Rebooted XFL will include Houston as one of eight teams

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The XFL pro football league will give Houston gridiron action in the springtime.

The league and the Houston Sports Authority jointly announced the Bayou City as one of eight teams in the reborn XFL, which is set to start play in February 2020.

TDECU Stadium on the University of Houston campus will host games. The venue holds a 40,000-seat capacity, which the Houston Sports Authority boasted as the "perfect size" for the reboot.

The league, which is being financially backed by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, also tapped Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington to base teams.

An eight-game inaugural season is expected to be scheduled, the sports authority said.

The XFL also tapped Oliver Luck, former Houston Oilers quarterback, as its commissioner and CEO.

With the XFL, Houston re-enters the non-NFL football league market. In the past, the city has hosted teams from the Arena Football League and USFL, among others.

The previous XFL played one season in 2001 with a similar eight-team structure. Buoyed by a network TV contract to carry games, the league folded after season-long declines in ratings.