Own your own bocce franchise.

One day in the future, bocce will be played professionally in North America. The Chicago Bocce League is one of the foundational steps toward that ultimate goal. Owning a founding franchise in the CBL is an opportunity to have an ownership stake in the future of bocce. Invest in, create, and develop your own bocce brand in a complementary ecosystem of like-minded, committed brands and organizations. Put yourself in a position to benefit from the inevitable opportunities that will come with owning a stake in bocce’s biggest leap forward.

Also, you get to manage and operate a sports franchise! Think drafting players, managing lineups, analysing matchups, developing players and coaches, controlling the trading block, etc… All the fun and analytical stuff that comes with being a sports franchise owner, applied to our beloved bocce!

$6k will be the cost of owning a founding franchise. More details will be made available, along with full franchise contract details on 6/2. Founding franchises will be available to claim on 6/16.

The 8 founding franchise teams will be available to claim on 6/16/25 at noon ET, by calling or texting CBL Commissioner Mike Scialdone at 518-258-0960.

You do not. Franchises can be owned and managed remotely. Player bios will be made available in advance of the draft to help with players you may be less familiar with.

In this inaugural season, all teams will be drafted from scratch. Eligible players will have until noon ET on 8/4/25 to declare themselves for the draft, which will be held on 8/9/25 at 3PM ET. Each team will draft 6 players.

Further info on draft order, selection process, trades, add/drop, and mid-season aquisitions will be directly communicated to and coordinated with franchise owners.

Sure! Franchises are permitted to make a deal with up to one player before 8/1/25, ahead of the 8/9/25 draft. This player will be considered your franchise foundation and will essentially act as your team’s first round draft pick. Teams that sign a franchise foundation player will then skip their turn in the first round of the draft.

Of course we cannot promise this, like Bernie Madoff did, but yes we envision quite a fantastic increase in value and return on these initial franchise investements.

Franchise contracts, including info on league royalties will be made available on June 2nd, ahead of the June 16th “Franchises 4 Sale” date. Decisions on future royalties, potential revenue sharing, and other operational financial logistics will be made in collaboration with franchise owners. We want happy franchise owners.

Franchises will not be required to directly pay their players for at least the inaugural season. There will be monetary prizes disbursed for winning franchises at the end of the season.

As the league evolves beyond this inaugural season, decisions on when to institute a minimum player salary, among other things, will be made in collaboration with franchise owners, players, and CBL leadership.

Yes. CBL leadership will work closely with players and franchise owners to develop the best product for all involved, especially those with ownership stake.

Franchise Contract Info Available - 6/2
Franchises Available to Claim - 6/16 at noon ET
Franchise Foundation Player Signing Deadline - 7/31 at 11:59PM ET
Player Draft Eligibility Deadline - 8/4 at noon ET
Draft - 8/9 at 3PM ET
Media Days - 9/12-14

Regular Season 9/18-11/15 TH 7PM, FR 7PM, SAT 11AM & 2PM
(off weeks: Mario Massa 9/25-27, Aldo Della Croce 11/6-8)
(Halloween week play will be Wed, Thu, Sun)

Playoff Week 11/19-23
Wed 11/19: 1st Rd Best of 3 (2 matches)
Thurs 11/20: Quarters Best of 5 (1 match)
Fri 11/21: Quarters Best of 5 (1 match)
Sat 11/22: Semis Best of 5 (2 matches)
Sun 11/23: Finals Best of 7 (1 match)