Zealand
| Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zealand Shannon January 5, 1996 Tampa, Florida, USA |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 🏫 Education | University of Virginia; Syracuse University |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 📆 Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Football Manager content creator; The Zealand Podcast; The League |
| Notable work | The Pentagon Challenge, The Build a Nation, The Hardest Saves in Football Manager |
| 🌐 Website | www |
Zealand (born Zealand Shannon on January 5, 1996) is an American online content creator, streamer, and former professional broadcaster. He is best known for his content centered on the video game Football Manager, where he is considered a prominent figure in the game's community.
Personal Life and Education
Zealand Shannon was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. His mother, who is a main moderator for his streams, is known by the username @momb0t on Twitter. He has two brothers, Adler and Calvin. Shannon attended Steinbrenner High School and later studied History and Media Studies at the University of Virginia, graduating in May 2018. He also holds a Master's Degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University, which he completed in May 2021.
Career
Shannon is a former full-time play-by-play broadcaster, having broadcast basketball, American football, and football/soccer. He began his broadcasting career at the age of 16 with the Tampa Tarpons, a minor league team for the New York Yankees. He signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA) in June 2019 to advance his broadcasting career.
YouTube
Shannon's YouTube channel was originally created on July 25, 2011, under the name FMBase, by the popular website of the same name. The channel remained dormant until 2019, when Shannon took control of it. Initially, the channel focused on tutorials and guides for the then-upcoming Football Manager 2020. He later created an "FM Academy" series to help beginners with the game. In June 2020, he announced the channel's name change to "Zealand" to reflect a broader focus beyond just Football Manager content, though the game remains central to his work.
Zealand's content is widely consumed by the Football Manager community, which has noted his ability to provide a different style of content compared to other creators.[1] He is the creator of a popular custom FM Skin and has organized large-scale community events, such as a draft-based online league featuring 20 different creators.[2]
Notable Content and Series
Zealand is known for several long-running and popular series that are central to his content and have helped define his reputation in the community.
- The Pentagon Challenge: A traditional and highly difficult challenge in which a manager attempts to win the top continental club trophy on all five inhabited continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe).
- The Build a Nation: A series in which he attempts to improve a specific nation's football reputation and national team success from the bottom up. One of his most notable series was the "New Zealand Build a Nation" save.
- The Hardest Saves in Football Manager: A series where he tackles and provides advice on some of the most difficult starting scenarios in the game.
- FM Streamer Showdown: A monthly tournament where he competes against other popular Football Manager streamers like WorkTheSpace and DoctorBenjy. Zealand is a two-time champion of the event.
References
- ↑ "What FM content do you consume?". Reddit. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ↑ "Zealand and Stanz Talk About The League". YouTube. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
