After five seasons and three championships, the Birmingham Stallions will be shut down. This news comes from a report from Al.com, with the UFL yet to make an official announcement. 

The news comes not as shock, but rather expectation due to UFL owner Mike Repole’s recent tweets maligning the lack of a smaller stadium in Birmingham. These tweets ranged from asking for other viable options to questioning why Protective Stadium (the former home of the Stallions) was built so large. 

The Birmingham Stallions made their mark not just on spring football, but on Birmingham itself. In the first two years, while in the USFL, the players lived in the city and were constantly engaging in its culture. Fans would be able to see their favorite players in the community, eating at local restaurants, going to concerts, being true parts of the city. Match that with the on-field dominance which resulted in back-to-back championships and it’s no reason the city embraced the Stallions so quickly. Add on top of that another championship in the first year of the UFL, and the Birmingham Stallions dynasty was born.

This past season was one of major changes for the team. It started in the offseason, as the Birmingham Stallions were expected to be moved before the 2026 season occurred. However, large fan outcry and the #SaveTheStallions social media movement kept the team in the Magic City. But it wasn’t quite the same; new uniforms, roster overhaul, and head coach Skip Holtz stepping down and being replaced by former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron. 

The UFL and Repole have clearly pushed the talking point of low attendance and too large of a stadium as the main reason to depart from Birmingham. However, in a year where every single team saw a decrease in attendance, it feels like an overreaction. Birmingham’s home opener was attended by over 18,000 fans, proving the loyalty is there. But when the team goes 4-6 in their worst season ever, an attendance drop off isn’t surprising. 

On top of that, the Stallions were operating at Protective Stadium with financial incentives from Birmingham that allowed the league to essentially use the stadium for free. “The league’s only cost was that of operating their football team, which it will incur no matter where they operate,” the BJCC commission chairman told Al.com. 

Birmingham has also consistently been the #1 TV market for both the UFL and previously the USFL, showing dedicated viewers for spring football residing in the city no matter the league. However, the UFL has drawn its line in the sand on prioritizing small venues with large crowds above all else. 

This is a sour ending for the Birmingham Stallions. Quietly killed in an offseason following major changes that flashed potential, but were instead the last scenes of a former spring dynasty. 

But the ending does not define the experience. The Birmingham Stallions were able to three-peat, and those championships will never be forgotten. And Stallions fans will soon be able to watch players like Brandon Aubrey and Dondrea Tillman show out in the NFL, remembering when they wore red and gold while in Birmingham. And no league mergers or ownership changes will ever be able to take away the memories of the Birmingham Stallions from those true fans who watched them.