Falcone Takes His Talents To Europe
Thank you, Mike!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chuck Paiva
January 19, 2025 General Manager 401-845-6832// operations@newportgulls.com
Long-time Newport Gulls Director of Baseball Operations, Michael Falcone, has moved on to an exciting new chapter in his career. Michael has taken his talents overseas to Belgium, where he will be working with RFC Liège, a professional football club in the Challenger Pro League, the second tier of Belgian football. In his new role, Michael will focus on enhancing the club's fan experience and promoting local community initiatives.
Michael first joined the Gulls in 2016 as an intern. Just one year later, he took over the role of Director of Baseball Operations, demonstrating just how much he can bring to a team. Over the years, he has formed lasting relationships within the Aquidneck Island community. Michael’s work has gone beyond baseball, helping to foster a family culture that defines the Newport Gulls.
Michael is a true embodiment of dedication to his craft. In Newport, he immersed himself in his work with an unwavering commitment, always striving for excellence and growth. His attention to detail was unmatched, often spending extra hours in the office and at the field making sure everything was the highest quality possible. Michael’s passion truly showed these past two seasons, with the Gulls capturing back to back championships. His dedication inspired those around him, creating an environment where the bar continued to be raised year after year.
“My time with the Gulls was nothing short of a dream,” Michael shared. “I could not have asked for a better group to serve as mentors and a community to embrace me with open arms. Deciding to leave the place I have called home for nearly a decade was not easy, but I’ll be back soon. Thank you to everyone who made my time so special! Gulls fly together, forever!”
“Mike has been a tremendous asset to the Newport Gulls, and we will miss him,” said Chuck Paiva, President and General Manager. “However, we are excited for Mike, and I think he will hit it out of the park in his new position with the professional soccer team in Belgium. Mike has been a great ambassador for the Newport Gulls and in our community, I am confident he will do the same in Europe. He was passionate and loved the Gulls, however this opportunity is at another level, comparable to making it to the major leagues. On behalf of the Newport Gulls family, we wish him all the success in his new position.”
As an organization and family, we are thrilled to see what new opportunities Michael will embrace with RFC Liège. We are deeply grateful for his years of dedication and the positive impact he’s had on the Gulls, and we look forward to seeing the new heights he will reach on this exciting journey.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are eight-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
