Premier Sports has new leader

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Looking over the vast expanse of the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, Antonio Saviano can’t help but smile.

With more than 140 acres and 22 fields of Celebration-seeded grass at his disposal, the Lakewood Ranch resident couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s the perfect landscape to further the relationship between sports, entertainment and the community.

And, as the new director of sports for the Premier Sports Campus, Saviano is hoping to continue to use the campus as a way to showcase the community.

After having spent a little more than a year working behind the scenes for the Premier Sports Campus, Salviano took over as director of sports May 1, replacing Tim Mulqueen, who resigned to pursue other interests, including working with the U.S. national soccer teams.

“It’s been an easy transition,” Saviano says. “I love this. It’s great showing people from out of state good competition and bringing a focus to the area. It makes you feel good.”

In his new role, Saviano will be in charge of organizing and overseeing all of the events at the Premier Sports Campus, including the annual Rippin’ at the Ranch lacrosse tournament later this month and the Labor Day Showcase, among others.

He’ll also work alongside the Lakewood Ranch Chargers, for which he coaches his son, Francesco’s, soccer team, the Monsters Lacrosse Academy, the Sarasota Surge Rugby Club and i9 Sports, which all call the Premier Sports campus home.

In addition to sporting events, Saviano also will seek to bring other events, such as music and entertainment events, to the area. Earlier this spring, Salviano helped bring Winterfest and the Color Vibe 5K to Premier Sports.

“It’s all about community involvement,” Saviano says. “We have a beautiful facility here, and we want to make it available to the community. You can’t ask for anything better.

“It’s about showcasing the community of Lakewood Ranch as a whole,” Saviano says. “It’s an open area, so we can use it for any type of event. If it’s a good thing for the community, then we’ll look at doing it.”

A native of Italy, Saviano grew up playing soccer. He played for the Italian youth soccer team, and when he was 16 years old he trained every day with his club team in a system similar to IMG Academy but without the fee involved.

After seeing his soccer career end in college, Saviano moved to the U.S. Prior to moving to Lakewood Ranch, Salviano worked as the executive director of a soccer club in North Carolina. During his tenure, Saviano managed the annual Seaside Soccer Classic, which he grew from 140 teams to more than 350 teams.

“I love to manage,” Saviano says. “When this opportunity became open, I knew it was all about managing events, and coming in that was something that I loved to do.

“For me, it’s all about continuing to grow,” Saviano says. “We don’t just want people to focus on the facility but being there on a yearly basis. We want to create a positive experience so that everyone keeps coming back.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].