| Lara Baldesarra | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 April 1985 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Lara Baldesarra is an Italian-Canadian sports broadcaster who was a part of the Fox Soccer Report on the Fox Soccer Channel.
On September 30, 2010, she announced her departure from the show.
Baldesarra was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 2, 1985 to a very athletic family. Her parents both played soccer and basketball at the University level. Baldesarra started playing soccer when she was three years old and was very active as a child participating in many sports leagues and sports summer camps. She attended Appleby College, a preparatory private boarding school in Oakville, Ontario and graduated in 2003. She then enrolled at the University of Toronto and graduated with honors, earning a Specialist Degree in Urban and Economic Geography in 2008. Baldesarra is also an alumna of the University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico and the Institut de Touraine in Tours, France. She continued her studies with post-graduate studies of Broadcast Journalism.
Baldesarra began her sports broadcasting career with TSN on Off The Record with Michael Landsberg and assisted with program development and research. She credits Landsberg as one of her favorite television personalities and mentors.
Baldesarra was the co-host on an AM sports radio show in Toronto before being hired by Rogers TV in Toronto for the show Game Day where she was the host and colour commentator for soccer, rugby and football matches. She was then assigned as the hockey rink-side reporter and interviewer for the CCHL / Ontario Hockey Association. She also hosted the sports news and magazine show Sportszone.
In May 2009, Baldesarra was hired as the colour commentator and analyst for Rogers TV's coverage of the 2009 Canadian Soccer League season. The final game was broadcast from BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. In December 2009, She accepted an offer from the Fox Soccer Report to become a new anchor in the mix on the weekday, hour-long program. On September 30, 2010, she announced on-air that it was her last show for FSR.
On January 7, 2011, Baldesarra announce on Twitter that she was joining Setanta Connected starting January 10.