As the new United Football League gets ready for its first games with a new name, there's one thing the Memphis Showboats haven't yet experienced: Memphis.

Like all eight UFL teams, the Showboats are based in Arlington, Texas and have been going through training camp there for the past several weeks. Every team will continue to practice and live in Arlington throughout the UFL season, only flying to home markets for games.

That makes it hard for new coach John DeFilippo and the Showboats to get to know their fans and the Memphis community as a whole.

"That's hard. It's not been easy," DeFilippo said this week. "Unfortunately, it's not the same. I'm just going to be honest with you. We're going to do the best we can at the situation that we have."

The Showboats will kick off the season on Saturday, when they face the Houston Roughnecks (2 p.m., ESPN). They will play in Memphis for the first time when they host the San Antonio Brahmas at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on April 6. It's the second straight year the Showboats have existed in their current iteration, but the league will be different. The USFL and XFL merged earlier this year, creating the UFL. Officials say the move will ensure the long-term future of spring football.

That meant some markets were eliminated, but the Showboats — part of the USFL last season — will continue on.

DeFilippo has been to Memphis twice this offseason, including a season ticket holder event. But most of the players — at least those who weren't on the team last year — have not been able to engage with Memphis or Showboats fans yet.

April 6, then, will be the first opportunity for that.

"You always want to feel your fans and the energy," he said. "And part of that is giving back to the community and being engaged with your fan base. That's part of the deal. We're going to do the best we can. We fly in the night before the game, we fly back out after the game. We're going to do whatever's asked of us, but at the same time, our purpose in coming to Memphis is, at the end of the day, is to win a game."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Showboats are preparing for inaugural UFL season away from Memphis