The St. Louis Battlehawks will be apart of the new United Football League, which will begin play in March. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Jason Barnes
Staff Writer
To the ever-loving delight of the St. Louis professional football fan, the Ka-Kaw will be back at the Dome this spring.
That news became official over the weekend when executives for the new United Football League announced that St. Louis would have a team in the newly-formed spring football league made up of former XFL and USFL teams.
It had been announced during the fall that the XFL and USFL would form one league this spring and that at least eight and possibly 10 of the teams from those two leagues would be put together to form a new league.
On Monday, it was announced on ESPN by former XFL owner and commissioner, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, that teams in Arlington, Birmingham, Houston, Michigan, Memphis, San Antonio, Washington D.C., and St. Louis would make up the new UFL.
The eight teams selected were among the most popular of the XFL and USFL teams, led by the Battlehawks, who averaged more than 32,000 fans per game last season in home games at the Dome at America’s Center.
“We were averaging 30,000 to 35,000 fans in St. Louis every week,” Johnson said during his announcement on ESPN’s “College Game Day”.
Johnson’s ex wife Dany Garcia, co-commissioner of the XFL with Johnson, said St. Louis was easily the most successful market in spring football, which included XFL and the USFL.
“Ka-kaw is the law (in St. Louis),” she said. “It’s a passionate fan base.”
The UFL also announced that its 2024 season opener will on March 30, when the two defending league champions (Arlington of the XFL and Birmingham of the USFL) will play to begin the season. The rest of the 2024 league schedule will be announced at a later date.
Later on Monday, the Battlehawks announced that head coach Anthony Becht will return to coach the team again this season. Last year, Becht led the Battlehawks to a 7-3 record and narrowly missed making the XFL playoffs.
“I love that we are doing this now,” Becht said. “A lot of fans have shared their special memories of sitting up there in the past, and we hope to create even more for them going forward.”
While the league is new, one thing that will not change is all the UFL teams practicing during the week in Arlington, Texas, then flying to the respective game sites for games.
In November, it was announced that a limited amount of 2024 Battlehawks season tickets will be available in the 400 (upper) Level of The Dome at America’s Center.
The Battlehawks led the XFL in attendance in 2023, averaging more than 35,000 fans for each of their five home games. All season ticket memberships include access to purchase additional tickets at the member rate, priority to renew seats for the 2025 season and opportunities for special events.