eBASEBALL™ Federation Focus: Italy believes eBASEBALL™ is perfect to engage young people
Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS)
1. Recap the basic history of your National Federation and the origins of baseball in your country.
The Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS) is the National Sports Federation recognized by the Italian Olympic Committee responsible for organizing, managing, training and promoting the practice of baseball and softball in Italy.
FIBS coordinates the operations of the official tournaments for Clubs and for all the National Teams in the international competitions of each category.
FIBS was born at the end of 1948 from the merger between the Italian Softball League and the Italian Baseball Association. On January 29, 1950, FIBS merged with the Italian League Baseball (LIB), giving birth to the Italian Palla a Base Federation (FIPAB). In 1953 it was recognized by CONI as a member federation and in 1957 as an effective federation. In 1970 it took on the name again of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS), which is its current name.
The first baseball games played on Italian soil and regularly documented by the Gazzetta Livornese were played between 23 and 27 January 1887 in Livorno by a group of US sailors. In 1889 Albert Goodwill Spalding organized a tour with the aim of spreading baseball worldwide; one leg was played in Italy, more precisely on 19, 22, 27 February in Naples, Rome and Florence respectively.
In the 1920s, there were two major attempts to organize baseball games. The first is to be attributed to Guido Graziani, who, in 1919, organized games in Rome, but due to his transfer, the event was not followed up.
Fascism stopped the development of the game, in spite of an initial interest of the regime.
The US military reintroduced baseball at the end of WWII.
The first game played entirely by Italian players took place on June 27, 1948 in Milan in front of 3,000 people. The first championship was organized the same year
2. Describe your National Team programmes.
FIBS runs all Baseball and Softball Italian National Teams of the U-12/13, U-15, U-18, U22/23 and Elite categories and participates in all WBSC and WBSC Europe official competitions.
Elite Baseball National Team
32 medals
10 times European Champion
5 times participant in the Olympic Games
It is the MOST successful Italian National Team team in Europe among all sports.
Elite Softball National Team
21 medals
12 times European Champion
3 times participant in the Olympic Games
3. Describe your top-level competition (teams, cities involved, format).
Serie A Baseball
30 teams
First round: 5 groups x 6 teams
Poule Scudetto (Title Round): 2 groups x 5 teams > best of 5 Quarterfinals
best of 7 Semifinals
best of 7 Italian Baseball Series
Poule Salvezza (Relegation Round) 4 groups x 5 teams
4. Describe your grass-root activity.
Different school programs for primary (6-7 y.o. and 8-10 y.o.), secondary (11-13 y.o.) and high (14-18 y.o.) schools are run yearly by specialized clubs’ instructors trained by FIBS through dedicated courses. In 2023 the estimated reach is around 50.000 students.
5. Please give an estimate of how many people play baseball and softball in your country.
Registered players are around 16.000. Amateurs are 7.000 circa.
WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS
- What do you hope to achieve by participating in the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS?
It is a perfect way to engage a new average young target. Girls and boys who perhaps play digital baseball without being aware that even in our country there is a structured sporting activity that they could approach as athletes, but also umpires, scorers, future parents. Widening the community and awareness, in short: the culture of baseball/softball, is a primary objective for FIBS.
2. How will your presence at the WBSC eBASEBALL™ Series WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS benefit your baseball and softball communities?
There are probably our members who are passionate gamers and this is a way to strengthen the community of those who are already part of it and their circle of acquaintances, and to make new ones.
3. What skills from eBASEBALL™ do you believe will transfer to actual baseball?
Culture is the key: playing eBASEBALL™ is a way to learn the rules and the purpose of the game. Curiosity to swing a bat and field a ball can raise consequently.
4. How does your participation in the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS align with the overall strategy or mission of your federation?
As said, expansion of awareness and culture are crucial to promote and develop the game, that is the core mission of FIBS. An official WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS Italian Open is a very important and communicable asset in order to engage new potential fans from different worlds. Not only in Italy.
5. What benefits do you believe that you can bring to the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS?
Italy is one of the most important countries from Baseball/Softball standpoint in Europe and in the world. We believe that an official eBASEBALL™ competition can call good attention and exposure to the whole circuit.
6. What advice would you give to other NFs who are interested in being part of the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS?
In the era of ever-faster fragmentation, we must be prepared to use all possible languages to fulfill our mission to promote the game. Furthermore, in this initial phase, it is very simple to use the support provided by the WBSC to prepare an official competition in a world in which our discipline is already among the most structured and followed ones.
7. What are you looking forward to most in relation to the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS?
We hope to engage a consistent number of gamers and hope Italians and Europeans can be successful in order to create a solid home community.
