Professional Football hits Virginia

The Gridiron | Press Release | July 13, 2010 at 7:56 pm

United Football League Commissioner lifts ‘conditional’ tag from expansion franchise to confirm local businessman Jim Speros will bring a UFL team to the State of Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – NORFOLK, VA – Monday, July 12 – United Football League Commissioner Michael Huyghue confirmed at a media luncheon in Norfolk, VA, today that the state of Virginia will definitely host a UFL expansion franchise owned by local businessman Jim Speros.

The UFL board agreed a conditional approval for the Tidewater region to host the league’s sixth team that will commence play in 2011 at a meeting on March 21. Following a period of due diligence, Commissioner Huyghue gave Speros and the state of Virginia the league’s backing to will host a team when the UFL fields a planned eight-team competition in 2011. Former Washington Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams will be the team’s General Manager.

“The conditional tag has been removed, Jim Speros is the owner and the United Football League is coming to Virginia,” confirmed Commissioner Huyghue. “We are excited to be here. Jim is vested, passionate and believes in this area and the community. We are thrilled to have him as the team’s owner and I have seen the work that he and Doug Williams have done to ensure this franchise is already in the game.”

Speros has a proven track record in professional football having been a founding owner of the Baltimore Stallions, the only American-based team to win a Canadian Football League Grey Cup in 1995.

“This is going to be Virginia’s team,” said Speros. “We have seven strong cities in the region that can support this team and we in turn will become fabrics of those communities. The players will live here and we are going to create local jobs. We are going to showcase this team around the region and make sure that the fans and community have a chance to taste the product. It is the perfect home for the UFL.”

Speros explained that the team, which will be named based on fan opinion to be surveyed at a later date, aims to host tryouts, training camps and events at several venues within the state. The home stadium for the team is still under consideration with four possible venues presented to media at the luncheon that was held at the Town Pointe Club at the Norfolk World Trade Center.”

General Manager Doug Williams, whose former Redskins receiving target and fellow Virginia native Gary Clark added his support to the media event, told the Virginia fans: “We want to be your team and want you to feel a part of it. I have seen the level of talent that is out there and eager to play in this league to prove themselves and we will bring the very best of those players to this team. I’m so excited that if I was 35 pounds lighter I would want to be the team’s starting quarterback.”

The Norfolk team will face the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locos, Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions and additional expansion teams when the third United Football League season kicks off in 2011. Football fans eager to learn more about the UFL and buy tickets for the 2010 season can visit the www.UFL-Football.com website.