By Christopher Boulay
Last Friday, the United Football League played a game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, showcasing the upstart league’s product, and weighing out the possibility of returning to Connecticut permanently.
The New York Sentinels played the Florida Tuskers, a battle between the league’s worst and best teams. The Tuskers won by a score of 24-6, but the main story wasn’t exactly what was occurring on the field, but was the fact that the league chose to play a game in Connecticut. Michael Huyghue, the league’s commissioner, is a Windsor native and really likes the prospect of a future team in the Nutmeg state.
“The talk has materialized. I think we expect to make an announcement by the end of the year. I think it would be important for us to put field turf in here to coexist with the University of Connecticut,” Huyghue said. “There are some other components, other than finding an ownership groups, because we have to make the stadium suitable for us.”
Both Florida coach Jim Haslett and New York coach Ted Cottrell were impressed with Rentschler Field as a viable option for a UFL franchise.
“I do think it is a good venue, I do think that the city would embrace a team here. Obviously they have a good stadium and I think it would be a good place to have a team,” Haslett said. “It’s a good facility. The stadium is excellent. It’s first class.”
“This is fantastic. It’s a great facility,” Cottrell added.
The attendance may not have been great, but it is another thing that Huyghue and the UFL are not concerned about. The official number was 5,201, but it looked more like 2,000 people in the stadium. With little to no advertising for the game, the low number wasn’t surprising.
“The city has been very hospitable to us,” Huyghue said. “There are a lot of things that give us a good feel and make us a good prospect.”
The game play was decent, but the fact that the league is a chance to give players a second chance, or even a last chance to continue to play football, was the real interesting factor about the league.
Ticket prices are also reasonable, with prices not going higher than $30. It is also great for college students, as any student with a college ID will be able to go to any UFL game for free. A middle of the week opportunity in the fall to see good football for free is always a good formula to get college kids out and about.
“It will continue. One of the benefits of this is that sponsorship and television revenue will be the sources of how these teams make their income,” Huyghue said. “I don’t want to say that the gates are not important, but it will never be a significant piece of the financial model for our teams. Because of that, we have the ability to keep our prices low, to have students come free to games. Those are the things that we are going to continue to do.”
The Northeast Conference even has some representation in the league, with former Wagner kicker Piotr Czech starting for New York, showing that even CCSU football players have a chance to continue to show their skills after college, if they cannot immediately make it into the NFL.
Czech was 2-for-3 on field goals for the Sentinels, his longest kick going for 44 yards.
Even a local star has had the opportunity to showcase his talent in the league. Andrew Pinnock, the Bloomfield native, and former fullback for the San Diego Chargers, showed he can still play at a high level in this league. Pinnock had one reception in the game.
Even Haslett praised Pinnock, who he believes still has a future in the NFL.
“I like Andrew. He’s the ultimate team guy. I like being around the guy,” Haslett said. “He’s a good football player. He’s a player that, if you’re looking for a fullback, he is going to be on the top of the list for a lot of teams.”
It isn’t known yet when it will be announced whether or not Connecticut will be getting a team, but when it happens, football fans will have a fun, inexpensive option to watch a good product.
