After months of speculation as to where the new home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame would be, the Hall announced that it will vacate the 62-acre campus located in Oneonta, NY and will transfer the archives to another location.
On February 10, the Hall of Fame made the following statement:
The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum announced its plan to change its current operating model to address its financial challenges while enhancing its ability to promote the history of soccer to the growing community of fans across the nation.
As part of the operating change, the Hall of Fame will close its Oneonta, N.Y., facility and relocate the collections and archives. Preliminary plans include distributing permanent displays for exhibition in several locations nationwide, while elements of the Hall’s archives not on display will be preserved in storage facilities provided by one of the Hall’s longtime corporate sponsors, Eurosport, located in Hillsborough, N.C.
The annual election process will continue without interruption, and the location of specific induction ceremonies will be planned with consideration to the U.S. soccer calendar, the fan base of respective inductees and any other circumstances unique to a given year. Although specific details have not yet been decided, planning for the 2010 Induction is currently underway with an event anticipated for late summer. The U.S. Soccer Federation will assist with the execution of the annual election and implementation of the Induction event, as well as the relocation of the archive.
The question became what would be done with the facility itself, now that the Hall is now a ‘virtual hall of fame’ as Board Chairman Doug Willies described it during the press conference to announce the decision.
As the relocation process begins, the Hall will seek to transfer title of its 62-acre campus to the Otsego County Development Corporation, a nonprofit entity that promotes commerce and civic improvement. This transfer, pending approval by key New York State agencies and the New York State Supreme Court, will require that soccer programs continue to occur at the current complex, but will also permit the building and grounds to otherwise be used to serve the highest and best interests of the local community.
“The vision for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, its birth, and the majority of its support has, for nearly 30 years, originated in Oneonta,” stated Hall of Fame Board Chairman, Doug Willies. “In recognition of these unprecedented contributions to the promotion of soccer in the United States, the Board of Directors of the NSHOF is pleased to return at no cost to the community the entire campus and facility”.
The Hall will continue to occupy the current facility until the relocation of collections and archives is complete. To facilitate the transition, a contract has been established for the Otsego County Development Corporation to immediately assume management responsibilities associated with the property.
“The National Soccer Hall of Fame is saddened to be closing our doors in Oneonta, a city and region that has showed great support for both the museum and the sport long before we opened here,” Hall of Fame President, Jonathan Ullman said. “Ultimately, we need to move forward in a manner that maximizes our resources and provides the greatest possible access by the public to the history and heroes of the sport, and this is the first step forward in that process.”
There has been a lot of disappointment in the soccer community and among soccer writers, including Frank Giase of the Star-Ledger who called the decision an “embarrassment” with plenty of blame to go around.
More coverage:
News 10 Now (video)
“The Hall without an address” (J Hutcherson – USSoccerPlayers.com)
“Soccer Hall announcement a troubling one” (Jeff Kassouf – Set Piece Analysts)