As the UFL gears up for its third season of play, the league has promoted fan rallies in team cities over the last few weekends. While the UFL has held similar rallies in years prior, the consensus among those who’ve attended multiple events over the years is that this year’s offerings were the best ones yet. It also seemed as if the coverage of the rallies on social media had increased from seasons past.
It’s a critical season for the UFL as they saw attendance and television ratings drop nearly across the board last season. New co-owner Mike Repole has helped usher in three new franchises for 2026 and gaining a foothold in those markets will be important for the success of the league moving forward.
These fan rallies are part of the new marketing strategy and outreach in each city to better engage with the local markets – and early returns are positive. It wasn’t easy as the date of many of the rallies had to be shifted around to avoid winter storms that hit much of the country in January.
Birmingham
Repole’s first public order of business when he took over the UFL was to challenge the Birmingham Stallions fanbase. A pop-up fan event was held the day before the actual rally on Saturday, February 7 at Protective Stadium. Ryan Messer of Shotgun Sports had been present at similar rallies all of the past four years and called this years’ “much improved.” He cited a higher level of marketing and communication that led to the largest crowd ever in Birmingham for an occasion such as this.
Everything from the autograph sessions and photo-ops to the children’s activities and snacks were improved from previous years, according to Messer. The way they engaged the attendees with the ticketing agents didn’t make it feel like a “bad timeshare sales event like some have in the past.” Messer received word that over 550 fans came out to the stadium for the rally.
New Stallions head coach A.J. McCarron and other local celebrities were among the luminaries in attendance. Another respondent agreed with Messer, calling it “the best rally we’ve had in Birmingham.” This person spoke with a ticketing agent who claimed the Stallions are about 25% ahead of last year’s season ticket sales at this point. Based on the rally and ticket sales, citizens of Birmingham seem to be responding to Repole’s challenge.
Columbus
At Historic Crew Stadium on Saturday February, 7, Aviators fans were able to meet head coach Ted Ginn Jr., along with Matthew Jones (a fellow OSU alum), Jalan McClendon, D.J. Miller (from Kent State in Ohio) and Gunnar Oakes. Held inside the bubble at the stadium, the large size allowed fans to roam around the various tables the team had set up.
Among the highlights were a set of fans attending in fighter pilot gear, indicating that may be a popular look for those in attendance at Aviators games this season and beyond. It’s early, but the head coach may be the team leader in swag. From the Flight Risk Podcast, an Aviators-focused UFL podcast, they estimated 100-150 fans came out. They cited heavy advertising on social media, with some local news spots as well. The team was able to draw from nearby states, including folks driving from Kentucky and Virginia.
Dallas
The last team to hold their rally, on February 15, Dallas was the only team to be able to show off their uniforms, which were revealed on social media the day before. Former Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz once said spring football was the purest form of football out there. New Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel used that same phrasing in speaking to the audience in Dallas.
Members of the Texas Tailgaters, a baseball team in league with the Savannah Bananas, were special guests to go along with players like Abdul Beecham and Austin Reed. Dallas Cowboy Perrion Winfrey, one of the success stories in the UFL-to-NFL pipeline in 2025, was also in attendance.
D.C.
It shouldn’t be hard to attract a live crowd for the defending league champions. It also helps to have a lot of familiar faces coming back, a box which the Defenders most certainly check in ways that other teams across the league don’t. At Audi Field on February 7, head coach Shannon Harris – no longer interim in that role – spoke about maintaining the terror, a mantra first set by Harris’s predecessor, Reggie Barlow.
Someone who went to the rally considered it the best even outside of the championship celebration held last summer. Hundreds of fans were in attendance and from that same person, there were a lot of new and old faces, including some people who said they had bought season tickets for the first time.
In addition to championship game MVP Jordan Ta’amu, Ty Scott and Gabriel Taylor (brother of Washington football legend, the late Sean Taylor) were the players who met fans at the stadium. The presence of Taylor is another indication of the importance the league is putting on players with local ties. And yes, the Beer Snake section was well-represented.
Houston
Houston was one of the cities that kicked off the fan rally events, holding theirs at Shell Energy Stadium, where the Gamblers will play their home games, on January 31. Head coach Kevin Sumlin and a few players, including former D.C. Defender Malik Fisher, represented the team.
Based on social media videos and pictures, there were a healthy amount of people still donning Houston Roughneck gear. Houston is one of the teams that struggled mightily with attendance last year. The hope is the combination of a rebrand and new stadium will help boost those numbers in 2026.
Houston was one of several teams that were a part of Super Bowl watch parties at various restaurants and bars around the city on February 8. The team had representatives in three locations that afternoon and evening to continue to spread the UFL word.
Louisville
Free gear and free food is a great way to get people to come out even in frigid temperatures (eight degrees per someone who attended) and a location change. But that’s what happened in Louisville. Head coach Chris Redman was kept busy meeting fans and signing autographs, as were a number of Kings players (Lynn Bowden Jr. and Benny Snell among them). According to another person in attendance, there was a long line before doors even opened, with a couple hundred people flowing in throughout the day. A member of the Kings’ front office staff told John Lewis they had 2,500 RSVPs for the rally.
Unlike many events held at the team’s stadiums, the Kings rally was at the famed Churchill Downs racetrack on the same day that Houston held their event. Three people noted that the rally attracted people of all ages as well as families, though it was also noted that holding it at the racetrack may have attracted some additional older folks. Marketing, a common complaint during this new era of spring football, was described as “excellent.” The players and coaches were accessible and there was tons to do for fans who attended.
Orlando
No coach is more active on social media than Anthony Becht, who has helped the UFL advertise everything Orlando Storm. Becht, a few players (including Tavante Beckett and UCF’s Cole Schneider), and fans were joined by league co-owner Mike Repole at Inter&Co. Stadium for their fan rally. Repole vowed to attend all five Storm home games in 2026, adding a bit of pressure for the new franchise to be successful right out of the starting blocks.
UFL CEO Russ Brandon was also at the event and spoke to the audience on what was a relatively chilly Central Florida evening. The Storm held their rally on a Thursday, February 5, which may have affected attendance (we didn’t get any responses from those who went to the rally).
St. Louis
The model for spring football success since 2020, St. Louis was not immune to the league-wide attendance dip last year (only Michigan increased year-over-year). St. Louis still outpaced other franchises in that category by a healthy margin but warning signs certainly emerged. That’s what made this rally so important as way to reach out and re-engage the fanbase for 2026. One person who attended rallies in 2024 and then again earlier this month said the enthusiasm was pretty close between those two seasons.
Unfortunately, weather played a role in keeping new head coach Ricky Proehl away from the area, though he did Face Time in to talk to the fans. Westport Social was the location where several familiar faces like Travis Feeney and Pita Taumoepenu joined new ‘Hawks Daniel Isom and Ben Wooldridge to meet and greet fans.
One person who attended described the crowd as “shoulder to shoulder.” A common complaint was that the venue was a little small for the amount of people who showed up which of all potential problems, is a good one to have. “Zero complaints” that person told me about the event.