The USFL returned in 2022, bringing non-NFL professional football back to the United States. And now we’re headed for season No. 2 of this new iteration of a storied league. Let’s dive into where the eight USFL franchises play. Here’s a list of their home stadiums and some background info on each.
List of USFL Stadiums
The USFL utilized a single host city, Birmingham, AL, to play all its regular-season games in 2022 and then transitioned to Canton, Ohio, for the postseason. Seven of the eight teams are returning in 2023, with one team heading a bit westward.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the USFL Stadiums.
Protective Stadium
- Teams: Birmingham Stallions, New Orleans Breakers
- Location: Birmingham, AL
- Year Opened: 2021
- Capacity: 47,100
- Other Occupants: Birmingham Legion FC, UAB Blazers
Opened in 2021, Protective Stadium served as the primary venue for the return of the USFL in 2022. Owned and operated by the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority, it has the advantage of being a multi-use facility. That versatility — especially when playing such a central role in the development of the nascent USFL — is key for a stadium that needs consistent revenue streams.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
- Teams: Houston Gamblers, Memphis Showboats
- Location: Houston, TX
- Year Opened: 1965
- Capacity: 58,325
- Other Occupants: Memphis Tigers
What can you buy for $3 million? A plot of land in Challis, Idaho — and apparently a sports stadium if you travel back in time to 1965.
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Originally known as Memphis Memorial Stadium (before naming rights became a must), Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is nestled in Tennessee’s southwest corner, serving as a regional hub at the intersection of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
The NFL’s Tennessee Oilers played their home games here in 1997 during their transition to the Tennessee Titans. Led by Steve McNair, Eddie George, Bruce Matthews, and Frank Wycheck (among others), that team went 5-1 in this venue.
Ford Field
- Teams: Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars
- Location: Detroit, MI
- Year Opened: 2002
- Capacity: 70,000
- Other occupants: Detroit Lions
Fifteen years ago, Stephen Curry led Davidson College past the heavily favored Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Then Davidson fell a basket short of knocking off the eventual-champion Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight.
Aside from underdog heroics and near heroics, what did these games have in common? Both were played on a regulation basketball court built in the center of Ford Field.
In fact, this venue will host the NCAA Final Four in 2027. Ford Field truly is a multi-use facility.
Of course, the stadium also has been home to the NFL’s Lions for two decades, cementing its status as a marquee venue for the still-nascent USFL.
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
- Teams: New Jersey Generals, Pittsburgh Maulers
- Location: Canton, OH
- Year Opened: 1938
- Capacity: 23,000
- Other Occupants: Canton McKinley Bulldogs
When built nearly a century ago, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was the largest high school stadium in the United States. Now it’s known as home to the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game and is a Carl Lewis hop, skip, and jump from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is a fitting locale for two USFL teams in the league’s second season.