Mike Piazza’s acquisition of a majority share in Italian third-tier club AC Reggiana in June was merely the latest -- and most significant -- manifestation of his love of the sport. The Baseball HOFer played and watched a number of sports growing up and soccer was no exception. Piazza said that his appreciation for the game dates back to his childhood, when he and his father would go see the Philadelphia Fury compete in the NASL. His passion for soccer has become far more than an infatuation in recent years. While playing for Italy in the ‘06 World Baseball Classic -- and coaching it in ’09 and ’13 -- Piazza said he realized he wanted to get more involved in Italian soccer. "As an athlete I loved sports and still wanted to get into the business side of sports," Piazza said. "So I looked at England, looked at France, looked at a couple other countries. But it kept pulling me back to my love of Italy, because of my family ancestry being from Italian descent. I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe and a lot of countries, but I just enjoy Italy the most, so I figured I wanted to do business in Italy."
PROCESS OF GETTING INVOLVED: While in Brazil for the ‘14 FIFA World Cup, Piazza sought out soccer execs as he weighed whether to enter the media rights business. Those conversations helped Piazza realize that it would be hard to compete with the established entities in that industry. However, he also learned that a number of European soccer clubs were for sale. He was one of several potential investors who showed interest in Italian side Parma in ’15, but pulled out of negotiations with the club just before it announced bankruptcy. The process Piazza went through with Parma proved far from fruitless, as it led to him discovering Reggiana. He was introduced to Reggiana’s former owner by Maurizio Franzone, a friend of his with experience in Italian football as a goalkeeper and later as a player agent. Franzone is now Reggiana’s GM. Reggiana previously competed in Serie A in ’97, and Piazza’s goal is to return the club to that level as quickly as possible. He said it was important to him to keep the previous ownership group on board. "I have them still as the minority partners in the deal, which I think is very important," Piazza said. "Not being from Reggiana, and Italy being a very local-intensive atmosphere in which to do business, I thought it would be smart to retain them in the group.
