UFL co-owner Mike Repole announced the Louisville Kings at a press conference at Lynn Family Stadium, revealing that 31 cities applied to host UFL teams and only three were selected.
Repole discussed his personal connection to Louisville through horse racing, explained why soccer-specific stadiums are key to the league’s success, outlined his 10-year plan to reach 16 teams, and addressed why the timing is right for spring football after 40 years of failed attempts.
31 Cities Applied, Only 3 Were Chosen
Repole revealed the competitive process for securing a UFL team.
“We had 31 applicants for cities for football teams. 31.”
This number shows significant demand for UFL franchises across the country. Out of 31 applicants, only Louisville, Columbus, and Orlando were selected for the 2026 expansion. The selection process focused on finding cities with appropriate stadium infrastructure and strong football cultures. It also shows that the league is in demand and time to move to other locations that really want a team rather than trying to make it work in locations that have no interest… see Memphis.
Repole’s Personal Connection to Louisville Through Horse Racing
Before explaining the business case for Louisville, Repole shared his history with the city dating back nearly two decades.
“I came to Louisville for the first time when I only owned about one or two thoroughbreds. And I’ve always had this dream of owning race horses, being a kid from Queens, Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga. And I came here in ’07, and I watched the horse Big Brown win. And I had three or four horses at the time, and I had such a great experience. I told my wife, the next time we come back to Louisville, we’re going to have a horse in the derby.”
Repole established that Louisville is not just a business decision but a city he has deep personal ties to through horse racing. His first major win with Uncle Mo in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs created a connection that has lasted 15 years. The fact that he still stays at the same hotel and eats at the same restaurants shows his loyalty to the city.
How Repole Discovered Lynn Family Stadium
Repole explained the origin story of bringing a team to Louisville.
“The real origin on how this happened was As I was talking to Russ and I was talking to Wendy and our team before I made this deal, I was here for the first Saturday in May, like usual. And I passed by. I came in from Lexington. And along the highway, I said, Oh, wow. Is that a Minor League baseball stadium? That’s a nice stadium. And they said, No, it’s a USL soccer team. I said, Louisville. And I called Russ and Wendy, and I said, Have we ever thought about Louisville? It’s a big city, sport team. He’s got a stadium, huge college. And he says, Yeah, they don’t have a stadium. I said, Man, this guy’s really good here. I said, No, I just saw a stadium.”
This story reveals that Louisville was not on the UFL’s radar until Repole spotted Lynn Family Stadium while driving to the Kentucky Derby. Russ Brandon did not even know the stadium existed, which led to Repole joking about Brandon needing ChatGPT to look things up. Kind of threw the UFL CEO under the bus there, the league with its resources hsoujld know all this stuff. But Brandon was not a fan of soccer stadiums so it kind of makes sense that he was not looking there.
The Vision: Arena Football Outdoors
Repole outlined his strategy for making spring football work in smaller venues.
“So now when you think about this, think about NBA gets 15 to 20,000. Major League Baseball, God, some places are getting less than 15,000, 20,000, but they can get 40,000. You got NBA, hockey, same thing, 15,000 to 20,000. So now, what was the vision that I spoke to my team with? How do we do arena football outdoors? 10 years ago, these stadiums, the Orlando Stadium was built in 2017. I think Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus was built in 2014. This stadium was built in 2019. The ability now that you can take football and play inside these amazing soccer facilities is really, really special.”
“When you put football in a stadium like this, there isn’t a bad seat. The worst seat here is the best seat I’ve had in my life until about 10 years ago. It’s amazing. And the action of football where there’s a big play every play, whether it’s a hit, whether it’s a sack, whether it’s a fumble, whether it’s a touch down, that’s going to play so well here.”
Repole framed the UFL strategy as “arena football outdoors” – taking advantage of soccer-specific stadiums that did not exist until recently. His point about the worst seat at Lynn Family Stadium being better than most NFL seats highlights why smaller venues work better for spring football. The comparison to NBA and NHL attendance numbers (15,000-20,000) shows these are realistic targets.
10-Year Plan to Reach 16 Teams
Repole set a concrete timeline for league expansion.
“We are so excited about Our vision, we’re going to go from eight teams. I want to have expansion of two teams every two years. I said this in 10 years, if this is not a 16-team league, it’s on me. I’ve never been afraid to take chances in my life.”
This matches what he told other media outlets – two teams every two years until the league doubles in size. Repole taking personal accountability (“it’s on me”) shows he is willing to be judged on this timeline. The 10-year horizon aligns with his beverage business experience where brands took a decade to mature. Repole getting added to the ownership mix gives the league at least two more years to see if things get going. Not sure where things would be if he didn’t get involved.
Why Spring Football Will Work This Time
Repole addressed the 40-year history of failed spring football leagues.
