Louisville Kings

The Kings were established October 7, 2025. Its name and mascot comes from Kentucky's thoroughbred racing history; co-owner Mike Repole had a 20-year history operating a horse racing stable in the state and racing horses in the Kentucky Derby. Noting that most of the other horse-related mascots such as "Stallions" and "Colts" were already taken, Repole drew inspiration from horse racing's reputation as a "sport of kings."^[1][2] He also considered the possibility of approaching the Louisville Slugger baseball bat company about licensing the name Louisville Sluggers, but decided against it.^[1] Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg noted the name's appropriate fit, given the city being named after Louis XVI, the French monarch.^[3]

Lynn Family Stadium is the smallest stadium in the UFL, with most others having a capacity of at least 20,000 spectators. Repole had specifically sought out the stadium for a more intimate atmosphere and remarked that if he had been required to use L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, the much larger football stadium in the city, he would have not brought a team there.^[1]

Eric Wood, the Buffalo Bills former offensive lineman and current radio color analyst, was named the team's first community ambassador.^[3]

The Kings are the only professional football team in not only Louisville, but in all of Kentucky and the first professional outdoor team in Louisville since the Kentucky Trackers of the American Football Association in 1980. Louisville is home to three major and minor league professional sports teams, the Louisville Bats of the International League, Louisville City FC in USL Championship, and Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League.

The market is also heavily influenced by the collegiate teams from the University of Louisville and, to a lesser extent, the University of Kentucky.

The Kings have had the strongest demand for ticket sales of the three newly relocated teams for the 2026 season. Within a month of the announcement, a supporters group, the Kings' Court, had been established and was seeking official recognition.^[4]