The XFL selected Choctaw Stadium in Arlington and the three area stadiums—Northwest ISD Stadium in Justin, Dragon Stadium in Southlake and Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield—as its “Hub” of operations in July. The Hub will also serve as a content creation center, giving the league, its teams and its players an opportunity to build personal brands and engage with fans through social media, in-person events and other media platforms.
The XFL owners are Dany Garcia, former WWE professional wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners, according to an XFL press release.
Eight teams based out of Arlington, Houston, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington D.C. make up the league. Each team will travel to North Texas to practice at one of the Hub’s practice fields during the week before traveling back to their cities for weekend game days.
“We are thrilled to be working with Choctaw Stadium and REV Entertainment along with three local high school district stadiums – Northwest ISD Stadium, Southlake Carroll Dragon Stadium and Vernon Newsom Stadium – to create the new XFL Hub,” said Russ Brandon, XFL president. “Convenient access to premium care and athletic training is a top priority for us and this Hub allows us to provide equal, quality care to all of our players.”
Officials at Northwest ISD expects to see XFL players start using their stadium for pre-season practices this month. The stadium in Justin was built in 2005 and can hold approximately 10,000 people.
This will be the third attempt to make a go of the XFL. The minor football league was first formed in 2001 but ended after one year. The XFL’s restart in 2020 was ended halfway through the season due to COVID-19 and an ensuing bankruptcy. Johnson and other investors then bought the league in Aug. 2020 for $15 million.
XFL Draft Week was held Nov. 16-17 in Las Vegas and a supplemental draft was conducted on Jan. 1 to fill the remaining roster spots on each team. The season will kick off on Feb. 18 in partnership with its exclusive broadcast partner, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN, according to an XFL press release. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at XFL.com/tickets.
