, fans, local partners, or civic leaders in Birmingham or Houston,” said co-owner Mike Repole in a release. “We are grateful for their passion, commitment, and support, which have helped shape the continued evolution of the UFL.”
The Stallions have been in Birmingham since 2022.
“We have been proud to see the team’s success on the field and its growth in the market over that time,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “We wish the organization well.”
The league blamed its decision on the optics of raucous “giddy-up” Stallion crowds being dwarfed inside Birmingham’s 47,000-seat Protective Stadium. The median capacity for venues in the league’s eight cities was 21,250 during the most recent seasons.
“This decision was one hundred percent due to the wrong-sized venue,” Repole added. “I appreciate the passion of the fans and respect the history of the Birmingham Stallions.
“It was clearly my decision that with the wrong sized venue spring football could not succeed in Birmingham. Even on opening day, when 16,000 Stallions fans showed up, the energy, passion, and game atmosphere was not felt due to the size of the venue.”
Jimmie Stephens, the chair of the Jefferson County Commission, said the league’s explanation “bothers” him.
“They said the stadium didn’t provide the atmosphere they were seeking and did not fit in their business model,” said Jimmie Stephens, chair of the Jefferson County Commission. “I’m disappointed that their business model did not fit a state-of-the-art, brand new stadium, which would accommodate whatever they needed, including future growth.
The Stallions launched in 2022 as members of the United States Football League. It was a reincarnation of the USFL team that played three seasons at Legion Field between 1983 and 1985.
The Stallions won three successive titles in 2022, 2023 (USFL) and 2024 (UFL) — before firing head coach Skip Holtz and replacing him with former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, who had no head coaching experience.
The Stallions went 4-6 this season and missed the playoffs for the first time.
Still, according to Gene Hallman of Eventive, which handled ticket sales, the franchise had “substantial ticket revenue growth from 2025 to 2026. We’re not coming off a season where our numbers declined.”
The UFL also announced it was leaving the Houston market. It did not name replacement cities.
Repole continued: “We’ve been transparent with local mayors and city leadership that we’d love to return as soon as the right stadium solution becomes available, and we are willing to participate in accelerating those efforts.”
Repole’s announcement isn’t a complete surprise, given his recent social media rants. The billionaire acquired a majority stake in the UFL last year. Fox, ESPN, RedBird Capital Partners, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Dany Garcia are other co-owners.
On June 21, Repole posted on social media: “I have a hard time seeing us back at Protective Stadium next year. It goes against one of the biggest principles we’re building this league around… smaller stadiums, packed houses, real energy and a true home field atmosphere. Birmingham, I am looking and need options and ideas.”
Three days later, he wrote that he “looked into Hoover,” but because of the Hoover Met’s longstanding commitment to the SEC Baseball Tournament, it was never a viable option. Football games would terrorize the turf, which would not have time to recover before the tournament’s opening pitch in late May.
“Unfortunately, they do not have the spring dates we need in order to play a season there,” Repole posted.
Later that day, he all but foretold the demise of the franchise in another post: “Who thought building a 47,000 seat stadium in Birmingham was a good idea???”
“C’mon,” he added. “The people of Birmingham deserve a great 12,000 to 15,000 seat stadium that actually creates energy, passion, demand and a real home field advantage. Bigger isn’t always better. The right size is better.”
And even prior to the 2026 season, Repole threatened to yank the Stallions if season ticket sales didn’t increase. They did.
It wasn’t enough. Neither were the financial commitments of public funds that essentially allowed the Stallions to play at minimal cost.
Stephens said the city, the BJCC, and the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau “have done everything that was asked of us.”
“We covered the entire cost of utilization of Protective Stadium,” the commission chairman added. “The league’s only cost was that of operating their football team, which it will incur no matter where they operate.”
Dan Williams, president/CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, noted that the city recently earned recognition from Sports Business Journal as one of the nation’s Top 50 cities for sports business.
“The Birmingham Stallions have been a meaningful part of our sports community and achieved tremendous success on the field, including three championships that gave our community plenty to celebrate,” Williams said. “Birmingham’s position as a leading sports destination remains unchanged.”
He noted that the city continues to attract and host other sporting events, including the Magic City Classic, SEC baseball tournament, NCAA championships and tournaments, and youth sports events from across the country.
“We are focused on growing Birmingham’s reputation as a destination for sports on the national stage,” he said.
“The public sector, including the BJCC, carried its weight in a way the UFL is not getting in any other market,” added Hallman. “And fans showed their support. Season ticket totals went up from ‘25 to ’26. We finished in the top half of league attendance.”
