When the United Football League announced in July that Mike Repole was taking over business operations, it signaled a new era for the young spring league that will enter its third consecutive season. Repole, best known as the co-founder of Glaceau (Vitaminwater) and BODYARMOR, has a reputation for bold ideas and big swings, and he’s already making waves throughout the league and fan bases.
Repole joins an ownership group that includes RedBird Capital Partners, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, FOX, and ESPN. With that kind of backing, the UFL has ambitions beyond just surviving as a spring football league. The long-term plan calls for steady growth: expanding to 10-12 teams within the next five years, then hitting 16 teams within a decade. Repole’s role is to make sure the league is ready to support that vision, starting with strengthening its foundation in the markets it already occupies.
The UFL granted him full authority over business operations, and his goal is clear: build a larger, more loyal fan base by focusing on the in-stadium experience. That means rethinking stadium sizes, engaging directly with fans, and pushing markets to prove they have staying power.
Birmingham Becomes the Test Case
Nowhere has that been felt more than in Birmingham.
For weeks, Stallions fans have lived under the cloud of relocation rumors. Reports surfaced that up to four franchises could be on the move before the 2026 season. Birmingham was never guaranteed to stay put — at least, not according to Repole.
On Aug. 15, he lit a spark on social media when he set a goal for the Stallions, 15,000 fans per home game.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin pressed him, writing, “No cap: The Stallions are staying in Birmingham,” via his X.
Repole doubled down, challenging the city via X, “Let’s get to 5K season-ticket deposits this week, and I’ll see you all for the first game of the year. Now, about the rumor that the Stallions are ‘definitely’ staying in Birmingham??? Not true.”
The post set off a flurry of action. Stallions supporters rushed to secure season-ticket deposits. While they fell short of the 5,000 mark, they still added more than 2,200 new deposits in the days that followed. This was a clear sign of life for Birmingham’s support towards the Stallions.
Repole Confirms Birmingham Will Stay
By Friday, Repole joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM to set the record straight.
“I’ll say it here: The Birmingham Stallions will be playing there next March,” he said. “I’m going to be at the home opener. I need 19,999 other people to show up with me, and let’s just have some fun,” said Repole.
The rollercoaster wasn’t an accident. Repole later admitted the Stallions were chosen as a test case to gauge the league’s pulse.
“I hope they all took it as good-natured fun,” he said. “But what are the chances it’s the end of August and we’re talking Stallions football with SEC football and college football starting in a week? I needed to know if there was a pulse in this league anywhere, and so I could have tried any market. I chose Birmingham strategically.”
For Repole, the Stallions represent a proving ground. If fans in football-crazed Alabama don’t show up, then what does that mean for the rest of the league’s 12 markets?
“Football in the Southeast is big, and the people love football more than anything,” Repole said. “If people don’t show up to Stallions games, then how would the UFL get people interested in the other 12 markets?”
It was a risky gamble, but the test seems to have worked. Stallions’ fans showed they care, and Repole walked away convinced Birmingham is still the right home for the two-time USFL champions and inaugural UFL title champions in 2024.
The bigger picture? The league’s new frontman isn’t afraid to stir things up. Repole has made it clear that business as usual won’t cut it for the UFL. With expansion on the horizon, Birmingham was only the first stop.
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[…] The move aligns with investor Mike Repole’s push to downsize the league’s stadium footprint, focusing on smaller, fuller venues that create more energy and stronger optics for television audiences. For these three markets, […]