Spring Football HQ — The Home of Alternative Pro Football Throwbacks
Authentic USFL, XFL, UFL, WLAF, WFL & AAF Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.
Spring Football HQ is the definitive online destination for throwback jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and apparel from every spring and alternative pro football league in American history. From the modern UFL (Birmingham Stallions, DC Defenders, Michigan Panthers, St. Louis Battlehawks) back through the original USFL of the 1980s, the WWE-era XFL, the WLAF/NFL Europe experiment, the WFL of the 1970s, the AAF, and every league in between — if it tried to play professional football outside the NFL, you'll find it here. Free name and number on most styles. Sizes S–5XL.
Shop by League
The Spring Football HQ collection is your gateway to every alternative-football league we cover:
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USFL — Original 1983–1985 + 2022–2023 reboot teams (Stallions, Generals, Showboats, Maulers, Bandits, Express, Federals).
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XFL — 2001 original + 2020 + 2023 reboots (Outlaws, Demons, Sea Dragons, Battlehawks, Defenders, Renegades).
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UFL — Modern 2024+ league (USFL + XFL merger): Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, San Antonio Brahmas, Houston Roughnecks, DC Defenders, St. Louis Battlehawks, Arlington Renegades, Memphis Showboats.
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UFL 2009–2012 — Original United Football League (Las Vegas Locomotives, Florida Tuskers, New York Sentinels, Sacramento Mountain Lions, Omaha Nighthawks).
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WLAF / NFL Europe — World League of American Football and its NFL Europe successor (London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons, Birmingham Fire, Orlando Thunder).
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WFL — World Football League 1974–1975 (Philadelphia Bell, Memphis Southmen, Birmingham Americans, Houston Texans, Florida Blazers).
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AAF — Alliance of American Football 2019 (Orlando Apollos, San Antonio Commanders, Birmingham Iron, Arizona Hotshots, Memphis Express, San Diego Fleet, Atlanta Legends, Salt Lake Stallions).
What You Can Shop
Spring Football Jerseys — Mesh and twill football jerseys covering every alternative league. Home and road styles. Free name and number on most jerseys. Sizes S–5XL.
Spring Football Hats — Snapback, fitted, unstructured dad caps, and trucker styles featuring USFL, XFL, UFL, AAF, and WLAF logos.
Spring Football T-Shirts & Hoodies — Soft cotton tees and pullover hoodies in every league's colorways and eras.
Customization — Free name and number on most jerseys. Yes, we'll do "HE HATE ME" on a Las Vegas Outlaws jersey. Custom items are final sale.
Sizes — Small through 5XL on most styles. True family sizing.
Marquee Spring Football Teams
Across forty-plus years of alternative pro football, these are the franchises that drew the loudest fanbases and produced the most memorable jerseys:
Birmingham Stallions — Two-time USFL champions (2022, 2023) and the 2024 UFL champions, building a four-year dynasty across two leagues. Shop the Stallions.
St. Louis Battlehawks — XFL 2020 + 2023 darlings who out-drew most NFL teams in attendance per capita and gave The Lou pro football for the first time since the Rams left. Shop the Battlehawks.
DC Defenders — XFL fan favorites who packed Audi Field and built the league's flagship gameday experience. Shop the Defenders.
New Jersey Generals — Donald Trump-era USFL franchise with Herschel Walker, Doug Flutie, and the loudest media circus the league ever produced. Shop the Generals.
Houston Gamblers — Jim Kelly's run-and-shoot machine that may have been the most exciting offense ever fielded by an alternative league. Shop the Gamblers.
Memphis Showboats — Reggie White's launching pad in the original USFL, revived for the 2022–23 USFL run and the modern UFL. Shop the Showboats.
LA Express — Steve Young's $40M USFL contract, Mel Gray, Kevin Nelson, and one of the great cult logos in pro sports history. Shop the Express.
Las Vegas Outlaws — Original 2001 XFL home of "HE HATE ME" Rod Smart and silver-and-black football at Sam Boyd Silver Bowl. Shop the Outlaws.
LA Xtreme — Tommy Maddox's MVP season and the only original-XFL champion. Shop the Xtreme.
Tampa Bay Bandits — Steve Spurrier-coached USFL fan favorites with Burt Reynolds in the owner's box. Shop the Bandits.
Why Royal Retros Is the Home of Spring Football
- Officially licensed throwbacks across every spring football era.
- Free name and number customization on most jerseys.
- Period-correct construction and colorways for each league/era.
- Sizes Small through 5XL — true family sizing.
- The widest selection of alternative-football apparel anywhere on the web.
