© ContoPieno2024
To begin, congratulations on your appointment as President
A thousand thanks.
Tell us about the emotion of the official announcement…
When you commit fully to something and then it comes true as you imagined it, it’s always a great feeling. Even though I was lucid enough to understand that it was just a starting point.
Was there a moment when you realized that you and the ContoPieno 2024 group would actually make it?
We didn’t ask ourselves the problem or create expectations of any kind. Within the group we have always repeated this to each other since the beginning. I learned as a coach that what you can do is prepare well to produce when the time is right. And if you do everything very well you just give yourself a good chance of being able to win, but it’s never a given or certain. Whoever is in front of you may have done things better than you.
What did you think about as soon as you were elected president of FIBS?
I thought of my work group who threw themselves headlong into this journey, supporting and putting up with me in all aspects of this election.
Do you have someone to dedicate this important appointment to?
To my parents Lia and Fernando. I owe everything to them and how they raised me.
What does this new role represent in your personal and sporting career?
Being a field man, competition brings out the best in me but, as I said immediately after being elected, I would never have thought of doing this. I am ready to commit myself to doing well with the help, not only of my group, but of all those who have a global vision of the entire movement and not just that of their own club.
How much do you feel the weight of responsibility that this position entails?
The higher the position the higher the responsibility is clear. The important thing is to prioritize yourself so as not to feel overwhelmed by the weight.
What will be the first intervention you will implement as President?
Give the signal that everything we are going to do will be from a global perspective for everyone, without preferences.
Do you already have a plan of priority activities to achieve in the first months of your mandate?
Relaunch of the youth sector and planning of the season quickly with interaction and sharing between the COG, the Regional Competitive Activity Managers and the staff of the national teams.
Do you already have an idea about the direction to take for the championship formula? Could we expect anything new for the 2025 season?
We will talk about it with the clubs but we will propose changes.
And do you already have concrete initiatives in mind to encourage youth participation and increase visibility?
In our program we talked about the restoration of federal camps and draft tournaments and we are moving in that direction.
Has the next Federal Council already been scheduled? Can you anticipate some points?
Yes, for Wednesday 27 November. We will nominate the two Vice Presidents and talk about competitive activity.
Are there specific personalities or figures you want to involve and on what?
Of course, there are but I would like to talk about it with those directly involved first. I said from the beginning that we want trained and expert people in all sectors, from national teams to marketing, from communication to training, in every sector.
What message for Italian baseball and softball clubs and fans
“Spending” on the youth sector is not a cost but an investment for the sustainability of a club.
How can the public support this project to relaunch the movement?
I believe that we will first have to make all the professionals understand how to try to work well, the rest will follow accordingly. This also includes the care and maintenance of our facilities, which are the home of each club, to allow us to better welcome those who come to visit us and carry out our activities well.
