UFL playoff game relocated from Historic Crew Stadium to Daytona

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ARLINGTON, Texas – The United Football League announced today that the UFL playoff game between the Orlando Storm and DC Defenders on Sunday, June 7, will now be played in Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, after previously announcing plans to move the game to a neutral-site venue in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff will be at 3 p.m. ET and also air nationally on ABC. Finding a new venue for the game was necessary based on the unavailability of Inter&Co Stadium due to prior commitments connected to hosting an international soccer match.

 

According to a press release from the UFL, to play the game in Columbus, the league continued to work on options in Florida, including Daytona Stadium. A group consisting of officials from the UFL, Bethune-Cookman University, the City of Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Police, ESPN, Ticketmaster, and concession partners worked throughout the weekend, including site visits to the venue, and were able to collectively create a plan for the game to be played in Daytona.

 

"As we said from the beginning, our preference was always to keep this game as close to our Orlando fanbase as possible," said UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon. "When we announced Columbus, we did so to ensure we had a venue confirmed to be able to play the game after exhausting every viable option in the market to that point. Since then, a potential opportunity we had looked into further surfaced in Daytona Beach that warranted immediate onsite evaluation over the weekend. Once we determined the venue had the ability to work with the collective stakeholders on an expedited timeline, we felt it was important to pivot and bring this game back to Central Florida. We can’t thank the collective partners enough for working with us on this solution."

 

The league also expressed its appreciation to the Columbus community, Historic Crew Stadium, and local partners who worked collaboratively to prepare for hosting the playoff game.

 

"The UFL is incredibly appreciative of the Columbus community, Historic Crew Stadium, and local partners who worked collaboratively to prepare for hosting the Orlando playoff game, including Mary Shepro, Dave Jenkins, and the entire staff of the Crew and Haslam Sports Group. Columbus has shown tremendous support for the league and for spring football, and when we needed a home for the game, Columbus stepped up with enthusiasm and flexibility throughout this process,” said Brandon.

 

“We look forward to working together with our partners on future Aviators events in the community and a great second season for our amazing fans."