The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum has closed its doors to the public with the exception of dates on which matches are played on the Hall of Fame fields.
"Despite many successes, the challenges of generating sufficient earned revenue, engaging sponsors and developing philanthropic contributions have not been as successful as needed, requiring the Hall to explore alternative modes of operation," the hall's Web site states.
" ... This action and the cost savings associated with it will provide the time and resources required to complete the planning for a new, sustainable operating model," the Hall's Web site states.
The museum will be
open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 21-22, in concert with the New York State Public
High School Athletic Association championships to be contested on the Hall of Fame fields. The Web site states that "All other days, the museum is closed to the public."
"It's obviously too bad in terms of the work that a lot of people in Oneonta have put into it," said Tim Schum, formerly long-time men's soccer coach at Binghamton University and a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.
"The problem, I think, is location. They thought they could kind of piggy-back the Baseball Hall of Fame, like sports-museum goers could do a double-dip. But it's not the same audience.
"It's just an awkward location. I think that's the major drawback. The museum itself, if you located it in a more traditional soccer community ... " he added, mentioning Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., as possibilities.
"It's just too bad; they have an infrastructure there that they've nurtured."
