UFL players elect United Football Players Association to serve as their union for 2025

UFL players will have new union representation for 2025.

The United Football Players Association announced on Friday that UFL players voted the organization to be the official players union for the upcoming 2025 season. In 2024, the UFL Player’s Association (UFLPA, an extension of the USFLPA) had partnered with the United Steel Workers. The USW withdrew as the UFLPA’s bargaining agent in August, leaving the players without representation.

Prior to kickoff in 2024, there was sniping back and forth between both the UFLPA and the UFPA, with players getting involved on social media in support of both sides. Eventually, the UFLPA announced a deal with the UFL for salaries, bonuses, roster sizes, and more.

Now, without the USW support, the UFPA has emerged to take the reins. The UFPA’s executive staff includes former spring football players Kenneth Farrow and Nick Temple, who initially banded together to create the UFPA in the aftermath of the XFL 2020 folding to help guide players through the league bankruptcy process.

Former players Ryan Cave and Jake Payne are also listed as executive staff members, along with Dennis Polian, who recently stepped down as general manager of the Memphis Showboats. Notably, the release mentions the UFPA is recognized by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Previously, the UFPA was billed as not a union but an advisory organization

The UFPA put out a list of upcoming player meetings. They seem to be preparing to negotiate upcoming contracts with league personnel. Though it was done relatively quietly last season, those negotiations will be another issue to watch as the 2025 season approaches.

Interestingly, UFLPA president Dartez Jacobs put out a statement in August when the USW withdrew its support saying, in part, “The UFL player membership should run a professional search and confidential background check on any newly organized union posing as ‘united’ to persuade players who cast deciding ballots. It is unnatural for any organization to obstruct the growth and preservation of player benefits for their self-elected personal gain. This is certainly not a meaningful application of ‘players helping players.'” While not outright saying it, it certainly appears to be a veiled shot at the UFPA, which now stands as the elected bargaining unit of the players Jacobs represents.