In a transformational moment for the Italian American Baseball Foundation and the Francisco Cervelli Baseball Academy, the two organizations have combined efforts to enhance the baseball facility and focus on youth baseball development in Italy.
Simone Piani Stadium in Castiglione della Pescaia will now be the home of the Francisco Cervelli-Italian American Baseball Foundation Academy. IABF will help support the facility’s infrastructure and baseball development needs. The Academy will also serve as a hub for European and American travel baseball teams and be an Italian home base for IABF.
“This is a major step for IABF in our quest to help grow the game in Italy,” said IABF President Joe Quagliano. “We are beyond excited to partner with Marco Mazzieri and Francisco Cervelli on this project because it’s about kids and provides a great place to learn the game. We believe in the value of partnership when both sides work together for the greater good.”
“All of us at Francisco Cervelli Academy are still trying to understand the magnitude of merging with the Italian American Baseball Foundation on this project,” said Marco Mazzieri, former longtime Team Italy manager and current candidate for President of the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball. “Our dedication and commitment toward the kids have been second to none since the beginning. We teach the kids all the right values of playing a sport. Sportsmanship, punctuality, respect for the opponents, respect for the umpires, respect for the coaches, respect for the field.
“We were so excited last year when Francisco offered us to give his name at our academy after seeing in person what we do and how we work that we thought it could have been a turning point. The same thing happened last July when IABF Executives traveled to beautiful Castiglione della Pescaia and witnessed the same thing. Now, we have the chance to grow even more with this cooperation that sees the kids and their development, not only as baseball and softball players but also as human beings, right in the middle of the project. We can’t wait to get started and have as many kids as possible joining our camps. Thank you, Italian American Baseball Foundation and all his Board Members and stakeholders!”
IABF officials were at Simone Piani in July 2024 to host a clinic with U15-18 and were captivated by Mazzieri and his staff’s leadership. They also met with Cervelli, a former longtime big league catcher, in New York to discuss the idea. All parties were aligned on the vision and mission from the beginning of their conversations.
The Academy will celebrate its opening day on September 21 in Italy and organize several travel team camps, tournaments, and cultural programs for the rest of 2024 and early 2025. IABF officials are scheduled to return to Italy in 2025 for a proper ribbon cutting and unveiling of new signage and stadium enhancements. IABF, Mazzieri, and Cervelli are also talking about additional academy locations.
