United National Football League
The UNFL Strides To Provide A Developmental Stage For Players
The NFL has no minor league. The UNFL is attempting to fill that void while giving exposure and developing athletes in the lower divisions of college football.
Through massive television deals, corporate sponsorships, advertising deals and exclusive ownership of the product, the NFL has continued to financially flourish over the last decade. Thirty-two NFL owners using their business savvy, keep their competitive juices flowing by both trying to build successful teams on the field and continuing to fiscally capitalize on their team brand. This drive by the owners and league has elevated the NFL to the number one position in professional sports in the United States. Many leagues have tried to compete with the NFL, but none have been able to last the test of time.
In January of 2009 the United National Football League will kick off its inaugural season, but the difference in this league is that it will begin and remain a league that is determined to serve as a developmental league for collegiate football players after their eligibility has been completed. The UNFL believes that by focusing on the players from the smaller divisions, (FCS, D-II, D-III and NAIA) players that haven’t received the media exposure of those that we love to watch on Saturdays, the league should have a talent level that will give players a chance to showcase their skills in a competitive fashion for NFL scouts.
Brian Massey, the Executive Director of Marketing, has assured me (through phone conversations and emails) that the UNFL will not become a league of NFL cast offs by implementing a few rules that will keep “development” as the leagues calling card. “Players will be allowed two years in which they can compete in the UNFL, and salaries will be paid through the league (via an approved structure) as to avoid bidding wars between owners.”
The UNFL will focus on developing “the complete professional football player” through league sponsored programs that will educate their athletes on the issues that come with the territory of being a professional athlete. These measures are necessary in order to keep up the integrity of the game of professional football. Not only will players be given the opportunity to display their skills; the UNFL is actively engaged in finding prospective owners for the inaugural season. The UNFL has planned to kick its season off with 22 franchises in 2009, in different media markets, so that the owners can build their team brand and run their team as a separate business under the umbrella of the UNFL.
The investment opportunity (team ownership) has reached many in the business community, and the interest is growing. So far, there are no big names to report, but this is a growing story. The UNFL would give opportunities to so many people, but I look at it from a fans perspective; football until April. The season would begin in January and last until April, before the NFL Draft. "The league schedule gives NFL Scouts another medium in which to evaluate players before the draft that may have never been seen", Massey added. A theme throughout the league webpage is "this league is not meant to compete with the NFL, but to supplement it", if supplementing the NFL gives the fans a quality brand of football, there will be football fanatics gratefull for the UNFL.
