MIKE PIAZZA is an MLB Hall of Famer and the owner of Italian Lega Pro club Reggiana. Though best known for his exploits on the diamond, Piazza is a lifelong fan of football who was in talks to acquire Italian side Parma before that deal fell through in '15. He took over Reggiana in June and said that he now travels to Italy once a month. The former catcher has quickly discovered several major differences between sports business in the U.S. and overseas. Piazza spoke to SBD Global about the challenges Reggiana faces as it looks to return to Serie A, the team's unique stadium situation and its passionate fan base, among other topics.
On running a European football club ...
Mike Piazza: For me, ultimately, you can do as much research as you can. Obviously [Reggiana GM] Maurizio [Franzone] knows the business side of it inside-out, he gave me sort of a crash course, but nothing can prepare you until you jump into the water. It's a very different business model over there, especially in Lega Pro. ... I wanted to get back to running a very honest, transparent and healthy business plan for the community. We have well over 5,500 season tickets this year; we have an amazing group of supporters. We have three huge fan clubs. They're extremely loyal, they absolutely adore the club, very passionate fans. They made clear to me -- even before I bought the club -- they just want stability, they just want hope. They want a team that is being run like a business.
On sharing a stadium with Serie A side Sassuolo ...
Piazza: The stadium we play in now is called Stadio Mapei, which was bought by [Serie A side Sassuolo Owner Giorgio] Squinzi. ... The fact that we now play in the stadium, which was built for [Reggiana], is a very sore subject. Coming in as an outsider, I knew this and I had to sort of stabilize a little bit of the sentiment and say, 'Look, these conditions aren't perfect but we have to deal with them.' I've said it many times, Mr. Squinzi and Sassuolo have been very gracious to us by letting us play in the stadium and giving us very, very favorable rent conditions. The stadium is probably one of the best in Italy. There's not a lot of examples where a Lega Pro team can play in a Serie A stadium.
On what promotion to Serie B would mean for Reggiana ...
Piazza: It's a very big deal. I don't want to say it's harder to go from Lega Pro to B [than from Serie B to Serie A], but it's very difficult because of the amount of teams that are vying for the spots. It's kind of like if you have a kid who's trying to get into a very competitive school. ... I believe the last time Reggiana was in Serie B was in 2001 or 2002. It would be a heck of a party, it would be very special.
On when he is aiming to have the team back in Serie A ...
Piazza: When I took over the team I had a meeting and I said, 'Look, we believe if we do things the right way, if we develop players the right way through the youth, if we do the right things business-wise, I believe this team can get to Serie A in five years.' And that's our unofficial five-year plan. I said, 'If you don't feel that this is possible, I kindly ask you to leave.' A good friend of mine told me that [NFL Dallas Cowboys Owner] Jerry Jones was selling sponsorship to a Super Bowl parade when they were 1-15. Jerry Jones said, 'If you don't think like a champion, you won't be a champion.' So when I took over the team I said, 'This is what we believe. We know it's going to be very difficult. We know the competition is very intense. But nonetheless that's what I think we can do.'
On attracting sponsors ...
Piazza: Our sponsorship support this year has been incredible. We have had more sponsors come back that have not sponsored the team in about a decade. We've had three companies come back on board that have been huge sponsors for us. Basically they said, 'We haven't sponsored the team in a decade because we didn't like what they were doing, we weren't on board with the ownership.'
On whether his notoriety has played a role in the appeal to sponsors ...
Piazza: I think it helps a little, but ultimately these companies are not dumb. I don't see them investing sponsorship money into the club if they don't feel that it has a business advantage for them. I would think there is a little honeymoon period with me being known in the U.S., but I don't really think that holds as much water as you would imagine. I think ultimately these companies understand that it's a new era, it's a new chapter for Reggiana.
On his relationships with other U.S. execs involved in Italian football ...
Piazza: I have been blessed. Jim [AS Roma President James Pallotta] and I play golf occasionally. We had several meetings when I was trying to get into the business. He was a great voice of reason for me. He told me I was out of my mind, but in a joking way. He was very, very supportive. Roma's a completely different business model than Reggiana. I had talked to Joey Saputo as well, who bought Bologna when Bologna was relegated to Serie B, and he brought them back [to Serie A]. Obviously I've had discussions with Joe Tacopina, who's doing the Venezia project, and it's very impressive what he's done. I've been blessed to have these guys explain to me some of the ups and downs of the business over there. I took all their advice and basically said, 'Well, sooner or later I want to jump in the pool.' And I did. ... I want to consult with them in the future and change the philosophy of the European sort of insular, town, individual-based philosophy.
On how he sees Italian football as a whole evolving ...
Piazza: I don't think it will ever be the same as the United States because of the cultural differences. But rising water floats all boats, and I think the fans are starting to understand now. Maybe years ago they would be vehemently opposed to any sort of consulting with other teams, but now they understand that it's a changing world. Italian soccer as we know it will evolve. ... I know that many in the Italian soccer world understand that. Using the Premier League as the model, they changed. Obviously they eliminated hooliganism and a lot of the things that were preventing the Premier League from being family entertainment. I believe that model needs to be executed in Italy. Or Italy will always be in that realm where years ago it was the top league in the world and now it's somewhere in the top three or four. But there's no reason why it can't return to No. 1.
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