The back-and-forth travel between Arlington, Texas, where the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Battlehawks practice, and game sites in the United Football League makes for an arrangement seemingly absent of a true home.
In fact, the Battlehawks hold training camp and practice in the same city that is home to the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades.
It’s part of what has made the team’s success in ºüÀêÊÓƵ all the more stunning. After averaging 35,024 fans at the Dome at America’s Center last season, the Battlehawks will play their first home game at 7 p.m. Saturday against, of all teams, Arlington.
The expectation is they will challenge their previous attendance record, which was the XFL record of 38,810 on a day with competition from the Cardinals and ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC.
“Coming from the NFL, I’ve kind of got a taste of what it’s like to have a big crowd,†said Battlehawks linebacker Willie Harvey, who was with the team last season. “But last year kind of exceeded that, so it was just like a shock to everybody how loud they were and the excitement and energy they brought.â€
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The Battlehawks had sold 30% more season tickets for their five home games as of three weeks ago, when the UFL announced it would hold the league’s first championship game in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Coach Anthony Becht and his players will be happy to have a throng after losing the first game at Michigan and having to play against a team that finished strong in 2023 despite a 4-6 regular-season record.
“There’s a little buzz, and we’ve tried to amp that up as a league, as a city, myself and our players,†Becht said. “We want to lock the doors at home. We know the importance of this game. This is a vital one for us, and the fan base is going to be a big part of that in some scenarios throughout the game.â€
The Battlehawks have become the standard for spring professional football when it comes to fan participation, whether it’s ticket buying, costume wearing or ka-kaw screeching.
Now, Becht wants them to rise to the level of championship contender, a bar that eluded the team last week. The Battlehawks beat the Renegades last season when coach Bob Stoops proved a team is never out of the championship hunt.
Arlington started 3-2 then lost four of five but made the playoffs. Weeks later the Renegades won the final XFL championship.
“Arlington is a great example of embracing the process,†Becht said. “They were a much different team than they were early in the season. You look at the record and say how does a team with a losing record get to the championship game? But they kind of grew throughout the season.â€
The Renegades’ turnaround was aided by a trade for quarterback Luis Perez, who started last season with Las Vegas. Don’t let the small-college experience at Texas A&M Commerce fool you. Perez threw for 1,300 yards in five games for the Renegades last season.
He provides a different test for the ºüÀêÊÓƵ defense than Michigan did last week.
“It’s going to be loud and our defense and Arlington’s offense are going to have to adjust,†Battlehawks defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham said. “That’s when the dome is going to be loudest, so we have to make sure we’re communicating our signals and calls.â€
Harvey said the defense has been working on perfecting hand signals in the hope it can “dismantle all the crowd noise.†The Battlehawks were solid defensively in the season opener, although they allowed two touchdown runs by the quarterback.
Becht was particularly unhappy the Battlehawks didn’t take advantage of turnovers to score early points. It was the second consecutive season opener the offense sputtered, so he’ll be looking for ways to get a faster start at home.
“We’ve been talking about that a lot,†Becht said. “The plan is to start fast, get a drive. We’ll do what we have to to get momentum on our side. We’ve got a few ideas we may try to open up the game and see how that goes.â€