Updated 02/12/2010 06:05 AM
U.S. Soccer Hall to shut down building
The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum has had a presence in Oneonta for more than 30 years. The run came to an end Thursday as officials announced the permanently closing of the facility. Our Rob Wu tells us what is next for the Soccer Hall of Fame and the building it used to be in.
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ONEONTA, N.Y. -- After 30 years, its shining moment has past. Those with the Hall of Fame said they tried everything in their power, but it's time to call it a day.
"The cost of running the facilities and programs have exceeded paid customers. Every year, regardless of what was done. It has not succeeded to the tune of hundreds of thousands of operating loss," said Hall of Fame board chairman Doug Willies.
In the week to come, the exhibits and archives will be packed and moved to a storage facility in North Carolina. While it is leaving Oneonta, the National Soccer Hall of Fame will continue, just without a permanent physical location.
"Basically going to a virtual hall of fame with localized exhibits, a web presence, holding inductions in various places depending on circumstances," said Willies.
The Hall of Fame will turn over the 62-acre campus and 40,000 square foot facility to the Otsego County Development Corporation, a non-profit group made up of both public and private individuals.
"They didn't have to do that. They could've easily sold the property for a million or $2 million at a deep discount and then run with it," says the Doug Gulotty, the group's president.
Gulotty says he's confident once the snow clears, soccer tournaments will resume.
As for the facility itself, he's already received interest from groups looking to rent major portions of the building, but for now, he'll take things slow.
"It's really is a matter of, let's go through our options, put it on a piece of paper for people to see, then we'll make a rational choice with community input," Gulotty explains.
"You have a remarkable asset here. You have four of the best, highest quality grass soccer field you can find anywhere in the country. You have a unique building. There's a lot you can be creative about," said the Hall of Fame's COO Jonathan Ullman.
The OCDC says it has located enough funding to keep the facilities running for at least the next year, which gives them time to figure out what to do.
The OCDC estimates it will need to generate about $150,000 a year to keep things running. They're confident in two years time, they can tap into the facility's potential.