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 Major League Baseball Hall of Famer played and watched a number of sports growing up and "soccer" -- as fans in the Philadelphia area knew it -- 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 North American Soccer League.
FAMILY TIES: His passion for football has become far more than an infatuation in recent years. While playing for the Italian baseball team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic -- and coaching it in ’09 and ’12 -- Piazza said he realized he wanted to get more involved in Italian football. "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." While in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, he sought out football execs as he weighed whether to enter the media rights business. Conversations both before and during the World Cup helped Piazza realize that it would be hard to compete with the established entities in that industry. Through those talks, however, he also learned that a number of European football teams 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.
SENSE OF URGENCY: The process Piazza went through with Parma proved far from fruitless, though, as it led to him discovering nearby Lega Pro side Reggiana, which is also located in the Reggio-Emilia province. 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. But while he is excited about Reggiana’s future, he said it was important to him to keep Stefano Compagni and 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. It’s been a wonderful partnership, they’ve given me free rein and obviously are on board with everything that I’m doing." Though he initially was hopeful the team could secure promotion to Serie B in two years, that changed quickly. "I figure why do it in two years when you can do it one," Piazza said. "That's when I figured, 'Let's try to go for it this year.' We've adjusted our payroll accordingly." Reggiana is currently in fourth place with 24 points through 13 games.
