Imagine a league that brings back a more physical brand of 70s, 80s and 90s football, and imagine having one of 30 teams in your backyard — with tickets going for about $50 a pop.
Major League Football owner Adam McLean is piloting an effort to launch Charleston’s first professional football team, the Brigade, while also introducing the pro game to 29 other non-NFL markets, including the Dakotas, Virginia Beach, Oklahoma City and Hartford, among others.
The product, according to Charleston’s General Manager Patrick McCleary, will closely resemble the NFL, as each team will roster 53 players. The style of play, he says, will see teams operate at a quicker tempo compared to their NFL counterparts.
Thus far, the Brigade has secured its head coach, Samuel Thomas of Myrtle Beach, and seven assistant coaches, with player try-outs taking place in June. As for a home venue, the franchise is planning to spilt its games between The Citadel and Charleston Southern University.
And while the goal for MLF’s inaugural season remains selling four or five more of its franchises, the real challenge lies in gaining traction on Sunday afternoons that have traditionally been dominated by the NFL.
Fighting the goliath NFL for eyeballs, however, may not be as daunting as it seems, with the MFL hosting additional games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights versus no competition from its big brother.
“One of the things that excites me about this is we’ve seen how the NFL has been priced out. If you’re trying to take out your family of four, you’re looking at $1,000. Our ticket prices will be more in the alignment of $50,” said the Mount Pleasant resident.
From a business standpoint, each team is currently valuated at $7 million, which makes the pathway to ownership immensely easier for an investor. To own just a single-digit share of a NFL franchise, conversely, one would need to cough up hundreds of millions of dollars.
The league has generated ample interest from potential buyers, many of whom may be looking to invest after the September launch when the value of an individual franchise will shoot up to $25 million. If all goes according to plan, McCleary predicts that each franchise could potentially be worth $150 million in a few years.