- One-stop shop spanning fifty years of spring/summer/alternative pro football.
Quick Buying Questions
What sizes are available?
Small through 5XL on most styles.
Can I customize?
Yes — most jerseys include free name and number. Custom items are final sale.
Is this officially licensed?
Yes. Royal Retros holds the licensing required to make USFL, XFL, UFL, WLAF, WFL, and AAF throwbacks.
How long will my order take?
Stock items ship within a few business days. Custom jerseys typically take 2–3 weeks because each one is sewn to order.
Do you carry both old-school and modern teams?
Yes. From the WFL (1974) and original USFL (1983) all the way through the modern UFL (2024+), every era is in the catalog.
The History of Spring & Alternative Pro Football
For more than fifty years, entrepreneurs, billionaires, broadcast networks, and pro wrestling magnates have tried to put football on television in the months when the NFL goes dark. Most of those leagues failed. A few changed pro football forever. Spring Football HQ tracks every one of them — the leagues, the teams, and the players who made spring football one of the most beloved cult chapters in American sports.
The WFL (1974–1975) — The First Big Swing
The World Football League launched in summer 1974 with twelve franchises and the bold goal of poaching enough NFL stars to challenge the established league outright. Owner Gary Davidson pulled it off momentarily — Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield all signed massive WFL deals to leave the Miami Dolphins for the Memphis Southmen. The WFL gave us the Philadelphia Bell's notorious "papering" attendance scandal (announced crowds of 64,000+ that turned out to be mostly comped tickets), the Birmingham Americans winning the inaugural World Bowl, and a 1975 collapse mid-season that left thousands of players unpaid. Royal Retros' WFL collection covers all twelve original franchises plus the relocated 1975 lineup.
The USFL (1983–1985) — The High-Water Mark
The original United States Football League is the single most important spring league in pro football history. Founded by Tampa businessman David Dixon, the USFL launched in 1983 with a smart spring-only schedule, broadcast deals with ABC and ESPN, and a willingness to pay top college talent more than the NFL would. The league signed Heisman Trophy winners Herschel Walker (Generals), Mike Rozier (Pittsburgh Maulers), and Doug Flutie (Generals). Steve Young got the richest contract in football history at the time from the LA Express ($40 million over 43 years). Reggie White began his pro career with the Memphis Showboats. Jim Kelly built his Hall of Fame résumé running Mouse Davis's run-and-shoot offense for the Houston Gamblers.
The 1985 USFL Championship Game — Baltimore Stallions vs. Oakland Invaders — drew a national audience. The league self-destructed when ownership (led by New Jersey Generals owner Donald Trump) voted to move to a fall schedule and challenge the NFL head-on, then sued the NFL for antitrust violations. They won the case but were awarded $1 in damages (trebled to $3 by statute). The league folded that summer. Most of its best players went straight to the NFL.
The WLAF / NFL Europe (1991–2007) — The NFL's Own Spring League
Stung by the USFL's success and aware that football fans wanted year-round action, the NFL launched its own spring developmental league in 1991. The World League of American Football fielded teams in North America (Birmingham Fire, Sacramento Surge, Orlando Thunder, San Antonio Riders, Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, Montreal Machine) and Europe (London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons), with the Monarchs winning the inaugural World Bowl in front of 61,000 at Wembley. The league went dormant after 1992, returned in 1995 as a Europe-only NFL Europe, and finally folded after the 2007 season. Kurt Warner is the most famous WLAF/NFL Europe alumnus — he played for the Amsterdam Admirals before becoming a Hall of Fame quarterback.
The XFL (2001) — Vince McMahon's First Try
Vince McMahon's WWE and NBC launched the original XFL in February 2001 with eight teams, a rule book designed to maximize hits, on-field cameras, and a theatrical broadcast presentation. The league launched with the highest-rated football opener in history but ratings collapsed within weeks. The Las Vegas Outlaws gave us "HE HATE ME" (Rod Smart). The LA Xtreme won the only Million Dollar Game over the San Francisco Demons, with Tommy Maddox earning MVP honors and reviving his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Orlando Rage went 8–2 in the regular season. The league folded after one season. NBC reportedly lost $35 million.
The UFL (2009–2012) — A Quiet Try
The original United Football League ran from 2009 to 2012 with a modest four-team format (Las Vegas Locomotives, Florida Tuskers, New York Sentinels, Sacramento Mountain Lions). Coached by names like Jim Fassel and Dennis Green, the UFL signed marquee veterans like Daunte Culpepper and Brett Favre's old backup Daunte Culpepper, and tried to position itself as a spring developmental league. The Locomotives won three of four UFL championships before the league folded mid-season in 2012 amid unpaid salaries.
