South Philly student-athletes mark new training facility

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WPVI) – “It started as an idea maybe 20 years ago,” said Dom Nardini. “When the weather is bad, the worst thing is that you want to be able to train but nowhere to do it.”

Nardini, an avid baseball player and coach, always wanted his kids to have an indoor training facility closer to home.

“All the South Philly kids had to go somewhere else. Delaware County, South Jersey Bucks County,” he said. “It was something that was missing and baseball was suffering from it.”

At the end of 2015, Nardini would finally have his chance to change. But it required teamwork with someone he would typically play against on the diamond: Louis Cammisa.

“Dominic and I were rival coaches,” Cammisa said. “So when the opportunity arose, we looked at each other and were like, ‘How about we try this together?'”

Thus, South Philly Sports Training was born. But their vision ended up going beyond the tight spaces of their small gym.

Just in time, the two coaches were able to acquire the former DiBruno Brothers warehouse at 2514 Morris Street and convert it into a beautiful gym with rows of spacious batting cages. They celebrated their grand opening this weekend.

“We hope we can expand into the neighborhood where a lot of people can take advantage of this gym,” Cammisa said.

Currently, area schools like Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School and String Theory School can take advantage of the space for their teams. The general public can also rent a space to practice or practice batting.

But it’s not the end of the game for these two coaches.

“It’s not just about training. It’s about becoming better friends, better people, better young men,” said Dom Nardini. “In 15 years I can say we’re out and I know it’s in good hands.”

To learn more about South Philly Sports Training and its team, visit their website.

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