Stamford, Conn., January 30, 2019 – The XFL today announced that it has formed a partnership with The Spring League, an elite professional football development organization, to test changes to rules and gameplay as it works to reimagine the game when it kicks off in 2020. Testing during The Spring League’s upcoming season follows the XFL’s first testing session conducted last month, which featured two Mississippi-based junior college teams.
The Spring League will take the field in Austin, Texas from March 28 to April 11 and will provide players the opportunity to showcase their ability in front of the XFL, NFL and other professional football talent evaluators. While doing so, coaches will work closely with football operations executive from the XFL to blend in on-field adjustments the league has been researching and developing since announcing its return just over a year ago.
“We believe that conducting live R&D sessions to test out potential game adjustments in real time is critical,” Oliver Luck, XFL Commissioner & CEO. “Putting the best product on the field is out number one priority and thanks to partners like The Spring League, we are confident that the changes we eventually decide to deploy will have the desired effect and we will deliver outstanding football when we kick off.”
“This is an exciting partnership for The Spring League,” said Brian Woods, CEO of The Spring League, “We applaud the XFL’s effort to reimagine the game and simultaneously provide out players and additional opportunity to display their talents for the XFL coaches and scouts in attendance.”
In early December, XFL football operations personnel worked with the National Junior College Athletic Association and two member schools, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Pearl River Community College, to conduct its first live R&D session.
“The feedback we received from the players, coached and game officials who participated in our three R&D sessions in December was hugely beneficial,” said Doug Whaley, XFL Senior Vice President of Football Operations. “We’re excited to take that feedback, as well as observations from the hundreds of hours of tape we captured, and put these new adjustments on the field in real time with the incredibly talented players of The Spring League attracts.
