history of St Anthony's Baseball Academy
St Anthony's baseball existed as long ago as 1951, in the post Work War I era. In the below picture you’ll find the 1951 St Anthony’s baseball team that played in the Senior City Baseball League. In the first row is none other than the grandfather of Joe Shadoue, the 2012 manager of our 12U team. Joe Shadoue's father's name was Gerry Menchini, better known as Red Menchini.
On 16 October 2018 George Rigakos signed an agreement with St Anthony's Italia Soccer Club President Joe Ierullo to restart the great St Anthony's Baseball Franchise and bring highly competitive youth baseball back to the nation's capital. Andre Robidoux was the very first person hired by St Anthony's Baseball Academy to provide technical development for their players. Since 1952, St. Anthony’s has been developing and delivering champions
Our Model
We focus on younger players (U13 and younger) because we believe this is when baseball fundamentals are best taught and ingrained. We provide competitive opportunities to players who are committed both to the game and to the lessons the game can offer. At the heart of the St Anthony's model is the cultivation of dedication and a desire to excel in a supportive and positive environment.
St Anthony's Soccer Club
St. Anthony has been a focal point for the Italian community since 1952, when Fathers Jerome Ferraro and Domenico Fiore formed the St. Anthony Senior Men soccer team which participated in the local league.
In 1959, the team was consolidated with another local team named “Italia” to form the Ottawa St. Anthony Italia senior men’s soccer team. During the 1960s, the senior men’s team won consistently in the Ottawa league until 1965, when it joined the Quebec National Soccer League where it won the league title five times. In 2006, the St. Anthony men’s team was Ontario champions and won the Open Canada Cup and the Canadian National Challenge Cup. In 2004, the team was runner up in the Open Canada Cup.
For many years, St. Anthony had a vibrant youth program under the leadership of Steno Rossanese. The youth program has undergone a recent resurgence by partnering with other community groups and, starting in the fall of 2016, with the Futuro Soccer Academy.
