From the Commissioner's Desk

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Continental, your weekly insider's look at the Continental Football League. After more than five decades, the CoFL banner is raised once again — built on community partnership, affordable family football, and a disciplined approach to long-term league building.

This Saturday, May 23, our Week Zero preseason slate begins with four matchups across both divisions. It's the first live look at the football we've been building, and the start of a summer that runs all the way to the Continental Cup. Inside this issue you'll find the full Week Zero schedule, a feature on the league's commitment to community-rooted ownership, key league news including this week's announcement on the Northern Division, and a look at the opportunities for new ownership groups in CoFL markets.

Football is back. All summer long.

Built to Last: The CoFL's Standards-Based Approach to Long-Term League Building

Pro football's modern history is littered with leagues that launched fast and folded faster. The Continental Football League is being built on a different premise — that durability matters more than speed, and that every market deserves to be set up to win before it takes the field.

That philosophy was on full display this week as the league announced that the Indianapolis Capitols will take an operational hiatus for the 2026 season, with a confirmed return in 2027 at Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. Rather than rush a launch, the league is using 2026 to finalize the right local ownership group and complete a sustainable business and football operations plan.

"This decision reflects the league's responsibility to act in the best long-term interests of both the Indianapolis market and the Continental Football League as a whole," said Mike Kelly, Commissioner of the Continental Football League. "By pausing operations for the 2026 season, the league is taking a deliberate and standards-based approach to ensure the right ownership, infrastructure, and competitive foundation."

What makes the announcement notable isn't the pause — it's the partners stepping forward to anchor it. IBEW Local 1393 and Teamsters Local No. 135 both publicly endorsed the 2027 plan, citing the CoFL's commitment to working with organized labor and creating skilled-trades pathways for players and local youth. "The CoFL's commitment to community partnership, job creation through organized labor, and identifying the right local ownership group shows this club is being built for long-term success," said Chris Wilson, Business Manager and Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 1393.

Brad Hauter, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Grand Park Sports & Entertainment, confirmed the venue alignment: "Droplight Grand Park is excited to welcome the Indianapolis Capitols as our summer professional football tenant beginning in 2027."

The takeaway: The CoFL is signaling to fans, players, sponsors, and prospective ownership groups that this league will move at the speed of doing it right — community first, ownership vetted, infrastructure ready. It's an approach built to outlast the news cycle, and it sets the tone for how every future market will be evaluated.

Northern Division Reshaped, Schedules Finalized, Week Zero Locked In

With Week Zero on deck, the past week brought decisive moves across the league office and final preparations across all active clubs.

• Northern Division strengthens its core. With the Capitols on 2026 hiatus, the Northern Division remains anchored by the Ohio Valley Ironmen and Cincinnati Dukes, providing a strong competitive core as the league finalizes the most effective divisional format for 2026.
• Home games guaranteed. League officials are finalizing 2026 schedules to ensure both the Ironmen and Dukes will play a minimum of three home games this season. Additional opponent and scheduling details are expected within the next 48 hours.
• Week Zero is set. Four preseason matchups have been confirmed for Saturday, May 23 — see the full slate below.
• Rosters locked. Per the league blueprint, all active clubs are operating on 36-man active rosters with a 4-man practice squad, built around the league's regional rights model.
• Ticketing is open. Local-market pricing has held to its promise — designed to start around the cost of a movie ticket, with Ohio Valley general admission opening at $20 and group packages live for families, teams, churches, and community organizations.

Week Zero: Saturday, May 23, 2026

Four CoFL clubs open the summer against non-league opponents this Saturday — the first live test for rosters, coaching staffs, and game-day operations before divisional play begins.

What to watch: Look for the debut of The Continental Shift — the league's modified Canadian-style fourth-quarter ruleset designed to accelerate pace and reward aggression. The first three quarters follow traditional rules; the fourth is where the CoFL distinguishes itself.

2026 Active Clubs

Norfolk Neptunes and Vegas Gamblers are designated as future ancillary markets within the Northern Division. Head coaches and operational details are to be announced.

The Original CoFL: A Five-Year Run That Shaped Pro Football's Minor League Tradition

Formed in February 1965 under the leadership of first commissioner — and former Major League Baseball Commissioner — A.B. "Happy" Chandler, the original Continental Football League ran five full seasons from 1965 through 1969. At its peak, the CoFL reached from Toronto to Mexico, with franchises in major U.S. metros and small industrial towns alike.

Quarterback Don Jonas of the Orlando Panthers became the league's defining figure, earning MVP honors three times (1966, 1967 Atlantic, 1968). The original Ohio Valley Ironmen, fielded 1968–69, produced 1968 Coach of the Year Lou Blumling. In a remarkable footnote, a 1966 Philadelphia Bulldogs game at JFK Stadium drew a reported 100,000 fans through an Acme Markets ticket promotion — among the largest single-game audiences in minor-league football history.

The 2026 league honors that lineage by reviving franchise names familiar to longtime fans — Ironmen, Neptunes, Braves, Toros — and carrying forward the original league's commitment to community-rooted professional football.

Next Up in The Continental

Next week's issue will feature Week Zero recaps from across both divisions, our first set of Week 1 power rankings, the finalized Northern Division schedule for the Ironmen and Dukes, and reader Q&A from the league mailbag. Have a question for the league office or a coach? Reply to this email — selected questions will be answered in print.

Until then, see you at the stadium.

— The CoFL League Office

Media inquiries: [email protected]

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