American soccer fans everywhere received some bad news as TheDailyStar.com reported that the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York will be closed to the public after Labor Day. The country’s poor economy has had a major impact on many nonprofit organizations, including the Hall of Fame which has called the small New York town home since 1979.
September 4, 2009 – TheDailyStar.com:
No decision has been made by the board of directors about whether to keep the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, Ullman said. Discussions are ongoing between board members, but no formal meeting has been scheduled.
The operating budget of the Soccer Hall is about $1 million per year, he said. There is enough money to continue until a decision is reached, which Ullman said he expects this fall.
One of the motivations for having the Hall of Fame in Oneonta was the close proximity to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, just a few highway miles away. However, many would argue that the visitor carry over from the baseball shrine just a few exits down is not enough to justify the location of the nation’s foremost collection of soccer archives and memorabilia. One of the suggestions has been to move the museum to a major city, rather than where it is now, which is about 80 miles west of Albany, in a town with a population slightly above 13,000.
One alternative being considered is having a central location but devoting more attention to traveling exhibits and events in other spots and online. The effort would include working to develop sponsors and promoting the mission of the organization, he said. This includes celebrating the history, honoring heroes, inspiring youth and preserving the legacy of the sport of soccer, according to the Soccer Hall website.
There is no question there will continue to be a national Hall of Fame, Ullman said. Ballots will go out and there will be an induction in 2010. It was too early to say whether that institution would be in Oneonta, he said.
In discussing what people can do to keep the Soccer Hall in Oneonta, Ullman said, “we continue to be open to any ideas, thoughts or concerns.
The Hall of Fame has been instrumental in helping the staff of TheCup.us gather much of our historical information that is currently being moved over to the new website. On behalf of everyone here at TheCup.us, we thank them for all of their help to this point and for all their assistance in the future. We wish the Hall of Fame all the best in trying to resolve their financial situation and to find a long-term solution for keeping the institution alive and well for years to come.
Is moving the Hall to a major city the answer to their problems? Maybe a more central location like St. Louis or Chicago which both have rich soccer histories? Or can the museum work in Oneonta? What would be your solution?