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The People's League · Insider Edition
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THE CONTINENTAL
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Issue #10 · Saturday, July 18, 2026
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CoFL Network · State of the League
State of the CoFL: A Conversation with the CEO
Michael Lathrop sits down with Founder & CEO Manny Matsakis on Year One, the 2027 plan, and what comes next.
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In the latest episode of the CoFL Network, Michael Lathrop sat down with Founder & CEO Manny Matsakis for a wide-ranging State of the League. They covered the honest lessons of the inaugural season, the plan to build competitive balance, the league's signature Continental Shift Rule, the move to Indianapolis, and the opportunities ahead for owners and investors. Here are the highlights — then watch the full conversation.
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Lessons from Year One
Standing up a professional league that hadn't played a down since the 1960s was never going to be simple. As Manny put it, the biggest challenge was starting from scratch — and the biggest lesson was time. More ramp-up makes everything easier. This league went from an idea in mid-August to teams on the field in a single season.
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"Here's a league that hadn't existed since the 1960s, and we're sitting here in a position where we actually play games. Tripling the number of subscribers on the broadcast channel while we were on the air was a great surprise — and the amount of attention for something that a year ago wasn't even in the planning stages."
— Manny Matsakis, Founder & CEO
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Building Competitive Balance for 2027
One of the clearest takeaways from Year One: teams were built in isolation, with very different resources and structures. That changes in 2027. The league is working to codify standards with ownership groups so every club competes on a more level field:
| ✔ A true salary cap for all clubs — replacing the recommended amounts used in Year One. |
| ✔ Shared roster-building standards so teams are structured consistently. |
| ✔ Closer collaboration between the league office and owners to drive parity. |
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The Continental Shift Rule
A signature differentiator for the CoFL, the Continental Shift Rule was built by Manny Matsakis and Mike Kelly from their professional experience coaching in Canada — adapting Canadian-style concepts to open up fourth-quarter comebacks and give trailing teams a real path back into games. Fans were split at first, but as the season went on, the response turned: "A team's behind — they could do some things differently." A refined version is planned for the 2027 season, with a stronger emphasis on coaching and broadcast execution so the excitement comes through.
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The 2027 Expansion Picture
The target model is four teams to a division — enough to build an eight-game regular season and real, repeated rivalries. The near-term focus is geography and building out divisions the right way:
| Texas: three solid markets in place, with one more targeted — areas closer to Midland, plus Fort Worth and San Angelo under consideration to sharpen rivalries. |
| Up North: another team is already coming in, with Indianapolis serving as the natural center of a northern division. |
| Beyond: interest is coming in from additional regions — the goal is four clubs per market to stand up a division and grow from there. |
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"Four teams in a division give you the opportunity to play eight regular season games. Right now we're looking to get to four, and then we'll move forward from there."
— Manny Matsakis, Founder & CEO
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What the League Looks For in an Owner
The profile is clear: local, networked, and community-first. No absentee owners. The right owner either has the capital to fund a club or the network and people to make it go — and, critically, is a team player who joins league meetings and follows the blueprint.
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"We just need somebody that loves the opportunity of being in the only outdoor professional football league in the summertime in the United States."
— Manny Matsakis, Founder & CEO
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How to Become an Owner
Visit the Ownership tab at coflfootball.com and request an appointment. That kicks off a discovery call and vetting process, followed by a transparent Zoom session covering financials and commitment, a market analysis, and review with current owners before moving forward. The league has worked to keep the barrier to entry accessible for the right, well-aligned group.
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Why Indianapolis. Why Grand Park.
There's a reason Indianapolis is called Sports City USA — home to the NFL Combine, the Big Ten Championship, and a deep bench of relationships with the Teamsters, trade unions, and local companies excited to get involved. At its center is Grand Park, the largest outdoor sports complex in the United States: 22 football fields plus a full indoor facility. As the Colts wrap their final training-camp summer there, the CoFL steps in as the football arm of Grand Park — the foundation for future showcases, combines, tryouts, and satellite events around the country.
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Investing in the League Itself
After San Antonio's crowdfunding success helped blaze the trail, the league is now fielding interest from people who want to invest in the CoFL as a whole — not just individual clubs. Two paths are being explored: a potential league-wide WeFunder (SAFE) campaign that opens the door to fans anywhere, and a selective Schedule A investor group for minority ownership at higher levels, where connections and credibility matter as much as capital. These conversations are ongoing through the summer and fall, with a clear-eyed view that the league must be properly capitalized to grow the right way.
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"You have to be capitalized properly from a financial standpoint to make this work. This money just doesn't come out of thin air. We feel our concept is one that with proper capitalization, we can really take this thing and run with it."
— Manny Matsakis, Founder & CEO
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Don't Miss It
Watch the full State of the CoFL interview.
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A quick word of thanks to Light Helmets, our league-wide sponsor, for standing behind the players who wear the shield.
On to 2027 — unified and ready to go.
— Manny Matsakis, Founder & CEO, Continental Football League
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Watch & subscribe: youtube.com/@CoFLFootball · Ownership: coflfootball.com/ownership · Media inquiries: [email protected]
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The Continental Football League
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