From Scotland to Virginia, the NYIFC Story of Christopher Minty.

This week is a special edition of the Mane Event where we asked a current club and board member, Christopher Minty, to share his journey with the club from Reserves Manager, to Trophy Winner and now full-time Cheerleader while being away from NYC.

For the Love of the Game

I joined NY International FC in the summer of 2021, just ahead of the fall season, stepping in as the manager of the reserve team. Like a lot of people who get involved with grassroots football, I came in through personal connections and a love of the game. I wanted to be part of a project that felt ambitious but grounded, competitive but welcoming.

From the start, we built something special. I leaned on players I’d trusted from past teams—Charlie Lopez and Thomas Howse, who I played with at Kendall Wanderers up in Boston, had moved to New York. I signed them as quickly as I could. I also brought in a few teammates from Flushing FC, another club I played for in the city. It was a tight-knit group that came together quickly and bought into what we were building.

We started strong that fall, competing at the top of the table in our division. We won our first game 1-0 against NYPD out in Flushing, thanks to a late Simon Czaplinski goal, and we pushed forward from them. But as any amateur manager knows, availability and consistency are half the battle. We lost a few key matches and slipped behind in the standings. By the time spring rolled around, we were about six points off the top—still within striking distance, but with very little margin for error.

What happened next is something I’ll never forget. The lads went on a ten-game win streak to finish the regular season. We played with intensity, discipline, and heart. We clawed our way back to win the league, and then won the playoffs on penalties. A few months earlier, we had fallen in the semifinals of the League Cup—one of those gut-wrenching, close losses that linger—but in hindsight, that loss spurred us on. We came into spring with a chip on our shoulder and proved ourselves.

Leaving NYC but Remaining a Lion

After that season, I stepped into a new role as the first team manager. It was a major transition—plenty of players had moved on, and we needed to rebuild not just the roster, but the culture. It was a big recruitment job. We wanted guys who could compete at a high level, but who also fit the club’s identity: serious about the game, grounded in community, and committed to showing up. Above all, I wanted them to buy into the supportive, collaborative environment that helped the reserve team thrive. We win together and we lose together. That’s it.

We started strong, with good early results and momentum. But around that time, life got a little more complicated—I moved to Mount Laurel, New Jersey. That meant 2–3 hours of commuting each way to games, $50 in tolls, $40 in gas, and late nights getting home from training at 1:30 or 2:00 a.m. It was a grind. I stuck with it through the fall season, but eventually, my work schedule made it harder and harder to keep going at full speed. That said, my love of the game and the club didn’t fade.

After that fall, I stepped back a bit from coaching. But I never fully left the club. Even now, I help with recruitment and handle our NYC Parks field permits, which is a process all its own.

A Long Distance Relationship that Works

These days, I live in Williamsburg, Virginia, but I’m still very much involved with NYIFC. Distance hasn’t changed that. I stay connected with the leadership group, help scout and recruit players, and offer support wherever I can. 

For me, the past few years have been about more than just football. NYIFC has been a place to build, to lead, and to connect with people from all over the world through a shared love of the game. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when you bring the right people together and give them the space to compete and belong. Whether I’m standing on the touchline or watching from a few states away, I’m proud of what we’ve built—and excited for where we’re going next.

Now living in Williamsburg, VA, Minty remains an integral part of the club as a non-voting board member. While he hang up the boots, Minty remains active and became an avid runner with a 2h53 record at the NY Marathon in November 2023. Off the field or the running trail, Christopher Minty is a historian and scholarly editor specialized in the history of the American Revolution, particularly in New York City. You can find his work in his book titled “Unfriendly to Liberty: Loyalist Networks and the Coming of the American Revolution in New York City”

From everyone at NY International FC, thank you for your work, dedication and help!