Orlando gets another professional team – an entry in the new United Football League

March 12, 3:40 PMTampa Bay Sports ExaminerTed Fleming

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Not far from the House of the Mouse another professional league and team will call Orlando their home.

The fledgling United Football League will begin their “Premier” season this fall and the yet-to-be-named Central Florida franchise will have Jim Haslett guiding their on-field activities. The former 2000 National Football League Coach of the Year garnered the honor while with the New Orleans Saints.

Jim Haslett being introduced as the new Orlando head coach
(Photo: United Football League)

The UFL has Versus on board to televise the league’s games beginning October 9. The sports network is in more than 75-million homes.

Orlando is the home to the Arena League’s Predators, however, the AFL suspended operations for the 2009 season and there is no indication if, or when, there will be a resumption of play. The Predators are one of the more successful franchises in the league.

Other pro football teams and leagues that have called Orlando home are the Rage of the XFL (formed by wrestling mogul Vince McMahon), Thunder (World League of American Football, an NFL developmental entry), Renegades (USFL, the league that folded and still beat the NFL in court only to get a $1.00 damage award which was trebled to $3.00), Americans (the 1981 entry of American Football Association), Blazers of the somewhat popular World Football League) and Panthers, the city’s first team, of the Continental Football League from 1966.

The only leagues to not call Disney’s domain home is the Canadian Football League in spite of their aborted attempt to being the CFL to America and the NFL, although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

The UFL is expected to field teams in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco (they will play at AT&T Park, home of baseball’s Giants) as a western division or conference while Hartford, New York and Orlando will represent the east. While no official announcement has been made, an eighth team could be added to balance out an eight-team league. There is a UFL office in Jacksonville, FL so that city could be a leading candidate.

A possible site for Orlando games will be at the 70,000-seat Citrus Bowl which hosts the Capital One Bowl and the Champs Sports Bowl.

The league is currently soliciting information about players, coaches and agents that are interested in participating in the league. Interested parties should go HERE.

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Pro Football Examiner Andrew Kossak has more on the United Football League HERE

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About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 75 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as Sports Soup and The Contender that audiences can't find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Ted Fleming is the host of "Speaking of Sports" on Sarasota's WSRQ Sundays from 7-9 pm along with
Rays' Examiner Rob Quinn and Althea Pashman

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