Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy Has a New Multi-Sport Facility Ready for Athletes of All Ages

What separates Bobby V’s from other sports facilities in the area, according to people who go there, is the “family” feeling.

There’s a community feeling they say, as if you’re a part of a giant family. Bobby Migliazza, a coach and manager at Bobby V’s, says, “You are not a number to us.”

The baseball curriculum was designed by Valentine, based on experiences coaching in Japan and the Major Leagues.

Although the focus is on baseball, the new facility on 4 Omega Dr., Stamford, offers training in lacrosse, soccer and many other sports.

Along with Bobby Valentine, many of the position coaches have pro baseball experience, some as former players. Some are also scouts for Major League baseball teams.

Frank Ramppen currently teaches the baseball curriculum. He and Bobby Valentine go way back, starting with coaching baseball together in Japan from 2004 to 2009. They won the Japan Series championship, the equivalent of the World Series, with Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005.

Frank Ramppen has been involved with baseball his entire life. He played the game for the University of Tampa, then was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, with whom he played for for four years.

Batting cages at the new facility

When his career in the major leagues ended, Ramppen thought he knew a lot about baseball. However, he described his six years in Japan as “mind-blowing” as he gained a deeper understanding about the sport. Ramppen now shares both his experiences in the MLB and Japan with kids at Bobby V’s.

For the past five years, Bobby V’s was looking to expand into a better facility from their 72 Camp Ave. address in Stamford, where they had only a couple of batting cages.

This year, Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy moved into a 40,000-square-foot facility with 16,000 square feet in turf that can be used for multiple sports, and six batting cages.

16,000-square-foot multi-sport turf at the new facility on 4 Omega Drive

Bobby V’s is open to all sports and is available for corporate events, fundraising, parties (of all types).

Even marriages Ramppen said: “I’d hope there would be someone crazy enough to marry here.”

According to Ramppen, Bobby V’s No. 1 goal is “teaching and affecting as many young lives as possible.” Whether it’s through athletic improvement from summer sports camps or the one-on-one coaching and personal relationships with teammates and coaches, Ramppen wants to impact lives on a deeper level.

Bobby V’s offers sports camps in the summer for players of all ages. With a communal feeling and professional teaching, kids/teenagers are offered a facility to be active, have fun, and grow as a player.

Kids of all ages have visited, college students, and even pro players like New York Yankee’s Mark Teixiera.