One year ahead of the league’s return, the XFL has announced a partnership with the NFL to expand the game of football.
The XFL has announced it will collaborate with the NFL on select innovation programs to expand the game of football and to increase opportunities for player development both on and off the field.
A key area of focus will be health and safety, with both leagues teaming up to find more solutions in physical and mental fitness. Other routes include international football development and scouting, officiating, the testing of different game rules, and new technologies to enhance officiating.
“We are extremely pleased to collaborate with the NFL in these important areas,” Dany Garcia, Co-Owner and Chairwoman of the XFL, said in a release. “We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience. We have an open field for innovative rules to enhance in-game access. Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall.”
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The XFL, which is set to relaunch next February, had explored a partnership with the CFL last year but both leagues ultimately decided to go in different directions. Co-owner of the XFL, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, had a short stint in the CFL playing for the Calgary Stampeders after going undrafted in the 1995 NFL Draft.
The Rock is fresh off an appearance at the Super Bowl, where he announced the kickoff to fans in attendance and to the television audience.
News about the XFL has been rolling in slowly. In December the league announced six new hires for its football operations department.
- Russ Giglio – Senior Director, Player Administration and Officiating Operations
- Jim Monos – Senior Director, Football Operations
- Brad Campbell – Senior Director, Football Technology
- Bobby Monica – Senior Director, Equipment Operations
- CJ Cavazos – Director, College and Professional Relations
- David Dykeman – Director, Football Special Projects
“The XFL has shown us that innovation is one of its core principles. We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels.” said Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations in a statement..
Outside of the NFL and XFL, the revival of the United State Football League (USFL) is set for an April 2022 debut date. The league will take the field with eight teams and unveiled its uniforms this past weekend.
