The UFL Project
What is The UFL Project?
This project is a love letter to my childhood.
In 2005, when I was 11, I drew up a 32-team fictional football league of which I later named the "Ultimate Football League". Little did I know, this dream would follow me in to my design career.
Since that day, I haven't stopped working on it. Team names have changes, logos reworked, uniforms tweaked.
But this year, I turn 30. This is the year where we close this chapter, tie a bow on it, and share it with the world.
In a way, this project is a way for me to make the dreams of my 11-year-old self come true. And it's a way for me to include all of you.
Tell me more about this Ultimate Football League...
The league features 32 completely fictional teams that exist in a hypothetical reality where the NFL doesn't. The league is simulated through a modified version of Madden 20 on the PC.
In the beginning, games were played using a spinner fashioned together using a brass fastener and a paperclip. When Madden 07 came out, I built the league using the Create-A-Team feature. When Madden 08 was released, and later Madden 12, the games were moved to those platforms.
Every game is simulated through some sort of CPU vs. CPU "spectator mode". As of February 2024, there have been 27 UFL seasons.
Woah. So what's the plan?
During 2020, I fell down the rabbit hole of PC modding. After learning about what's possible, Madden 20 became the holy frail for The UFL Project.
After modding all 32 teams in to the game and running the 27th season as a test, I finally sorted out all of the bugs.
Starting today, the day after the biggest football day of the year, we'll begin sharing the league identity and all 32 teams – one a week for 33 straight weeks. Each team will include a complete backstory, logo suite, stadium design, and uniform set. We'll then run Season 28, record it, and share it on our YouTube channel.
The rest of the year will be the culmination of 20 years of existing in my own head. This will be my way of bringing it to life.
