The XFL has come to a collaboration agreement with the NFL, the league announced on Monday.
In a press release from the XFL, the partnership's plan is to provide "select innovation programs to further expand the game of football and create increased opportunities for player development both on and off the field."
"We are extremely pleased to collaborate with the NFL in these important areas,” Dany Garcia said, co-owner and chairwoman of the XFL. “We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience.
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"We have an open field for innovative rules to enhance in-game access. Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall."
The statement outlines plans for the two organizations to work together on physical and mental health programs for players, studying different playing surfaces and equipment, development football on an international scale and testing different game rules to enhance player safety.
"The XFL has shown us that innovation is one of its core principles," Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, said in the statement. We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels."
The XFL announced in July of 2021 that it had plans to return again for a third time. The league previously ran a single season in 2001 under Vince McMahon before the league folded.
NFL
In 2018, it was announced the XFL would return in early 2020, this time underneath Oliver Luck. However, the league was suspended mid-season in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league filed for bankruptcy a month later before it was sold to a group consisting of Garcia, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Gerry Cardinale, in August of 2020.
The plan for the XFL is to return with its new season in February of 2023.