Milwaukee Has Its Team

Manny Matsakis with Milwaukee Silverbacks Head Football Coach Gilbert Brown.

I’ve been in Milwaukee for an important step in the growth of the Continental Football League: introducing the Milwaukee Silverbacks’ name, logo, website and staff. It was an opportunity to put faces to the work and give Milwaukee fans a first look at the people building their club.

Gilbert Brown is leading the Silverbacks as head coach, with Darius Jenkins serving as general manager. Alongside them is a staff that brings experience across the game and a shared responsibility: building a football operation that represents Milwaukee the right way.

The name and logo give this team its identity. The people behind them will give it its character. That’s why announcing the staff mattered just as much to me as unveiling the brand.

Milwaukee is a great football town, and we want to give its fans another reason to stay connected to the game through the summer. The Silverbacks’ website is now live, and fans can sign up for updates on tryouts, season tickets and what comes next as the club prepares for 2027.

We’ve also visited the final venue on our evaluation list for the Continental Cup. A decision will be forthcoming, and I look forward to sharing the location once it is finalized. Our focus remains on building a July 4th championship weekend worth putting on your calendar.

This week was about making the league more tangible: a club with a name, a staff and a way for its community to get involved. There is plenty of work ahead, but it was good to be in Milwaukee with the people taking it on.

Manny Matsakis
Founder & CEO, Continental Football League

Club Spotlight · Milwaukee

Meet the Milwaukee Silverbacks

Professional outdoor summer football. A Milwaukee identity. A staff ready to get to work.

The Milwaukee Silverbacks have introduced their name, logo, website and staff as they prepare for the 2027 CoFL season. Head Coach Gilbert Brown and General Manager Darius Jenkins lead the club, with the following announced roles:

Gilbert Brown: Head Coach.
Darius Jenkins: General Manager.
Andre Rison: Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator.
Keith McKenzie: Defensive Coordinator.
Pepper Johnson: Team Advisor and Assistant General Manager.
Kyle Brown: Offensive/Defensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.

For fans, the next step is simple: get connected. Visit the Silverbacks’ website and sign up for tryout and season-ticket alerts as the club builds toward its first summer.

Meet the Silverbacks & Get Updates →

Watch This Week · Manny’s Minute EP17

Every Market.
One Game-Day Standard.

Good football needs a dependable operation behind it. In Manny’s Minute EP17, I introduce Billy Gahagan as the CoFL’s Vice President of Operations and explain why consistency across our markets matters to the league’s future.

Billy brings eight Sports Emmy Awards with NBC Olympics, experience supporting global broadcasts and a background as a football player, coach and athletic director, detailed in his league-office biography. He understands the preparation required to have people, equipment and venues ready when it is time to begin.

His assignment for 2027 is direct: build one league-wide game-day standard, from crews and ticket windows to locker rooms, officiating assignments and travel manifests. Watch this week’s episode for the thinking behind the hire and the work that helps give fans a reason to return.

Watch Manny’s Minute EP17 →

ADVERTISEMENT · INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION

Kept.

A letter for serious football fans.

Keep the football conversation going with Kept, Manny Matsakis’s Sunday morning letter from his independent publication, Gridiron Aficionado. It’s for readers who want more than scores: the people, ideas and stories that make the game worth thinking about.

Set aside a little of your Sunday morning for football you can sit with. Explore Kept and subscribe for the next letter.

Explore Kept & Subscribe →

Keep someone in the loop.

Know someone who would enjoy following the CoFL? Forward this issue and invite them into the conversation. We’ll keep sharing the work behind the league, the people doing it and the football stories worth your time.

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