The U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is shutting down
its building.
The Hall announced Sept. 22 that it was closing except on
days of special events, and on Wednesday the Hall said it will seek
to transfer its 62-acre campus to the Otsego County Development
Corporation, which will immediately start managing the property.
The transfer must be approved by state agencies and the state
Supreme Court.
"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 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."
The Hall opened in 1979 and has been in its current building
since 1999. It will require that soccer programs be continued at
the current complex but will allow the building and grounds to be
used for other purposes.
Exhibitions will be distributed to several locations around
the nation, and archives will be stored by Eurosport, a Hall
sponsor, in Hillsborough, N.C. Annual elections will continue.
"As we transition into a new and more sustainable operating
model, we will continue to promote and celebrate the Hall of Famers
and their accomplishments," U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil
Gulati said.