“I’ve watched people for 40 years try to make this spring football league, It’s going to happen for people that are my age or older. We remember the Houston Gamblers and the Generals and things like that. Well, why is this going to work? I think this is going to work because the timing is right. We have a great team. We’re not only looking at the right markets, we’re also looking at the right venue.”
“Right market, right venue. There are very few sports, other than pro football, in college football and college football, that can have 75,000 people show up, 100,000 people show up, 65, a waiting list for the Giants or Green Bay packers. Even the Jets sell out. Think about that, right? So if the Jets can sell out, you know football is an easy sell, right?”
Repole acknowledged the skepticism around spring football but argued the formula is “right market, right venue.” His joke about the Jets selling out despite their struggles was his way of saying football is the easiest sport to sell. If that was the case, then why FOX, RedBird Capital, Dany Garcia and The Rock not make it happen.
The Naming: Louisville Kings and the Horse Racing Connection
Repole explained why he chose “Kings” for the team name.
Mayor Craig Greenberg noted during his remarks: “And having the great name that you guys selected with our namesake being named after King Louis XVI, of course, we’re the home to the best racing for the sport of Kings. And now the Louisville Kings are going to reign over our city in a new way.”
The name connects to Louisville being named after King Louis XVI and to horse racing being called “the sport of kings.” Repole owns Repole Stables, which has produced multiple Breeders’ Cup and Belmont Stakes winners, making the horse racing connection personal. The green color scheme was chosen strategically to avoid Kentucky’s blue or Louisville’s red.
Eric Wood on Why Louisville is the Right Market
Former NFL player and Louisville resident Eric Wood, serving as team ambassador, made the case for the market.
“The game of football is extremely important to this market, where on most weeks of the fall, our college stadiums are packed around the state. And then on top of that, we have, year in and year out, been one of the top markets, if not the top market for viewership around the country. That’s one of the reasons that this market was identified was because of how sports crazy this region is, and we don’t have a professional football team here.”
“There was almost 70 guys that played in the NFL last year that either decided to practice squad deal this year or an active roster spot. That’s a significant portion of the NFL that if those guys weren’t getting reps in the spring, they don’t make those teams. You talk about finding an opportunity, John, those guys got an opportunity, and it’s special to bring that here.”
Wood provided data showing Louisville is one of the top NFL television markets despite having no pro team. He also noted that nearly 70 players who competed in the UFL in spring 2024 made NFL rosters in fall 2024, demonstrating the developmental value of the league. This shows the UFL serves a purpose in the football ecosystem.
Repole Meets First Louisville Kings Fan at Airport
Repole shared a story from earlier that day about fan enthusiasm.
“We get off on a plane today, and one of the guys sees a couple of the guys with the UFL shirts, and he’s probably maybe 21 years old. He goes, Are you guys with the Louisville Kings? Not even the UFL, Louisville Kings. And we go, Yeah. So we come over and he goes, Me and my friends are so fired up about this team. We’re so fired up.”
This encounter at the airport showed immediate local interest in the team before any marketing campaign. The fact that the fan specifically mentioned “Louisville Kings” rather than just “UFL” suggests the local branding resonated immediately. Repole indicated the team would do something special for this first fan.
Summary
Mike Repole announced the Louisville Kings at Lynn Family Stadium, revealing that 31 cities applied to host UFL teams and only three were selected for 2026 expansion. Repole explained his personal connection to Louisville through horse racing, including his first major win with Uncle Mo at the 2010 Breeders’ Cup.
He discovered Lynn Family Stadium while driving to the Kentucky Derby and immediately contacted league officials about bringing a team to the city. Repole outlined his vision of “arena football outdoors” in soccer-specific stadiums that hold 15,000-20,000 fans, arguing these venues did not exist 10 years ago and are key to the league’s success. He set a 10-year goal to expand from eight teams to 16 teams, adding two franchises every two years.
The team name “Kings” connects to both King Louis XVI (Louisville’s namesake) and horse racing being called the sport of kings. Former NFL player Eric Wood, serving as team ambassador, noted Louisville is one of the top NFL television markets and cited nearly 70 UFL players making NFL rosters in 2024 as evidence the developmental league serves a purpose. The Louisville Kings will play five home games at Lynn Family Stadium starting in spring 2026.
1 Comment
by 4th&long
Good article. I watched most the press conference. Repole loves to yuck it up and is a gregarious guy. His stories were all relevant to something about the team, city or football etc…
That encounter at the airport story was gold.
I wonder what he means about Arena Football outside, just the stadium size or maybe changes to help scoring and excitement.
The fact he has connections to two of the three news cities is a big plus. Living in Orlando and the horse connection in Louisville is a big plus. Mike doesn’t like to lose.