The AAF (2019) — Eight Weeks of Spring Football Magic
The Alliance of American Football was the most football-credible alternative league ever attempted. Founded by Charlie Ebersol (son of NBC sports legend Dick) and Bill Polian, the AAF launched in February 2019 with eight teams in football-mad markets (Birmingham Iron, San Antonio Commanders, Orlando Apollos, Memphis Express, Atlanta Legends, Salt Lake Stallions, San Diego Fleet, Arizona Hotshots). Coaches included Steve Spurrier, Mike Singletary, Mike Riley, and Mike Martz. The league played eight weeks before majority owner Tom Dundon shut it down in early April 2019, citing unsustainable burn rate. Despite the brief run, AAF jerseys remain among the most collected alternative-football merchandise of the modern era.
The XFL (2020) — McMahon Returns
Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck rebooted the XFL in 2020 with a more football-serious presentation — Marc Trestman coaching the Tampa Bay Vipers, June Jones running the Houston Roughnecks, and a true minor-league developmental angle. The St. Louis Battlehawks emerged as the runaway fan favorite, packing The Dome at America's Center with 30,000+ fans. The DC Defenders weren't far behind. The league played five games before COVID-19 shut it down on March 12, 2020. The XFL filed for bankruptcy in April. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital bought the assets in August 2020 for $15 million.
The USFL (2022–2023) — Fox's Spring Bet
Fox Sports launched a new USFL in spring 2022 using legacy USFL franchise names. The Birmingham Stallions, coached by Skip Holtz, won back-to-back championships (2022 and 2023). The league played a hub-city format out of Birmingham its first year, then expanded to multi-city play in 2023 with Birmingham, Memphis, Detroit, and Canton hosting games.
The XFL (2023) — The Rock's Reboot
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia debuted their rebuilt XFL in February 2023 with eight teams across hub-style markets. The Arlington Renegades won the inaugural Rock-era championship over the DC Defenders. Coaches included Reggie Barlow, Hines Ward, Anthony Becht, and Wade Phillips. The Rock himself made appearances at Battlehawks and Defenders games.
The UFL (2024–present) — The Merger
After the 2023 season, the USFL and XFL merged into a single United Football League (UFL) with eight franchises split into the USFL Conference (Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers) and XFL Conference (Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, St. Louis Battlehawks). The 2024 inaugural UFL champion was the Birmingham Stallions, continuing their dynasty across leagues. The 2025 season is in the books and the league has signed multi-year broadcast deals with Fox and ESPN/Disney through 2028 — the longest broadcast commitment any spring league has ever secured.
The Players Spring Football Built
For five decades alternative leagues have been the entry point — and the comeback path — for some of pro football's most remarkable careers:
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Jim Kelly — Houston Gamblers (USFL) before Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame.
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Steve Young — LA Express (USFL) before three Super Bowls in San Francisco.
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Reggie White — Memphis Showboats (USFL) before Philadelphia/Green Bay Hall of Fame.
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Doug Flutie — New Jersey Generals (USFL) before a long NFL/CFL career.
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Herschel Walker — New Jersey Generals (USFL) before Cowboys/Vikings/Eagles.
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Tommy Maddox — LA Xtreme MVP (XFL 2001) before Pittsburgh Steelers Comeback Player of the Year (2002).
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Kurt Warner — Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe) before St. Louis Rams Hall of Fame.
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Anthony Carter, Bobby Hebert, Vince Evans — USFL alumni who became NFL starters.
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P.J. Walker, Jordan Ta'amu, Brandon Silvers — modern XFL/USFL/UFL players who've cycled through NFL rosters.
Why Spring Football Matters
The cynical read is that spring football leagues exist because the NFL is too dominant for any year-round alternative to survive. The fan read is more interesting: spring football leagues give cities the NFL ignores (Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Orlando) the chance to host major-league football. They give late-blooming and undrafted players a developmental path. They give fans a different brand of football — different rules, different production styles, different stakes — for two months a year. Some of them turn into something durable. Most of them don't. All of them earn a fierce, loyal, throwback-buying fanbase.
Royal Retros is built to honor that lineage. We carry every alternative football league we can license, in every era, with the same construction quality and customization options as our NFL-adjacent throwbacks. If you wore an Outlaws jersey to school in 2001, an AAF Apollos hoodie in 2019, or a Battlehawks tee at the bar last spring — Spring Football HQ is the home of your team.
Spring Football HQ at Royal Retros — Past. Present. Alternate. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.
