History

The National Soccer Hall of Fame was originally organized in 1950 by the Philadelphia Old-timers Association. However, it existed only on paper until 1979, when an archive of memorabilia was established in a former mansion in Oneonta, NY.

Known as "Soccertown, USA," Oneonta is the home of two small colleges, Hartwick and Oneonta State, that almost always have good soccer teams.

The U. S. Soccer Federation (USSF) sanctioned the museum in 1982. Four years later, a 61-acre site in Oneonta was purchased for a permanent complex.

Construction plans were stalled for lack of funding until 1995, when the state of New York awarded a $4.5 million grant for design and development of a hall of fame complex.

The USSF then pledged $1 million toward the project and embarked on a fund-raising drive to generate $7.2 million toward the first phase of construction.

The 20,000-square-foot museum complex opened on June 1, 1999, and tts archive grew to include more than 80,000 items.

Nominations for the Hall of Fame are made by state organizations and a veterans committee. A nine-person committee made up of Hall of fame members, U. S. soccer officials, and media representatives makes the final selections. The annual induction ceremony is held in late summer.

In February of 2010, the Hall of Fame announced major changes brought out by financial difficulties. Its building was closed, with many of its archives moved to become permanent soccer history exhibits in other locations throughout the United States. Those not exhibited elsewhere were to go into storage.

The hall remains operational. New members will continue to be elected and induction ceremonies will be held in various locations.

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