The People's League · Insider Edition

THE CONTINENTAL

Issue #21 · Friday, October 2, 2026

State of the CoFL · October Update

The next steps
toward 2027.

Expansion is the biggest item on the CoFL’s agenda, but it is not the only work moving forward. In his October State of the CoFL, CEO Manny Matsakis outlines the next steps in preparing the league for 2027.

The update covers why football-rich NFL markets fit the CoFL’s summer calendar, how scheduling work is helping teams secure venues, and a significant operating change: the league will take responsibility for all broadcasts and officiating.

Also underway are Michael Lathrop’s interviews with players from the past season, with stories planned for the website and social channels. And Manny introduces a name to watch: The Continental Divide. The explanation is coming soon.

Watch the update in about 90 seconds. While you’re on the CoFL Watch page, catch the two newest episodes of Manny’s Minute:

Continental Cup · Save the Weekend

One Championship.
America’s Birthday Weekend.

The Continental Cup will be the only professional football championship played in the United States over Fourth of July weekend in 2027. Its home: Indianapolis.

A full weekend is being planned around the championship game, bringing fans, families, and clubs together to celebrate the season and crown a champion. Put it on your calendar now. This is a weekend to build your summer around.

The league is reviewing several facilities in the Indianapolis area, with a venue announcement planned in the coming weeks. The game location, weekend schedule, and additional details will follow as those plans are finalized.

Fourth of July weekend. Indianapolis. The Continental Cup. Save the weekend and stay tuned.

Gridiron Aficionado · Conversation 001

Jason Phillips.
Beyond the résumé.

You know Jason Phillips as the CoFL’s Executive Vice President, League Development. In Conversation 001 from Gridiron Aficionado, Manny Matsakis sits down with him to explore the experiences that shaped how he sees football.

Jason recalls being told he was too small, finding his opportunity at Taft College, and making the move from quarterback to receiver. From Houston’s run-and-shoot to the NFL and CFL, the conversation follows more than a playing career: it examines how coaches recognized possibilities he had not yet seen in himself.

He also takes viewers inside his approach to developing players, explaining why trust comes before teaching and what made Travis Hunter so receptive to detailed coaching. The conversation closes on another kind of decision: stepping away from the sideline, making room for another coach, and choosing more time with family.

For CoFL fans, this is an opportunity to get beyond the résumé and understand the football perspective Jason brings to the league.

Presented by Gridiron Aficionado, Manny’s independent football publication.

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Continental Football League
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana

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