LEAGUE OFFICE
THE LEADERSHIP BEHIND THE
CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
The Continental Football League is supported by experienced leadership across football operations, legal, marketing, officiating, and digital communications.
OVERVIEW
BUILT TO SUPPORT GROWTH, GOVERNANCE, AND THE GAME
The CoFL league office is designed to support football operations, officiating, legal structure, communications, marketing, and the broader growth of the league as it expands across key markets.
FEATURED LEADERSHIP
LEAGUE LEADERSHIP
The CoFL is guided by experienced leadership across football, legal, officiating, marketing, and digital communications.
MANNY MATSAKIS
FOUNDER & CEO — CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Manny Matsakis has spent four decades inside football — as a player, a coach, a publisher, and now the operator building the Continental Football League into the nation's home for summer professional football.
A Career Built On The Field
As a player, Matsakis was a three-time First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection at Capital University and was named a 1st Team All-American in 1983, as voted on by Sports Information Directors. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1984 NFL Draft. His coaching career began at Barberton High School before he joined Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder's staff at Kansas State, part of what was regarded as the greatest turnaround in college football history. He went on to serve as offensive coordinator at Hofstra University, where the program set 34 school and 12 NCAA offensive records, then held head coaching positions at Emporia State, Texas State, Bethany College, and Defiance College, along with a head coaching stint at Enka High School in North Carolina.
Matsakis spent over a decade as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator under Mike Leach at Texas Tech, where he oversaw day-to-day football operations, including a $100 million stadium and facility renovation, and helped develop Wes Welker into a national record-holder as a punt returner. He later coached under Mike Kelly with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, rising from guest coach to offensive coordinator during the season.
An Entrepreneur In The Football Industry
In 1994, Matsakis founded American Football Quarterly, which grew into American Football Monthly — the international trade journal of the football coaching profession and a worldwide leader in football coaching information. The venture reflected a career-long pattern: identifying gaps in the football industry and building the infrastructure to fill them, whether in publishing, program turnarounds, or league operations.
Building The Modern CoFL
Matsakis now leads the Continental Football League's national expansion, guiding new market development, ownership recruitment, and the league's growth toward a broader footprint of professional summer football clubs. Colleagues who have worked alongside him in building out new ownership groups describe his approach in direct terms — bringing "background, work ethic, and a competitive spirit that is remarkable," paired with football intelligence that spans "the administrative side, to the entertainment side, to the connections in this sport."
Under his leadership, the league has emphasized preparation, proper capitalization, and disciplined standards as it moves into its next phase of growth. As Matsakis put it while reflecting on the league's first season, "Here's a league that hadn't existed since the 1960s, and we're sitting here in a position where we actually play games." On expansion, his message to prospective ownership groups has been direct: build for the community, and build to last — "you have to be capitalized properly from a financial standpoint to make this work."
The Continental Football League is Manny Matsakis's life's work — and it is just getting started.
MICHAEL SCHETZEL
CHIEF OF STAFF — CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Michael Schetzel brings nearly three decades of professional sports executive experience to the Continental Football League, with a career built on one consistent skill: turning front offices into revenue machines.
A Career Built On The Field
Schetzel's résumé spans Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the USL, the WNBA, the NHL, and the Olympic movement. He got his start at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he built the Olympics' first-ever ticketing program for yachting competitions and generated seven-figure revenue from scratch. From there, he moved to Madison Square Garden as Director of Sales & Marketing before spending more than five years with the Boston Red Sox as Director of Sales & Ticket Services, where his 20-plus person team broke ticket sales records annually during the franchise's 2004 World Series championship run.
Schetzel later shifted into professional soccer, serving as Vice President of Ticket Sales & Services for Real Salt Lake, where he drove 33 percent ticket sales growth over five years and pushed retention to nearly 100 percent during the club's 2009 MLS Cup championship season. At Nashville Soccer Club, he served as Vice President of Ticketing & Corporate Partnerships, setting inaugural-season sales records as the club rose from amateur ranks to MLS and building over $2 million in annual sponsorship revenue, including a $1 million jersey-front partnership with Nissan. Most recently, as Chief Business Officer of FC Tulsa, he grew overall club revenue by more than 200 percent and was recognized among the USL's top business leaders, earning a Chief Business Officer of the Year nomination and the league's Club Services Award. He followed that with a run at Indy Eleven as Vice President of Ticket Sales Strategy, leading the league in group ticket sales.
Building The Business Behind The Shield
As the CoFL's first Chief of Staff, Schetzel is charged with building the operational and commercial infrastructure behind the league's shield — sponsorship revenue development, the league's media kit, sales infrastructure, ownership-group standards, front-office expansion, and national partnership strategy. His mandate is direct: help the league scale from its 2026 base to eight clubs in 2027 and toward a long-term vision of 24 clubs across four divisions.
"Adding an executive of Michael's caliber sends a message," said Founder & CEO Manny Matsakis. "We are building a real professional league, and we are building it with people who have done this at the highest levels."
Based in Westfield, Indiana, Schetzel is playing a hands-on role as the CoFL builds out its headquarters in Indianapolis. He holds a Master of Arts in Sports Management from Georgia Southern University and a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, and is fluent in Spanish.
OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
SUPPORTING THE LEAGUE DAY TO DAY
NICK SARRIS
LEGAL COUNSEL
Nick Sarris is an attorney based in Arlington, Virginia, and is publicly associated with Sarris Talent & Athletic Representation Services, LLC in the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore area. For the CoFL, he helps support league legal structure, agreements, and governance as the organization grows.
MICHAEL D'AMBROSIO
DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING
Michael D’Ambrosio is publicly associated with football officiating and football-official education, including his Whistle Talk platform focused on officials, coaches, and fans. His background gives the CoFL a credible officiating voice tied directly to rules, mechanics, and football-official development.
CARRIE COPLEY
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Dr. Carrie Scanlon Copley is a strategic leader, brand builder, and business consultant with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations stand out, connect with their audiences, and drive growth. With expertise spanning leadership, marketing, operations, and community engagement, she brings a hands-on, results-oriented approach to building strong foundations, aligning moving parts, and helping organizations grow with clarity and impact.
ROMMEL ISLA
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
Rommel Isla supports the league’s digital publishing, communications coordination, and online content execution across the CoFL’s growing media and web presence. His role helps connect the league’s public-facing messaging, content rollout, and digital operations.
THE FUNCTIONS BEHIND THE LEAGUE
The league office is built to support competition, communication, governance, and growth across the Continental Football League.
Football Operations
Supports league competition structure, team coordination, and football standards.
Officiating
Oversees officiating standards, rules interpretation, and official development.
Legal And Governance
Supports contracts, league agreements, compliance, and long-term structure.
Marketing And Communications
Guides public messaging, brand growth, and audience development.
Digital Media And Content
Supports the league’s website, digital publishing, and media presentation.
Broadcast And Content Strategy
Helps shape the future presentation of games, shows, and league media.
Business Development
Supports league growth through strategic relationships, new opportunities, and market development.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
GROWING THE LEAGUE OFFICE WITH THE LEAGUE
As the CoFL expands into new markets and develops new opportunities, the league office will continue to grow alongside it, with leadership focused on disciplined expansion, competitive integrity, and long-term sustainability.
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