SPH redefines the future of high performance across the hemisphere
What’s extraordinary isn’t just the $280 million infrastructure—already the largest private investment in youth sports development in the United States—but the convergence of minds behind it.
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The constellation of legends: when reputational capital becomes transformational capital
Manu Ginóbili (four-time NBA champion, Hall of Famer), Juan Sebastián Verón (title winner with Manchester United and Lazio), Juan Ignacio “Pepe” Sánchez (first Argentine selected in the NBA Draft), Juan “Pico” Mónaco (ATP top 10), Mariano Zabaleta (Roland Garros semifinalist), Martín Gramática (NFL Super Bowl champion), and Darío Sala (historic Argentine goalkeeper) aren’t just “lending their names” to the project. They are investing their capital, their time, and the reputations they built over decades.
“The group came together because we share the same vision of education and the future. Even today, athletes are forced to choose between studying and training, and we wanted to put all our experience at the service of the next generations,” says Ginóbili with the clarity that defined him on the court.
Ginóbili, Verón, Pico Mónaco, and a cadre of Argentine elite athletes lead a $280M project that fuses sport, education, and neuroscience across 100 acres in Florida
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SPH will span more than 100 acres in the Miami area, dedicated to elite training, academic education, and holistic health. With a 100% private $280 million investment, the complex will include academies for soccer, basketball, tennis, and American football; a boarding school; student residences; a hotel; and a sports medicine, rehabilitation, and performance neuroscience center. It will also feature a 10,000-seat multi-use stadium where Miami FC will train and play. All in one place.
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“This project has a huge impact not only in sports but also on the surrounding community. We want SPH to be a gathering point, an engine that drives opportunity and development where we live.” — Juan “Pico” Mónaco, former professional tennis player and SPH partner
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“SPH is the place we would have wanted when we dreamed of being professional athletes,” explains Juan Sebastián Verón. “This project isn’t just about infrastructure; it’s a legacy. We want to shape well-rounded people—who learn to compete, but also to take care of themselves and enjoy what they do.”
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SPH is a way to project to the world what they learned in Argentina: passion, resilience, and a way of living sport. The goal is for that DNA to transcend borders and become a global opportunity.
A model that unites sport, education, and purpose, SPH was designed to change the paradigm of athlete development. Rather than forcing young talents to choose between studying or training, it offers an integrated, inclusive model with guaranteed scholarship programs (at least 10% of seats) and ongoing academic and psychological support.
“For us, SPH is a way to give back everything sport has given us. We want to inspire new generations and prove that the path of effort and passion can open doors anywhere in the world.” — Mariano Zabaleta, former professional tennis player and SPH partner
“In this era of ‘hyper-connection,’ where so many young people live isolated behind a screen, we deeply believe in the value of being part of a team,” notes Pepe Sánchez. “Sport teaches you to live together, to empathize, to share face to face. It’s an essential part of a person’s education.”
The project was conceived by Darío Sala, former goalkeeper and sports entrepreneur, and is backed by a founding group that blends sporting experience with management vision and innovation. Alongside the athletes are business leaders such as Gastón Remy (former CEO of Dow and cofounder of NUQLEA), Emiliano Fernández Balagué (cofounder of dLocal and AstroPay), and Riccardo Silva (owner of Miami FC and shareholder of AC Milan)—global leaders contributing capital, reputation, and know-how to take the project to international scale.
“From the beginning we wanted SPH to be much more than a sports complex. We wanted it to be a model of sustainable, inclusive growth—a place where talent and opportunity meet.” — Darío Sala, former professional footballer and SPH cofounder
“In the world ahead, the skills sport gives you—resilience, teamwork, discipline—are the ones that will be most valuable. Our project aims precisely at that: to be a window into the education of the future, where soft skills are forged through sport,” says Gastón Remy.
An Argentine initiative with global impact
SPH is an example of talent and vision that transcends borders. Born from the passion and experience of figures who left their mark on world sport, the project aims to shape the athletes of the future with values, health, and purpose—combining sporting excellence with social commitment.
“Football teaches us that true success is built as a team. SPH takes that philosophy beyond the pitch, combining athletic development, education, and wellbeing in a single project.” — Riccardo Silva, entrepreneur, owner of Miami FC, and SPH cofounder
“It’s thrilling to be committed to something this big,” sums up Pepe Sánchez. “SPH isn’t an individual project; it’s a collective dream that will leave a mark on sport and education.”
Key facts
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Total investment: USD 280 million (100% private)
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Site: 100+ acres in Homestead, Miami (80-year lease)
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Multi-use stadium: 10,000 seats
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Sports campus: soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, padel, and pickleball
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Hotel, boarding school, and medical and mental health center
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Jobs: 4,300 in construction; 600 permanent
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Scholarships: 10% of seats guaranteed
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Miami FC will train and play at the complex
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