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The National Soccer Hall of Fame recently announced that, after 30 years, they were closing after Labor Day. Jack Huckel, the Director of Museum and Archives, took time to speak with TheCup.us about what’s next for the Oneonta, NY-based soccer mecca.

It was not shocking news, but certainly sad news for soccer fans when The Daily News reported that the National Soccer Hall of Fame would close its doors after Labor Day. The economic difficulties of the museum, located in Oneonta, NY, about 80 miles west of Albany, have been well-documented with the country’s poor economy being the paramount reason for the decline in attendance and revenue. The museum attracts around 17,000 people per year which, along with donations, helps the Hall chip away at a $1 million annual budget.

Jack Huckel, the director of Museum and Archives, says his fears about the state of the Hall’s business affairs were confirmed only months before the announcement was made.

“The administration told us mid-summer that there would have to be changes, or that there would have to be layoffs,” said Huckel. “ was knowable, but the summer was so bad that it came faster than anyone anticipated.”

It doesn’t take a economics degree to see the reason why the Hall of Fame was struggling to make ends meet. A drop in attendance leads to less ticket revenue and less money spent in the gift shop. The number of teams that were entering the youth tournaments held at the Hall’s four soccer fields next to the museum facility had gone down, which created a similar financial snowball effect.

“I think our greatest marketing challenge, believe it or not, is that we put those teams on the fields in those tournaments and we have their parents here and we struggle to bring those people into the museum,” said Huckel. “They’re not soccer fans, they’re Johnny and Janie’s fans.”

Donations had dropped as well, and Huckel says that he believes that people struggling in this tough economy are putting their philanthropic contributions in the hands of human service organizations rather than cultural organizations like the Hall.

“I don’t know of a museum that exists successfully as a business,” said Huckel, who spent 30 years as a soccer coach and volunteered at the museum before being hired full-time in May of 2000. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, for example. If they can’t make it without significant contributions, why should anyone else think they can?”

One of the by-products of the financial struggles has been the limited amount of funds that have been invested back into the museum. Huckel says that many of the exhibits that are currently on display are, for the most part, the same ones that were created 10 years ago.

“I felt personally that was not as critical because the numbers were relatively small, and we attract a small repeat audience,” said Huckel. “That’s why museums change, because primarily they are in a metropolitan area and they want to attract that repeat audience.”

What the Soccer Hall lacks that other major sports museums in the United States have is a significant benefactor to cover costs and are committed to the long-term success of the organization. Without that benefactor, the financial situation of the museum may not change.

“One of the speculations is that the museum could move to a more populous location,” he said. “It’s my belief that while the numbers might change, the attendance would increase and the income would grow, the economics stay relatively the same. The only way that it makes sense in any location is if there is a benefactor or a group of benefactors that make sure it stays alive.”

As of now, no one has come forward to bring the Hall of Fame to a particular city or to keep it in Oneonta. State Senator James Seward issued a statement shortly after the announcement pledging his support to help keep the Hall in the small New York town, but also acknowledged the financial challenges involved.

The future of the museum is still in the discussion phase, but the chances of the Hall remaining in Oneonta are ‘slim’ according to Huckel. The board of directors are expecting to have a decision made and a plan of action put together before Thanksgiving. The last event at the Hall is the weekend before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21-22) when they host the New York State Public High School soccer tournament.

Huckel pointed out an additional challenge is that the Hall has to work with an outside entity in order to get approval to move forward with whatever direction they decide to go.

“The museum itself does not have absolute control over all its elements,” he explains. “We were chartered by the New York State Department of Education and in return for giving us the imprinter to be a non-profit and to have the benefits of tax-free donations is that they have an interest in our historical collection. So they have to approve the next step. Whatever we do, they have to sign off on. For example, if this were a business and it went bankrupt, they are like the bondholders, they would then take the archives.”

The Department of Education, which oversees every museum and historical archive in the state of New York, everything from The Met to the smallest historical society, likely won’t stand in the way of a potential move to another city. They are concerned that the Hall’s archive is in good hands no matter where they are located.

The board of directors and the Department of Education met recently and the Department approved all of the options that the Hall are currently exploring. However, details of what those options are have not been disclosed.

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