UFLAccess.com reported that United Football League Commissioner Michael Huyghue announced during Media Day that the league had lost $30,000,000 – somewhat above what was projected initially. The Sports Business Journal, a fantastic resource for those interested in the, well, business of sports, is now out with a follow up.

Excerpts below:

The United Football League, scheduled to wrap up its first season last Friday, lost roughly $30 million in its debut year, $6 million more than the league’s founders projected before the inaugural campaign began last month, sources said.

That loss averages out to about $2.3 million for each of the 13 games played by the league, including the Friday championship game.

The league had projected before the season a loss of at least $24 million on $56 million in revenue. It was unclear how far off the revenue projection was from what the league actually generated.

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“I gotta tell you, I never bought into 20,000 a game; I am telling you that point blank,” said Frank Vuono, the league’s chief operating officer, about the preseason projection. “The problem was we had no way to build on attendance.”

Vuono also noted as a hindrance what he called a “measly” ad budget.

UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue did not disagree. He said one of the biggest lessons from the first season is that marketing must be handled locally and not nationally.

“I think our strategy was a little flawed,” Huyghue said. “I also think we will add broadcasts to RSNs (regional sports networks).”

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On the plus side, Huyghue said, the level of play was high for a startup, the quality of the TV broadcasts was noticeable, and the number of sponsors was more than expected. Among those companies that signed with the league were StubHub, Motorola and Men’s Wearhouse.

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Next year, the league plans to expand from four to six teams, Huyghue said. He declined to identify the new ownership groups other than to note that at least one had been determined. The new markets have not yet been identified.

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