The goal of the Italian American Baseball Foundation is to help more players and coaches work in baseball and softball in Italy.  On this page, you will find an application filed into a database shared with and reviewed by officials from the Federation of Italian Baseball Softball, the Italian Baseball League, and IABF. To be clear, this does not guarantee players or coaches the opportunity to play or work in Italy, it opens the opportunity for exposure, communication, and the potential to be considered.

To further demonstrate our commitment to youth development, players and coaches who are officially selected to be part of teams in Italy are expected to help conduct youth baseball and softball clinics either in Italy or America with the help of FIBS and IABF.

One of the core principles of the IABF is to bridge gaps between Italy and America through baseball and softball, and this agreement would continue building that bridge.

Note: this is open to people with Italian heritage from any country, not just the United States!

 

How does it work? 

  • The player or coach pays a $250 application fee on the IABF.Foundation website
    • Application consists of:
      • Player information: name, location, age, education
      • Baseball/Softball information: teams, stats, awards, rankings
      • Multimedia: Videos, photos, articles
      • References: letters from coaches, teammates
  • Once the application is submitted, it will be reviewed by IABF and FIBS officials
    • The application is stored in a digital database accessible by IABF and FIBS officials
  • Once the application is reviewed, players/coaches will be directed to the point of communication with a FIBS and IBL official
    • Possible outcomes
      • Further communication about potential tryouts
      • Waitlisted for future opportunity
      • No further movement

 

What does the application fee benefit? All revenue generated by the application fee will help support the IABF-FIBS College Baseball Showcase, which is another initiative to bridge the gap between 

 

Disclaimer

  • Paying the application fee for the IABF-FIBS agreement does not guarantee players or coaches secure a roster spot in Italy
  • If a player or coach is chosen to work in Italy, all travel, expenses, logistics, and anything beyond the application and initial point of communication are up to the individual and their prospective team, not IABF or FIBS
  • FIBS will surface the information to clubs for an 18-month cycle. If you do not hear back in that time, then there is likely no interest from the clubs

ABOUT IABF: The Italian American Baseball Foundation works to bridge the gap between Italy and the United States through baseball and softball. IABF’s mission is to grow the game and provide opportunities for youth development through education. The core functions of the foundation are to build a pipeline of baseball and softball players from Italy to the United States through college scholarships and showcases, support the Italian National Teams as American partners, and promote heritage and pride for Italian Americans in baseball from high school to the Major League levels.

ABOUT FIBS: The Italian Baseball Softball Federation deals with the organization and promotion of baseball and softball in Italy. It is a federation affiliated with CONI. It organizes all levels of Italian baseball leagues, the league for the blind, and all softball leagues, both men and women.

SUPPORT: If you need assistance or clarification, please email [email protected].